Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

We lost a sale on our house in Cincy because the man's truck didn't fit in our standard sized garage.  They were prepared to pay full price on it two days after listing.

Then he measured and was 2 inches short on length.

Cars have not just gotten larger on the outside, they are thicker and denser on the inside.  The old Austin Healy "Bugeye" Sprite had an 80" wheelbase, length of 137.01", width of 52.99", and height of 47.2" with the top up.
Yet reasonably tall men--pushing 6 feet--could sit in it in relative comfort.
No way that would happen in a car that size today.
Was it CD who commented upthread about how today's Minis are much bigger than the original Minis?
The original 1959 Morris Mini-Minor--in "saloon" configuration--was even smaller in one dimension than the Bugeye Sprite--wheelbase of 80.2", length of 120.2", width of 55", height of 53".  It weighed 1,279 pounds.
The smallest version of the BMW "Mini" has a 97" wheelbase, length of 142.8", width of 66.5", height of 55.9", and weighs 2,315 lbs.

Yup.  Lots of cars and vehicles are. 

Nothing exceeds like excess!

I blame the state of Texas for glamorizing bigger is better 

looks can be deceiving, perhaps the bright white adds ten pounds to the cream color

the C8 looks much larger in all aspects in the pic - to me

That not-quite white on the '53 was called "Polo White," which may be an indication of the target customer base.
The '53 and '54 Corvettes did not have V-8s in them.  Not even a V-8 option, as Chevy didn't have a V-8 engine.  So Chevy hot-rodded the 235 Straight-6 with 3 carbs and a hotter cam to reach the chest-thumping total of 150 hp.  Chevy didn't have a manual transmission capable of coping with such power, so they put the good old Powerglide 2-speed automatic in the car.
Verrry sporty!

A 1918 Chevy V-8.  Ya learn somethin' new every day!

And ironically, a Corvette in WW II was the British name for basically a destroyer escort, which is a slower smaller version of a destroyer mostly slated for antisubmarine duty (but which on one occasion attacked a fleet including battleships).  WW 2 destroyers could usually make 35 knots, and the DEs were good for 20 knots.

I think the competitor that drove the Corvette was the Jag XKE as the Vette often adopted features the Jag had a year or three later, like disc brakes and FI and IR differential etc.  The early Vettes were more a lady's car, or for men who were confident in their inherent masculine nature.

I blame the state of Texas for glamorizing bigger is better

Well the trux are bigger because as you know they have to be in Alaska.As for Texas - well it's cute