The Corvette C1 Roadster was launched at the Waldorf Astoria in the 1953 Motorama. This was the edition remembered by the introduction of a motoring legend: the Corvette. It wasn't an immediate hit, and after three years of production it was almost canceled altogether. General Motors introduced the Corvette on the North American market as an option (and to rival the) for the European roadsters. The design of the Corvette was focused on saving weight. To do so, the entire body was constructed out of fiberglass.