Corvette Ranks 5th of the 35 Cars With the Longest Production Runs of All Time

[Mark F.]

I ran across this nit noid searching for something else and thought it was interesting...
it certainly shows the longevity of interest in our namesake...

image.png

https://alansfactoryoutlet.com/the-35-cars-with-the-longest-production-runs-of-all-time/?srsltid=AfmBOooh91y7UVwwRIcvm-V05Utfm7FT4iSVGlPl7nWmKBtdJKmGWG1-

[Paul H.]

The Corvette's production run is actually 72 years now.

[Mark F.]

The Corvette's production run is actually 72 years now.

Good point, Paul,

Interesting, because it says that page was last updated June 13, 2025...
So, here's the updated data
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[Mark E.]

Interesting graphic.

Was the VW bus in continuous production since 1950? Maybe Europe only?

Same question for Camaro... wasn't it out of production for a few years earlier this century?

Jag XJ production ended 2019.

[Wayne M.]

Interesting information regarding our favorite vehicle. Each of these long production running vehicles is a niche of the automotive market and all four but the Corvette are truck/utility class vehicles. Just goes to show you what the market has wanted for decades. Although the Corvette has been around for a long time compared to all but these four other specific vehicles, the number of years in production isn't a particularly relevant measure of a vehicle's significance to automotive history. I believe units produced is a far more telling measure of a vehicles impact on the automotive trends and significance than years in production. Remember, from 1953-1962 only 58,634 Corvettes were produced. I doubt the Corvette is in the top 20 of vehicles based on units produced.

Don't get me wrong. We all love our Corvettes but relatively speaking, we're a small group in the history of automotive production.

[Mark F.]

Interesting information regarding our favorite vehicle. Each of these long production running vehicles is a niche of the automotive market and all four but the Corvette are truck/utility class vehicles. Just goes to show you what the market has wanted for decades. Although the Corvette has been around for a long time compared to all but these four other specific vehicles, the number of years in production isn't a particularly relevant measure of a vehicle's significance to automotive history. I believe units produced is a far more telling measure of a vehicles impact on the automotive trends and significance than years in production. Remember, from 1953-1962 only 58,634 Corvettes were produced. I doubt the Corvette is in the top 20 of vehicles based on units produced. Don't get me wrong. We all love our Corvettes but relatively speaking, we're a small group in the history of automotive production.

Hi Wayne,

Excellent points and I agree.

As you can see below, #2 in terms of production longevity (Ford F-Series) outstrips units produced compared to the others by more than 3x (22x more than Corvette).

Here are production numbers (various web sources listed below the chart) for those same 5 Vehicles...

*Corvette C8 production is included as an estimate so far
image.png

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Suburban
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Transporter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Land_Cruiser
https://vette-vues.com/total-corvette-production-numbers-model-years/?srsltid=AfmBOorojr2opeNy9CEPSiu5HauG9FYN9eN9qYvQB l6N0agnLs_9-mWv

[Mark E.]

...I believe units produced is a far more telling measure of a vehicles impact on the automotive trends and significance than years in production.

Conversely, it can be argued some low production vehicles had outsized "impact on automotive trends and significance."

Top of mind list (no particular order):
Bugatti Veyran
Jaguar E-type
Tesla Roadster
GT 40
1886 Benz Motorwagen (first ICE vehicle)
Corvette

[Wayne M.]

Mark,
I couldn't agree more with you. There are many outstanding vehicles that have inspired the consumer and commercial buyers over the years. A favorite of mine that is absent from your list is the Porsche 911 in all its variants. Like the Corvette, the 911 is a low volume model that punched well above its weight on the roads and race tracks around the world.

I especially like your mention of the E-Type Jag. Even Enzo Ferrari called the XKE the most beautiful automobile ever produced! I've never owned one but threatened on many occasions to buy one of the last examples: a '67 V12 in primrose (light yellow-similar to sunfire yellow). Dream on!

Wayne