American Idol

The Corvette, like Elvis Presley, is the original American idol, says James Deakin. But just like its home country, it hasbeen evolving in diversity

- James Deakin

By the time you read this piece, there should only be a handful of sleeps left to go before the all-new seventh-generation Corvette hits Philippine roads—that’s exactly how I planned it.

You see I’ve been living with this painful little secret for over three months now. Well, technically speaking, it’s not a secret; but I kept it as one simply because I was sparing you from the same sleepless nights that have been a part of my daily life since June, after I climbed out of the cockpit of one of the most emotional cars I’ve driven this year.

I say emotional because you don’t just drive a Corvette. It drives you—and not in a chauffeur kind of way, either. I’m talking about the nameplate and everything that it stands for. The impact it had on pop culture, car culture, and the entire American culture.

I struggle to think of a car that has had more songs written about it, nor can I think of one that has shaped so many dreams. To say the Corvette is just a great car is like saying Elvis was just a great singer. They are far more than that. They are the original American Idols.

Ferraris and Porsches also enjoy similar cult status, of course, but to far less people. One of the many things that makes the Corvette special is that it’s far more attainable. It’s the whole girl-next-door type of thing. It’s almost a tangible fantasy, if there is such a thing, and one I was able to live out in Las Vegas—the original city of dreams.