America has produced some truly spectacular cars and if you were to draw up a list of some of the greatest cars in its history I can guarantee you that both the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Mustang would feature in it heavily. For over half a century these two premier American sports cars have been leading the way in terms of performance, engineering, and innovation.
The world was first introduced to the Chevy Corvette in 1953 at the General Motors Motorama Auto Show in New York City. It was named after a small class of warships that were used during the second world war. Equipped with a 3.9-liter six-cylinder engine the first C1 Corvette rolled off the assembly line, 299 more examples would follow after that.
Over 10 years after its Chevrolet counterpart, the original Ford Mustang went into production. It was a collaborative effort between Ford and Shelby American which produced one of the greatest American Muscle cars of all time.
To be a true American Icon you must have the spirit of an American, you have to be industry-defining and most importantly you have to be a truly special car.
So between the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Mustang which car embodies what it truly means to be an American Icon? Let's take a look...
American Through And Through
The Corvette was originally a publicity stunt launched by former GM Chief Designer Harley J. Earl. The idea was that America needed a sports car to compete with European carmakers, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. His ingenious idea succeeded and the Chevrolet Corvette was released in 1953. It was the first American sports car and it was ready to take one the world.
The only problem was that the car didn't sell, well, at first. Despite its sporty look, the car didn't have a powerful enough engine and this made it unappealing to customers. After a couple of years trying to find its identity, the Corvette was finally equipped with an engine worthy of a sportscar.
In 1969 the Corvette became recognized as the official car for astronauts after members of the Apollo 12 were pictured with their custom 390-hp 427 Corvette Stingray coupes. This unofficial endorsement boosted the car's popularity and cemented it as America's premier sports car.
Unlike its Chevy compatriot, the Ford Mustang was anything but a slow burner. When it was released in 1964 the car was an instant hit! It sold almost half a million units in its first year, creating its own vehicle class in the process. The pony car can attribute most of its early success to the Steve Mcqueen movie Bullit which was released in 1968.
America's car industry was largely built off of the success of the Mustang, it was the inspiration behind many of the great cars that you see today. 55 years after Lee Iacocca and Carroll Shelby teamed up to create it, the Mustang is still setting the benchmark for what an American car should be.
A Class Above
Corvette is one of the best production cars ever built. The amount of power and torque found inside this American sports is so incredible that it pulls you back to the seat. It's almost as though it has a hyperdrive function. Another thing that makes it such a great sports car is the weight distribution, the Corvette is perfectly balanced.
The sound a car makes isn't as important as it once was. In the age of hybrids and Evs, the obsession with roaring V8's is slowly dying out. Fortunately for us, the Corvette doesn't seem to have gotten the memo. It still sounds very much like an American sportscar, loud and intimidating the way it has always been.
The one thing that Ford has gotten right over GM is range. The Mustang has been able to dominate world markets in a way that the Corvette never could. In 2019 it was the best selling sports car in the world for the 5th consecutive year. It's the car that everyone wants to own.
Everything about the iconic pony car is special from its rich heritage to its performance and even its bulky GT body. The Ford Mustang just screams performance.
A True American Icon
Choosing between a Corvette and a Mustang is extremely difficult. Both of these great cars have played an important role in the car industry and have consistently proven that they are the best.
But if you HAD to choose just one then it would have to be the Chevrolet Corvette. It was an underdog that went up against some of the greatest cars in the world and came out of the other side still intact. It was the laughing stock of the car industry when it first came out and today it is one of the most respected sports cars in the world.
And the best part about the Corvette is that it has no rivals in America, no sports car matches up to what the Corvette can do. It stands at the very peak of the American car industry. The Chevrolet Corvette is a true American Icon.