1962 Chevrolet CORVETTE

Everyone loves a comeback story and the Chevrolet Corvette is one of automotive history’s great comeback kids.

This die-hard icon was nearly discontinued a couple of model years after its ’53 introduction, due to slow sales, but Chevrolet’s small-block V-8 engine (and running design changes that made the car more enjoyable to drive) gave the ’Vette the boost it needed to survive. The Corvette was once again on the chopping block in the early 1990s, as C4 sales slumped in the late 1980s. It took a groundswell of support within Chevrolet ranks to get the all-new C5 developed. The Corvette’s future was once more uncertain a decade later, as GM reeled in the wake of its 2009 bankruptcy and subsequent reorganization. Because the C6 had proven profitable, the ’Vette received a stay of execution and the C7 was rolled out in 2014.

If you’re counting the Corvette out amid the rise of the electric car, don’t. A hybrid version