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Let’s all admit it: No one would mourn the Aveo. If General Motors were liquidated, there is no LaCrosse Club of America to fight for the memory of a bland, squishy midsize Buick, no one who would shed a private tear over the end of the Pontiac Torrent’s run, no classic Saturn Astra restorers who would feel a pang of loss.

The Corvette, however, is another story. There is perhaps no other car so beloved, or with such history. Maybe the Mustang. That’s the list. Even recently revived classics like the Dodge Challenger can’t claim a 50-year history or a hundred tributes in song. The Corvette is an icon in a way no other car can claim.

So if General Motors folds, what happens to its most treasured model?

Autoblog reports, “Some Corvette fans and avid forum members over at GM Inside News have already asked the unfathomable question of what automaker should take over the reins of America’s longest-running sports car if its parent company were to lose custody. Their answer, rather shockingly, was Toyota”

Someone may need to take over soon. There’s a virtual exodus on the Corvette design team at GM. With the awe-inspiring ZR1 hitting the streets, Motor Trend notes, “several key players in the Corvette’s existence will be ‘taking retirement’ as of November 1.” The losses on the ‘Vette team, combined with GM’s troubles, have already pushed back the release date of the next Corvette to at least 2012. ‘Vette development will no longer be independent of the rest of GM’s vehicle development team, apparently, with the next Corvette design chief to share responsibility for performance editions of other GM cars.

But some see an opportunity in the changes. Autoblog comments, “we need to realize that R&D funds may be better spent keeping the leaky company afloat, something that the Corvette isn’t a major part of.” Once GM’s future is stable, the standard set by the ZR1 means “there’s an excellent, proven platform for the new team to build from.”

The easiest way to save the Corvette, it seems, may be to save General Motors.

While the bailout debate goes on, automakers are trying to sell cars as fast as possible with deep discounts. Research the best car deals with U.S. News’ Car Reviews.