1950-1959 Chevrolet Corvette

Origin: The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the most important cars in American history. This is so because the car signified the beginning of an era of racing in US. The idea of the Corvette came to be when GM hired an engineer named Harley Earl who adored sports cars. He was influenced by American Soldiers who were returning from World War II. These Soldiers were returning home with exotic cars such as Jaguars and MG's (these cars are not American). This led to much jealousy in Harley Earls mind and in 1951, Earl proposed to the head of GM to start production of the first American sports car.

Purpose: The Corvette was made to show the world that America can make its own exotic car. As there were many super car manufacturer in Europe such as Lamborghini and Ferrari; their cars made American cars seem pathetic. This car was also made to rival these European cars in the International market. The first Corvette was called the Corvette 1 or C1. The elegant design of this car signaled other race car companies that a new dog had joined the fight. The Corvette was not only fast but exotic, it used materials such as Fiberglass and other fantastic things.

Value: The Corvette signified many things during the time of its production. As the car was the first American sports car made after the end of World War II, the car showed that the economy of America was getting better. The Corvette required a lot of money to make and World War II gave it an open path to its production. The Corvette was also nicknamed the "American Sports Car."

Limitations: The C1 was made during the time of the Korean war in which The US was involved in. The car does not tell us anything about the war or any other details about what the condition of Korea was, It doesn’t tell us how the competition went between sports cars.