Entering the 1950s, no corporation even came close to General Motors in its size, the scope of its enterprise or its profits. GM was twice as big as the second biggest company in the world. Standard Oil of New Jersey (forefather of today's Exxon/Mobil), and had a vast conglomeration of businesses ranging from home appliances to providing insurance and building Buick, Cadillacs, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and locomotives. It was so big that it made more than half the cars sold in the United States and the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust division was threatening to break it up. In the diversified 21st century, it's almost hard to imagine how overwhelmingly concentrated corporate power was in GM back then. But it didn't make a sports car. The idea of a car coming from stodgy GM that could compete with Jaguar, MG or Triumph was almost absurd. Still, there was room inside GM for dreams even if there wasn't any room for whimsy. Harley J. Earl, GM'S chief designer (formally the head of the Art and Color Section) and the man who invented the "concept car" with the 1938 Buick Y-Job, was in charge of the corporation's ambitious musings.

The second generation (C2) Corvette, which introduced Sting Ray to the model, continued with fiberglass body panels, and overall, was smaller than the first generation. It was designed by Larry Shinoda from a previous concept design called the "Q Corvette".

The third generation Corvette, patterned after the Mako Shark II concept car, was introduced for the 1968 model year and was in production until 1982. C3 coupes featured the first use of T-top removable roof panels.

The fourth generation Corvette was the first complete redesign of the Corvette since 1963. Production of the 1983 model year but quality issues & part delays resulted in only 43 prototypes for the 1983 model.

Production of the C5 Corvette began in 1997 and ended with the 2004 model year. The C5 had a top speed of 181 mph and was judged by the automotive press as improved in nearly every area.

The C6 Corvette retained the front engine and rear transmission design of the C5, but was otherwise all-new, including new bodywork with exposed headlamps (for the first time since 1962).

The next-generation (C7) Corvette had been in development since 2007. Originally set to be introduced for the 2011 model year, its introduction was delayed for 3 years. It was finally released for the 2014 model year.