Corvette History

The Corvette Story #1 – HJE’s “Sporty Car”

Scott Kolecki··
Last updated:

Harley J. Earl may be remembered as one of the greatest automotive stylists of all time. His many contributions to the automotive industry include the creation of clay modelling, the advancement of General Motors most celebrated cars throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and most significant – the creation of the Chevy Corvette!

Early portrait of Harley J. Earl, GM's first VP of Design and the Father of the Corvette! (Image courtesy of GM Media.)
Early portrait of Harley J. Earl, GM’s first VP of Design and the Father of the Corvette! (Image courtesy of GM Media.)

Earl first conceived the idea for his “sporty car” (the Corvette name would come later) while visiting Watkins Glen as he toured the country with his enormously popular LeSabre concept car in 1951. The growing popularity of European sports cars in the United States left Earl wondering why none of the “Big Three” had thought to design an American sports car that could compete with MG, Mercedes, Porsche, and others…

And so it was, amidst racers and race cars in Watkins Glen, that he decided he’d design one of his own.

Earl decided he’d develop his “sporty car” in secret. He set up shop in a small workspace adjacent to his primary development studio at GM and set to work. He envisioned a sports car that would be low priced, and easy to maintain – ideally one that could be purchased at the same GM dealership where it would later be serviced.

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