The Watkins Glen Corvette Festival Celebrates 70 Years of America’s Sports Car!

The Corvette is turning 70 this year.  As such, automotive clubs – many of them Corvette Clubs – across the country are planning celebratory events to commemorate the momentous occassion.  While the festivities really start to ramp up as the summer arrives in a few weeks, a major celebration occurred this past weekend in the city of Watkins Glen, New York.  The event – the first-ever “Watkins Glen Corvette Festival” – happened this past weekend with all the pomp-and-circumstance you’d expect from a Corvette-themed event.  

But why Watkins Glen you ask?  The answer just might surprise you.

For anyone not already in the know, the genesis of the Corvette – and indeed the first-generation model that followed – emerged from the mind of Harley Earl, General Motors first Vice President of Design.  What is less commonly known is that Earl first found his inspiration for the Corvette while attending a race event in Watkins Glen on his way back from the Paris Auto Show.

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