By Robert Tate, Award-Winning Automotive Historian and Researcher
Images Courtesy of the General Motors Media Archives
Published 4.16.2025
An ad for the inaugural 1953 Chevrolet Corvette (GM Media Archives)
One of the most iconic automobiles in American history is the Chevrolet Corvette sports car by General Motors. From 1953 to the present, Americans have always admired this stylish two-seater sports car.
A 1956 Corvette ad
The Corvette’s history is always captivating to explore. For many years, Corvette enthusiasts and collectors have admired its advertising. The advertising and illustrations that are part of this story reflect many years of Corvette history. As a collector and automotive historian, I have always found that the early years of Corvette advertising featured great works of art that were often good for framing.
An illustration of the 1958 Corvette
One of my favorite Corvette print ads that I had framed is one showing a gentleman about to exit a black 1963 Corvette, with the headline “Instant Celebrity.” The illustration shows a top view angle, which I thought was very nicely done.
A 1963 Corvette ad
Corvette advertising began with the inaugural 1953 model. This was a time when some Americans did not yet own a television set. The headline for the 1953 Corvette ad proclaimed a “Forecast of a New Era in American Sports Cars.”
Another 1963 Corvette ad
After the Corvette models were placed into production, General Motors’ advertising agency, Campbell-Ewald, began to tell the world about the exciting new Corvette models. General Motors also had the Detroit-based Boulevard Photographic to handle photo illustrations for the Corvette campaigns; Boulevard Photographic was considered to be the best in the automotive business. Boulevard Photographic once said this about the Corvette campaign: “The Corvette became a legitimate performance car in 1957, a fact emphasized by this straightforward, no-nonsense portrayal. Throughout the years, the mission of Corvette advertising has remained remarkably consistent.”
A 1965 Corvette ad
It was Mickey McGuire and Jimmy Northmore at Boulevard Photographic that created great-looking photography for Corvette advertising. They found ways to simulate motion without moving the car or the camera. The photographers could also create an ad shot with a wide-angle lens that was used to exaggerate other attributes and proportions of the Corvette models. Some automotive historians have said that McGuire and Northmore continually sought to find better pictures, developing new techniques and equipment, and doing whatever it took to produce the right shots for Corvette advertising. Corvette advertising appeared in magazines like Road & Track, Car & Driver and Motor Trend.
A photo for a 1966 Corvette ad
Looking back at the history of Corvette advertising, certainly the 1953 campaign introduced the new sports car to the world, but ensuing generations of the car featured ad campaigns that made Corvette the iconic car it is today. For example, the new 1963 Corvette changed the way the buying public saw the car. GM design chief Harley Earl and later the talented Bill Mitchell both created great automotive styling that set the Corvette apart from both foreign and domestic sports cars, helping change American automotive history.
A 1968 Corvette ad
Today, when you look at the history of Corvette advertising, there were many great illustrations suitable for framing.
Ludvigsen, Karl. “Corvette, America’s Star-Spangled Sports Car: The Complete History.” Automobile Quarterly Publications, 1973.
The Editors of Consumer Guide. “Corvette: America’s Only True Sports Car.” Winter, 1979.
Williams, Jim. “Boulevard Photographic: The Art of Automobile Advertising.” MBI Publishing Company, 1997.
