The combination of America’s love affair with the automobile, vast highways and ideals of individualism seem to make the nation a natural habitat for automobiles defined by the speed, handling, design and power that they give the driver. Indeed, the Corvette dominates American imagery of the fast, sleek, two-seater convertible and has been projected as an American image abroad, even if never a sales success. Yet, American production of sports cars has been overshadowed continually by European models sold in the US, which also out-raced American sports cars worldwide. Issues of class and cultural capital also permeate a world where speed and handling may also be addressed through a Maserati or modification of standard cars into “hot rods.” From origins to the contemporary period, sports cars are defined socially and by media as toys for boys— “babe magnets.” Prior to the Second World War, sports cars in America tended to be designed and produced by small companies targeting niche markets, their fame often exceeding their sales. The most prominent early entrant was Stutz, who introduced the Bearcat in 1913, yet, despite subsequent advances, closed in 1935. The Depression also destroyed the Cord, Auburn and Duesenberg, whose Model J was a very high performance luxury model. By this time, France, Italy, Britain and Germany also had created legendary sports cars whose dominance would continue after the war.

Amid postwar affluence, suburbanization and the impact of European models, the Big Three automakers experimented with the sports car in the form of the Corvette (Chevrolet/GM) and the Thunderbird (Ford). The unmistakable new 1955 Thunderbird two-seater was changed in 1958 into a four-passenger personal luxury car. Ford later reentered the “sporty” market with the Mustang (1964–). The corvette, with a fiberglass body on a Chevy chassis, hit the road in 1953. Despite design changes after 1957, it has defined the American sports car. Kaiser, Nash and Studebaker also introduced sports cars in the 1950s. Artisanal alternatives over the years have included the Bricklin, Cobra and Delorean, while family cars have gained sporty power and features. Yet, the markets of the 1950s and 1960s always included a range of European cars, from the MG and Porsche to the Jaguar and Ferrari alongside larger American “performance” cars.

American sports cars, nonetheless, lost popularity until disposable income in the 1990s made toys for the rich more popular again. European cars and Japanese manufacturers have effectively claimed the market, despite Corvette’s continuing production. Sports cars are also only one option within a range of automotive expressions of money, power and self that includes sports utility vehicles, “sporty and powerful” touring cars, luxury cars, family vans, pick-up trucks, etc.