October 22, 1954, Thunderbird hits the public showroom floorįord had anticipated sales of 10,000 Thunderbirds-in actuality, more than 16,000 T-Birds were sold in 1955.

The price tag? Around $3,490.ĭebut of the Thunderbird: February 20, 1954. To this day, all Corvettes have been produced with a composite-material body.Įvery Corvette produced in 1953 came with a Polo White exterior and a red interior. Of course, the revolutionary body construction of those first Corvettes was the most distinguishing feature of the car, rolled out in 1953 with a revolutionary all-fiberglass body. The number of Corvettes produced the next year was 3,640, over 10 times more. Chevrolet decided to put out a limited production run of 300 Corvettes just six months later. Reaction to the new sports car was enthusiastic, with thousands of people eager to buy the new car as soon as they could get it. The automotive showcase, independent of the annual auto show at that same time of year, was held at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. January 17, 1953: Corvette takes the stage for the first timeĬorvette made its debut as a prototype concept vehicle at General Motors’ own Motorama in New York City on January 17, 1953.

Red thunder bird