Mid-Engine Prototypes: The 1985 Corvette Indy Concept, The 1986 Corvette Indy and the 1990 CERV III Since the introduction of...
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Chevrolet knows their clientele, and with the 1996 Corvette Collector's Edition LT4, the automaker put together a special package that would entice hard-core 'Vette fans with a unique tribute to the outgoing C4 model. The $1250 option brought unique Sebring Silver Metallic paint, 5-spoke wheels, and, of course, special badges and embroidery. It also received the upgraded LT4 powerplant available in the Grand Sport, and with 330 horsepower on tap.
Built for outright top speed, this prototype Corvette was built by Zora Duntov. He successfully piloted the car to a two-way average speed of 150 mph in January of 1956 at Daytona. Later two more similar cars were built for the 1956 Daytona Speed Weeks in February. After initial resistance from Engineering, Duntov’s cam was delivered to the Proving Ground.
GM’s 1950s Motorama-mobiles were mostly pretty out-there, with flamboyant fins, rocket-inspired skegs and cockpits, and other flights of wild imagination. Frankly, many of them were a bit absurd and even childish. But there were a few that were somewhat down to earth, even rather brilliant, like this 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne.
To clothe the 1965 mid engine Corvette chassis, the designers at Styling Staff proposed a much more radical shape than Zora Arkus Duntov, the main force behind a mid engine Corvette, had in mind. It would have provided rear vision solely through a periscope. The design had bold air intakes at the rear and a split windscreen that lifted up with the gullwing doors.
The 2016 Corvette Z06 C7.R Edition is a road-going, track-capable homage to the Corvette Racing C7.R racecars. It’s offered in Corvette Racing’s signature yellow livery – or black – with coordinated exterior and interior accents. Only 500 examples of the C7.R Edition were built and all included the Z07 Performance Package with carbon ceramic brakes, as well as a specially serialized vehicle identification number. Corvette special editions don't get more fun than this.
Immediately following this unveiling, consumers began clamoring at the opportunity to become one of the fortunate few to own their own IMSA GTLM Championship C8. Chevrolet filled all 1,000 orders for the race-inspired commemorative C8 in record time, as production commenced. Those lucky enough to place their order before the mandatory production cap was reached, were treated to a handful of IMSA GTLM Championship C8 variants to choose from.
The Corvette SS racing car and its mule test car were planned as far back as August of 1956, well before the Super Sport show car. However, that one was referred to within GM as the XP-64, and it was finished in march, well after the show car had been on the show circuit for a couple of months.
The engineers came up with a unit-body construction that relied on strength coming from the side sills of the chassis. These contained the exhaust which probably easily overheated the cockpit, especially in the coupe. Unfortunately, GM fitted fake V6 engines in both cars with a concept valve train that included dual overhead camshafts.
If you were a senior GM employee, one of the perks was being able to have your own custom built for you. Bill Mitchell was known for it, but this SR-2 Lookalike was built for GM president Harlow Curtis, who was president of GM during the period that the SR-2 were developed. The lookalike was built by GM’s styling staff and presented to him.
The STS ZR7 debuted at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas, intended as a limited production of 50 Corvettes...
At Sebring in 1967, the Corvette L88 made its debut appearance. The L88 package included many competition components which included a M22 transmission, large disc brakes, upgraded suspension and an alumunim head 427. Shortly after the race, the L88 option would be offered on production cars which was a formidable package.
While it’s still unmistakably a C8 Corvette, the 2024 E‑Ray redefines what the nameplate stands for. For the first time...
The big news for 1986 was that a Corvette would pace the Indy 500 for the second time. Retired General Chuck Yeager was enjoying celebrity status as a result of the book and movie, “The Right Stuff.” But Chevrolet was still smarting from the heavy criticism over the ‘78 Corvette Pace Car debacle and decided that all 1986 Corvette convertibles were designated as “Pace Car Replica”.
Introduced at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, Chevrolet’s new Corvette C7.R quickly proved competitive, earning North American Endurance Cup victories...
The Corvette L88 Scuderia Filipinetti Le Mans Racer holds a significant place in Corvette's racing history. With a coil spring front suspension and an L88 engine prepped by Zora Arkus-Duntov and smuggled out the back door to circumvent GM's ban on racing, the L88 was driven at the 1968 24 Hours of Le Mans by Henri Greder and Umberto Maglioli. It dominated the Porsches and led the GT class til 6th hour when carburetion problems melted a piston.
The Purple People Eater MKIII is a 1959 Corvette that was literally unbeatable in SCCA B-Production racing in the late 1950s. There were three Purple People Eaters built in 1958 and 1959. The 1959 model, won every race it entered, except the last one, with Jim Jeffords behind the wheel and mechanic Ronnie Kaplan turning wrenches. The car was built by a team at Nickey Chevrolet in Chicago.
The Corvette Challenge started in 1988 following the removal of the C4 Corvette from the Showroom Stock racing class by...
The launch of any new Corvette is significant, and the new-for-2014 C7 model launching this year brings sweeping changes, including upgraded performance and a more contemporary, international styling language. To mark the car’s debut, Chevrolet is prepping the Corvette Stingray Coupe Premiere Edition—and just 500 will be built. While the engine and the transmission options remain unchanged, the Premiere Edition isn’t going to be hard to pick out of a lineup.
This GM concept show car, produced in 1998, was a collaborative effort between General Motors designers and engineers at the...
Developed during General Motors’ return to factory-backed motorsport in the early 1980s, the Corvette GTP program marked a bold effort...
While it was understood that the Corvette Indy Concept would never be fully realized as a production vehicle, it paved the way for the creation of the twin-turbo CERV III. The CERV III (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle No. 3) was introduced in January, 1990 at the International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Like the latter iteration of the Corvette Indy Concept car, the CERV III was fitted with a 5.7 Liter, 32-valve, dual-overhead cam LT5 engine that featured twin turbochargers. It had 650 hp and 655 lb/ft of torque and top speed of 225 mph.
Originally constructed by Dallara in 2008 as the fourth and final DP-01 prototype developed for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car...
Corvette’s decision to become the official pace car of the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona is a key component of Chevrolet’s strategy to reinforce Corvette’s image as "America’s Performance Icon." Jim Campbell, Corvette brand manager, is responsible for developing this strategy, and he’s the guiding force behind Corvette’s return to the racetrack.
Besides a normal convertible model, the 1954 Chevrolet Corvette line-up also featured a hardtop, actually a Convertible Coupe. It was one of the Corvette based Motorama dream cars shown in 1954 and was a version fitted with a removable hardtop. The Advertising Brochure even called out the removable hardtop design.
Millions of spectators, broadcast viewers and listeners from around the world will be focused on the western region of France as one of Chevrolet’s fifth-generation family of Corvettes (referred to as C5) will pace an international field of sports cars as the Official Pace Car of the 67th running of the Le Mans 24 Hour race on June 12-13, 1999.
The Duntov Turbo was built as a partnership between American Custom Industries (ACI), a company known for building replacement Corvette body panels, and Zora Arkus-Duntov. It was developed as a highly-stylized convertible sports car based on the production model Corvette. Each of the special Duntov Turbo's also came with a turbocharged V8.
The 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport served as the official Pace Car for the 101st Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and led drivers to the green flag on May 28. 2017 marked the 14th time a Corvette has served as the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car, starting in 1978, and the 28th time a Chevrolet has led the field, dating back to 1948, when a 1948 Fleetmaster Six convertible paced the race.
A 2007 Chevrolet Corvette convertible paced the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 27, 2007. As it was selected as the Official Pace Car, Chevrolet supplied several identically prepared and uniquely trimmed Corvette convertibles – in new Atomic Orange paint with distinctive gold ribbon graphics – that served in the official pace duties of the race, as well as supporting activities. This year, the driver of this Pace Car was Patrick Dempsey.
The Z06 arrived for the 2006 model year as a homologation vehicle in the third quarter of 2005 and is the lightest of all Corvette models. The Z06 was equipped with the largest-displacement small-block engine ever produced, a new 7,011 cc (7.0 L; 427.8 cu in) V8 engine codenamed the LS7. The engine has a power output of 505 hp and 470 lb⋅ft.
