In the early 1950s none of the three large American manufacturers had a sportscar in their line-up. This segment was dominated by the British Jaguars and MGs. In 1953 General Motors made a bold move with the introduction of the Corvette, which can be considered America’s first sportscar. Ford kept a close eye on the sales figures of the two-seater Chevrolet and launched their answer, the Thunderbird, in 1955. Although the two were similar, the Ford T-Bird was more luxurious.