Many people know the Corvette as a motorsports icon or the ultimate Muscle/Sports car, but few know the meaning behind the name Corvette. The name Corvette was first used on ships in the 1670s by the French Navy. These small, light, and fast ships would often be used as escorts for larger ships. Сorvettes of those times were three-masted ships with square rigging similar to that of frigates and ships of the line, but they carried only about 20 guns on the top deck. Frequently serving as dispatchers among ships of a battle fleet, corvettes also escorted merchantmen and showed a nation’s flag in distant parts of the world.

In 1953 the first of the classic Corvettes were hand built in Flint, Michigan. It was named after a famous class War Ship, and the two door sports car was meant to be a gentlemen's sports car. Although a Classic beauty it was under powered with its 6 cylinder engine and it almost fell by the wayside.

Steel was in short supply in 1953, so a new product was chosen for use as the car body: fiberglass. Beginning in 1955 Chevrolet offered a small block eight cylinder engine in the Corvette (265 cubic inches in size), and this is believed to have saved the Corvette from being discontinued due to the lack of power that the six cylinder original engine produced. The Corvette continues to be very popular to this day.

More Info: ezinearticles.com