Mechanically, cars weren’t fancy in 1954. But some were drop-dead gorgeous, such as the then-new Corvette.

This was Chevrolet’s early foray into the burgeoning sports car market. GIs returning from Europe after World War II had fallen in love with two-seat sports cars they saw overseas, mostly in England. By the 1950s they were starting to earn the income to buy such cars and Chevy was among the first to jump into the segment.

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