ABSTRACT

For many Americans, the automobile and the open road are representative of a distinct set of values that we hold dear – freedom, independence, and mobility. Aesthetically, cars project images onto the world of our identity and social status. Many car models have fleetingly passed through consumer markets within the past century, superseded by changing tides of fuel efficiency, federal safety regulations, and functionality. Unlike the rest, the Chevrolet Corvette has established iconic status as America’s sports car maintaining the most consistent and continuous production in the auto industry for more than 60 years. This study explores how the iconic status of the Corvette is constructed through the social history, generational influence, and community of the consumers who collect this car as a lifestyle symbol. Literature from consumer behavior research and sociology inform this ethnographic research that uses in-depth interviews and participant observation data to interpret the meaning embedded within this leisure community. The preservation of the car’s history is embodied in the brand community’s mission and leisure activities and as a cultural object, the Corvette is memorialized in the National Corvette Museum. In a broader context, the preservation of this icon as a national treasure ensures the continuity of a distinct set of American values that exist within this community amidst changing ideals of nationalism.