Corvette Blog

In these already troubling economic times, millions in federal economic stimulus money has been spent on the building and preserving of our national museums.

Within the past four years alone, $28 million has been spent on funding 55 transportation-related museums, including the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The argument:

• Some rationalize that the stimulus money is needed MUCH more in mending our current economic problems.
   
• Others feel that our national museums enrich our communities and give our future generations an abundance of knowledge, history and culture. They also help to improve tourism, which grows local economies.

We love our Corvette Museum, don't get us wrong... but should public money be used to fund the museum?  So, we’ll leave the big question up to you… Where should our nation spend this stimulus money? Share your comments below.

[ Houston Chronicle ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette Museum , Corvette News | 4 Comments Permalink

We are always reminded it's good to look back at Corvette history and remember how we got to where we are now.  We thought we'd share some brief facts and details with you to look back:

Concept: Fifty-eight years ago, a group of GM designers sat down together under the direction of lead designer and legend, Harley Earl. Their task… to design the first ever all-American two-seater sports car, famed after the British sports cars of that time.

Name: From there, the new American “dream car” was born. But, what about a name? A desire to compare the vehicle to the high-performing, powerful Corvette Navy warships of that era granted the car its new name. And so, the Corvette was born.

Logo: Corvette’s original logo of two crossed American flags was designed to unite and showcase patriotism in America. The logo has since been modified to two crossed checkered flags, since Corvette is known worldwide.

Production: Since production of the vehicle’s fiberglass body was new during the 1950’s era, the first 300 Corvettes were carefully hand-built on the assembly line. The Corvette’s color schemes were identical at first with Polo White bodies and red interiors.

Engine: And lastly, but most importantly, the engine was an inline six-cylinder engine that featured dual, side-draft carburetors. It wasn’t until 1955 that the small-block V8 engine was introduced that really transformed Corvette into a performance vehicle.

So now, with that bit of history, you can really appreciate the transformation to where Corvettes have landed today! Congratulations Corvette!

Posted By Ryan In Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

Michigan’s largest furniture chain, Art Van will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer. To enhance the promotion of this historical event, Art Van will be giving away a "1959 “little red Corvette”.

Art Van’s partnership with the 50-year old Corvette give-away symbolizes the remarkable transition and perseverance each of these legendary companies has endured over the years. “Both Art Van and the Chevrolet Corvette have stood the test of time to become symbols of Michigan pride,” said Art Van Founder and Chairman Art Van Elslander.

Michigan, Ohio and Indiana participants may only register. The drawing will be randomly selected November 12, 2009. Be sure to register by clicking the link below. You never know, you just might win!

[ Art Van ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Contests , Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette News | 5 Comments Permalink

2004 proved to be a very good year for Corvette Racing after having dominated competition within 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, and at multiple ALMS championships. That same year, the racing team began using a skull logo and the motto, “Take No Prisoners”, to clearly emphasize their power within the racing world.

This representation was taken to the next level a year later when the Corvette Racing team and BadBoyVettes, a group of dedicated fans, came together to promote and enhance the themed skull (Jake) and tagline. Jake’s creation, straight off Eddie Jabbour’s cocktail napkin, came at the perfect time as the powerful Corvette C6-R was introduced that very same year.

And so, Jake, a dark skull outline with Corvette flags for eyes, was born. He became Corvette’s official racing logo, having had his first appearance on the C6-R at the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans. To this very day, he continues to represent Corvette Racing.

Thanks Jake!

[ Corvette Racing ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette News | 0 Comments Permalink

General Motor’s Bowling Green Assembly Plant produced its 1,500,000th Corvette on May 28, 2009. The special announcement was made at a Greater Atlanta Automotive Media Association June meeting.

“The 1.5 millionth Corvette is a great example of how Chevy is America’s Brand,” says Chevrolet’s Product Marketing Director, Karen Rafferty. “For nearly 60 years we have built America’s Sports Car and this milestone is a solid proof point.”

In keeping with tradition, the historic 1,500,000th Corvette was built identical to the first, 500,000th, and 1,000,000th Corvettes ever built. Each are assembled with a black convertible top, white body, 3LT body style, and red interior.  What a neat idea and tradition!  More photos of the event after the jump!

Do you predict Chevrolet will make it to producing Corvette No. 2,000,000? We can only hope!

[ LeftLaneNews.com ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Events , Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette Museum , Corvette News , Corvette Production | 0 Comments Permalink

We are shocked!  We are saddened!  We are frustrated!  We are amazed!  We are disappointed!

Rick Wagoner (seen here in better days), CEO of General Motors, was in effect, both heralded and vilified by the very same man, in today's presidential speech.  He was, indeed, offered up by the Obama administration as a "sacrificial lamb" (quoting Michigan's Governor Grandholm).

The president spoke of how General Motors has impressed the world with its return to quality, pointing to the Buick Division's recent accomplishments!  His words:

"No one can deny that our auto industry has made meaningful progress in recent years. Some of the cars made by American workers are now outperforming the best cars made abroad. In 2008, the North American Car of the Year was a GM. This year, Buick tied for first place as the most reliable car in the world."

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette News | 7 Comments Permalink

Care for a history lesson? Maybe you will if you find it’s geared toward the initial creation of the Corvette. Well, the very first Corvette was introduced in 1953 by a Russian immigrant engineer named Zora Arkus Duntov.

Duntov, born in Belgium and raised in Berlin by Russian parents, fled to New York when the beginning of WWII raged. With a degree in mechanical engineering from the Institute of Charlottenburg and a passion for racing, Duntov started a company that built aluminum heads for Ford vehicles. With tremendous improvements to the horsepower of such Ford vehicles, Duntov’s name quickly generated huge recognition throughout the United States.

Porsche and Daimler Benz were so impressed that they hired him as a consultant to improve their racing programs. At the same time, Duntov made such an impact with General Motors about innovative Corvette improvements that they hired him full time as a research and development engineer.

From that point on, the Corvette was forever changed! After WWII, soldiers began returning to the states with the desire to own a two-seater sports car they had seen overseas.

With this in mind, Duntov was able to construct a two-seater Corvette with fiberglass, since steel was such a hard commodity to find after the war. The lightweight vehicle was also equipped with a two-speed automatic transmission from a 6-cylinder truck motor. Needless to say, the Corvette called for much improvement in order to compete with the infamous European Jaguars and Ferraris of that era.

As time has progressed, we have seen numerous extrordinary improvements to the Corvette. Heck, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 has the ability to blow even the best European vehicles right out of the water! We have Duntov to thank for such an inspiring ‘Vette vision.

[ Wikipedia ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

The newest, hottest ZR1 first debuted itself earlier this year. At the event, General Motors decided to also bring along the vehicle’s ancestry, the ZR-1 (notice the dash to decipher between old and new).

The ZR-1’s were originally built during a 5-year span, from 1990 to 1995. During that time, General Motors owned Lotus, a British sports car specialist company. So, as you may conclude, much of the designs of the older ZR-1 stemmed from British concepts. The LT5 V8 engine was designed specifically for the vehicle, and consisted of an all-aluminum, 32-valve V8 engine that put out 375 horsepower. Rather giant for that time era!

The ZR-1’s sold slowly and at very low numbers due to the high costs involved with its initial purchase. But all that set aside, it’s important that we still have the ZR-1 around today so GM can capture ideas and concepts from the old – promoting them to the new… the ultimate ZR1!

[ CarLust ]

Posted By Ryan In 2009 Corvette ZR1 , Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

If you have never taken the time to visit CorvetteBlogger.com, today is the day.

Keith's comprehensive article on (the other) Bill Connell and Joel Lauman's 1957 Airbox Corvette is great.  Included is video on the car back in its heyday, as well as an interview of the new owners about the discovery in the barn and the restoration process.

My story on this car when I saw it at the 2007 Bloomington Gold Show last June will give you the rest of the story.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

Mike Yager recently interviewed Dave McLellan, former Corvette Chief Engineer, when Dave visited Mid America Motorworks in September.  We have given a lot of coverage to the Corvette Funfest event simply because so many great things were going on.

Interviews of significant Corvette personalities is a key part of the Corvette Funfest, and a great deal can be learned about Corvette history when the right question is posed to the right interviewee.  This YouTube posting does not disappoint.

[ Related CorvetteBlog Postings ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Corvette History , Corvette Videos | 0 Comments Permalink

Among other things, John Cafaro is an inductee of the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame (2002).  The biography about John in Tom Benford's Corvette Illustrated Encyclopedia reads:

GM designer John Cafaro was responsible for the shapes of Pontiac Fiero and Bonneville and the Chevy Camaro before joining the Corvette design team.  He was the chief exterior designer and design team leader for the 1997 Corvette, and he (has) stated that the GTP racecar, the Corvette Indy concept car, and fighter jets all influenced his design decisions.

He was also responsible for all production Corvette design from 1991 to the present (2004).  Cafaro worked on the C5R Corvette race program, managing all bodywork design and graphic design packages for the Chevrolet Raceshop and GM Motorsports from 1992 to 1999.  His creativity and work has received kudos that include: Motor Trend Car of the Year for the 1984 Corvette, Autoweek Magazine Award for the 1997 Corvette coupe, North American International Auto Show Car of the Year for the 1998 Corvette convertible, and Motor Trend Car of the Year for the 1998 Corvette convertible.

So what is this marvelous Corvette pictured above?

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Corvette History | 3 Comments Permalink

What in the world is a "Mule Test Corvette," you might ask?

You will recall that people liked the appearance of the first Corvettes in 1953.  Hey, they're still good looking 55 years later!  Unfortunately, they had no power or performance.  They were, as many have said, "dogs" in the performance area.  The two-speed Powerglide transmission and wimpy six cylinder engine made few friends with prospective customers, and Chevy dealers had to work really hard to sell out the production run of just 300 cars that first year.  The 1954 model was no better.

But then Zora Arkus-Duntov was given the responsibility to develop the car people wanted.  One of the test vehicles he used to improve performance is called the Mule Test Corvette.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Corvette History , Corvette Racing | 2 Comments Permalink

If you have read the Corvette Blog for very long, you know we love the National Corvette Museum, and you've probably read about the interesting (to say the least) connection between U.S. astronauts at Cape Canaveral / Cape Kennedy and the Chevrolet Corvette.

A new book captures that relationship with finesse.  Jay Barbree, NBC's veteran space correspondent, has authored Live From Cape Canaveral, an engaging behind-the-scenes look at the American space race.  A recent report at MSNBC.com includes great fun information about the astronauts in their Corvettes on the space coast highways and their "interaction" with the local police force.

Posted By Bill Connell In Celebrity Corvettes , Corvette Books , Corvette Fun , Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

The GM Press Release dated for release after 11a.m. January 16, 1953 stated that "the General" was about to present six "special and customized cars" to the general public.  And special they were!

The six cars were the Cadillac Le Mans, the Cadillac Orleans, the Oldsmobile Starfire, the Buick Wildcat, the Pontiac La Parisienne, and the Chevrolet Courvette.  Each of them was to have a  "glass fiber reinforced plastic body," and they could be seen at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

All the model names came to be used in GM production vehicles, except Orleans, but of them all only the intrepid Corvette came to have monstrous impact on the automotive world!  It is likely that this press release is the only time Corvette was mispelled this way.

This press release an an abundance of other fascinating information is available at carofthecentury.com.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Concept & Show Cars , Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

When Hemmings celebrated "75 Years of American Automotive Styling" in the inaugural issue of Classic Car Magazine a few years ago, Corvette was included as an illustration. 

Hemmings wrote: "From a heritage and design standpoint that was uniquely Detroit came the incredibly American Corvette, which had established itself in the American car market before its first total redesign.  The one-year-only split-window treatment has progressed from the most controversial aspect of this car to its most desirable".

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Pictures , Corvette Recognition | 0 Comments Permalink

Many Corvette enthusiasts, no less sports car fans in general, fail to recognize that over the years there have been dozens of proposed variations of the Corvette!  Personally, I remember first reading about the Motorama cars and the futuristic 1959 Corvette XP-700 as a kid, but even then, I didn't realize the variety of proposals being presented.

I recently came across a great trade paperback in a car museum in the Detroit area entitled American Dream Cars.  Of course, I took special interest in the the Chevrolet proposals.

Corvette dream cars illustrated and described in American Dream Cars are:

1953 Motorama Corvette
1954 Motorama Corvair
1954 Motorama Nomad
1956 Corvette SR-2
1957 Corvette Super Sport

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Books , Corvette Concept & Show Cars , Corvette History | 1 Comments Permalink

This marvelous 1963 Corvette Grand Sport was driven by "Mr. Chevrolet" Dick Guldstrand at Sebring.  A stunning vision of a sports car, this vehicle was available for viewing and photographs at the Bloomington Gold Show last month.

Stunning from all directions, it is no surprise that the Sunoco Blue racer was a big winner for the newly formed Roger Penske Racing Team.  Guldstrand went on to many other victories and accomplishments, including veneration in the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame.

[ Guldstrand Motorsports ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Corvette History , Corvette Racing | 18 Comments Permalink

Bill Thomas' Corvette-based 1965 Cheetah is back!  I know, I know: you may not have even missed it!

One of the amazing vehicles I saw at the recent Bloomington Gold Show was the 2007 version of the 1965 Cheetah.  When I met the on-site representative, Ron Keck, I just had to ask: what's a Cheetah?

Ron explained that the Cheetah is a safety-enhanced continuation of the original vehicle, not a replica.  The original vehicles were authorized by Chevrolet to battle the Cobra in the early 1960's, but funding for the program was pulled when just a couple of dozen of these little spitfires had hit the race tracks.  They had torn up the racetracks in 1964 with eleven victories.

The first photo shows the original car parked in front of a 1959 Chevy wagon.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Equipment , Corvette Events , Corvette History , Corvette Racing | 0 Comments Permalink

The color Black has returned to best seller status on Corvette.  Black had been replaced by the hot-selling Anniversary Red in 2003 and by the Commemorative Edition LeMans Blue in 2004, but for the past couple years, it is once again Black.

Recent sales history indicates that Victory Red is currently the second most popular, followed by Monterey Red Metallic Tintcoat and Machine Silver Metallic.

My guess is that if you add all the various shades of Red, however, many years Red as a group will be first.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette News | 4 Comments Permalink

The Spring Issue of Corvette Quarterly includes superb photos of the original Corvette Mako Shark concept car commissioned by Bill Mitchell.  Mitchell was fascinated with sea creatures, and his love for them gave birth to Corvette names like Manta Ray and the ubiquitous Sting Ray.

Also known as the XP-755, this vehicle is considered the missing link between the second generation C2 Sting Ray Corvette and the third, or Shark, generation.  Posters of the vehicle are available at ChevyMall.com

[ Corvette Quarterly ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Concept & Show Cars , Corvette History | 3 Comments Permalink

The Bowling Green (Kentucky) Assembly Plant celebrated twenty five years of building Chevrolet Corvettes on June 1, 2006.

To highlight the occasion on that day, the Bowling Green Daily News published an elaborate keepsake edition.  Read it all at the Bowling Green Daily News.

Our thanks to General Manager Mark Van Patten of the newspaper for making this resource available!

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Museum | 0 Comments Permalink

Today is the 50th anniversary of the running of the fabled 1957 Corvette SS at the 12 hours of Sebring.  The Corvette SS nameplate has been hot of late due to leaks that the name will be revived for the vehicle nicknamed the Corvette Blue Devil for the last two years or so.

The original Corvette SS was born from a design by Arkus-Duntov, who used the tubular space frame of the Mercedes 300SL as his template. In the meantime, Harley Earl’s design studio, again using the D-Type Jag for inspiration, began with the body.  The original fiberglass prototype was dubbed the XP-64. The letters stood for Experimental Pursuit, which the aircraft-loving Earl borrowed from planes that were in the early testing stages. A second car, however, featured a considerably lighter magnesium body that housed a 283 cubic-inch fuel-injected V8 that made 307 horsepower at 6,400 r.p.m.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Racing | 0 Comments Permalink

Corvette has been selected as the Indy 500 Pace Car a remarkable nine times.  This year's vehicle will be the fourth year in a row!  The Chevrolet brand has served a record eighteen times!  Chevrolet marketing moguls have frequently helped to immortalize this achievement by producing a limited number of replica Corvettes for the buying public to purchase and enjoy.

For example, large volume Chevy dealers currently have the opportunity of selling the 2007 Corvette Convertible Z51 Pace Car Replica in Atomic Orange.  500 units will be built.

The National Corvette Museum commemorates this achievement of Corvette by displaying a large number of these unique originals or replicas.

[ 2007 Pace Car Blog ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette Museum | 0 Comments Permalink

Attentive visitors to the National Corvette Museum discover a direct connection from the museum to another organization entirely.  The story is simple, but often overlooked.

Many men from the National Corvette Restorers Society had possessed the dream that was fulfilled in 1994 when the museum opened.  Terry McManmom was the first to move on the dream way back in 1984.  At least four other individuals were also key in the creation of this fabulous facility: Ray Battaglini, Jon Brookmeyer, Dan Gale, and Darrel Bowlin.

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette Museum , Corvette Restoration | 16 Comments Permalink

A question Corvette fans love to answer is "what is a Corvette anyway?"  Sure, some people do not know that a "corvette" was a seaworthy vessel used during World War II.

To access a full history of this class of vessel, and to begin to understand why the car would be named after an efficient vessel that was fleet of foot, visit the encyclopedia.

Another great thing about the National Corvette Museum is that they have this remarkable model of a corvette.  It's not difficult to see how it inspired the name of our favorite sports car.

[ National Corvette Museum ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Museum | 0 Comments Permalink

Within a period of less than two years, the original Corvette, filled with promise as it was, was underperforming on the roads of America and in salesrooms across the country.  But then came "The Turning Point."

Russian born engineer and race driver Zora Arkus-Duntov appeared on the scene.  With a background in engineering at Allard, Porsche, and Daimler-Benz, and experience in V-8 engine development, Arkus-Duntov wrote a three passage internal GM memo to Maurice Olly elaborately titled "Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders, and Chevrolet."

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Museum | 0 Comments Permalink

Those familiar with Corvette history are well aware that there was no 1983 Corvette.  The industry standard Corvette Black Book certainly shows no entry between the 1982 and 1984 Corvettes.

Imagine my amazement this past Saturday at the National Corvette Museum standing in front of a white 1983 Corvette! This unique Corvette is shown to the right.

The sign on the exhibit explains: "The planned 1983 Corvette brought forward some of the most far reaching design changes in Corvette's history.  Many changes included high-technology that had not been proven for automobile application....Although the technology was available, it had to be developed into the manufacturing process with the quality, reliability, and durability proven before production of saleable vehicles could begin.  The initial plan called for introduction of the newly designed 1983 in October 1982.  There were 43 pre-production models built (but) a decision was made to withhold production (for sale) until January 1983 and to serialize them as 1984 models.  The Corvette was named "Car of the Year" by Motor Trend Magazine in 1984."

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette Museum | 2 Comments Permalink

"The Corvette Hall of Fame was created by the National Corvette Museum Board of Directors in 1998.  The purpose of the award is to confer the highest honor and recognition upon the most influential individuals in the history of the Corvette.  The award recognizes those people who have made significant contributions in their respective fields, each having reached the highest level of accomplishment.  Inductees must also possess the highest standards of integrity and character to positively reflect and enhance the prestige of the Corvette and the National Corvette Museum."

Thus reads the Recommendation Form for potential honorees.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Museum , Corvette News , Corvette Recognition | 0 Comments Permalink

Have you ever seen a right hand drive Corvette?  If you're like most American Corvette fans, not ever.

But according to a well documented cover story in Vette Magazine for March 2007, this amazing, orange Australian Vette has been customized to accomodate those "wrong side of the highway" Down Under roadways.

[ FOR THE FULL STORY ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History | 1 Comments Permalink

In case you missed it, the Barrett-Jackson Auction sold that amazing Last Sting Ray that we discussed in our January 15 post for a total of $660,000.   New owner Ron Pratt, holder of an extensive collection of vehicles, won the bid on Saturday.

ProTeam Corvette took home $600,000 and the auction house took their 10% handling fee.  Check the link below for video compliments of Corvette Blogger and YouTube.

[ Barrett-Jackson ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette News | 0 Comments Permalink

The Detroit Free Press Business Section Front Page Friday suggests that plastics are the answer for which automakers have been looking!

"Reinforced plastics, known as composites, are super strong, super light -- but still super expensive -- materials. Composites can be found in fighter jets, race cars and even skis. They also make up some parts of the cars on display until Sunday at the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Competitors , Corvette Equipment , Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

This is the week!  The 1967 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe identified as "Lot 1285" goes on the market this week at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.  You are running out of time to set up that million dollar line of credit that you might need!

This fabulous Vette has received a lot of attention lately, including cover page glory on the November/December 2006 issue of Motor Trend Classic.  This Saturday, January 20, is the day that lots 1200-1400 cross the block.

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Events , Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette News | 0 Comments Permalink

This gorgeous 1967 Corvette was delivered in the Fall of 1966 to beloved space hero Lt. Colonel Virgil "Gus" Grissom.

Gus was one of the original seven Astronauts and was the second American to enter space in July of 1961. He was the first American to ever enter space twice when he orbited the Earth several times in 1965 in the "Molly Brown" three-man capsule. He would have been the first human to ever enter space three times. However, he, Roger Chaffee, and Edward White were tragically killed in the Apollo One disaster on January 27, 1967.

Professional body-off-the-frame restoration is documented by photos. Winner of more than twenty awards including NCRS & Corvette Bowling Green award. This is the most historically documented Corvette ever built that is tied directly to the American Space Program.

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Events , Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

It never ceases to amaze me what dedicated Corvette fans (a redundant phrase) can do with their Vettes. The Idaho Statesman reports that

Larry Robb of Boise has been working on his black '66 Corvette for 20 years, and he still thinks it can go faster. The 840-horsepower, big block engine speeds from 0 to 60 mph in 1.96 seconds and is considered one of the state's quickest street legal machines on the quarter-mile track. Robb will have his Corvette at the 34th annual Boise Roadster Show today through Sunday.

Posted By J.P. In Corvette History , Corvette News | 1 Comments Permalink

While there is much interesting current information about recent Corvette models, even going back a decade or so, learning more about the early days of this true American sports car brings home again what a unique piece of Americana this icon auto really is.

David Bellm reminds us of this in his review of the Corvette SS.

The Corvette SS began in 1956 as a pet project of General Motors' styling director Harley Earl, who wanted Chevrolet to take on the big names in international endurance racing. Earl's initial idea was to design a racy body, drop it onto a Jaguar D-Type chassis, and swap the Jag's six for a Chevy V8.

Posted By J.P. In Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink

There was an interesting article in the Salt Lake Tribune today.

Nancy Pottish and Peter Travisono (Salt Lake residents) were the subjects of the article which discusses their venture into Carbon Fiber, which eventually found its way onto the 2004 Corvette Z06, a Special Anniversary Edition. They formed MacLean Quality Composites which produces the product that's making everything we know faster, lighter and even finds its way into NASCAR vehicles.

Posted By Ryan In Corvette History , Corvette News , Corvette Production | 1 Comments Permalink

1951 September General Motors' chief stylist Harley Earl takes the Le Sabre dream car to the Watkins Glen sports car race. Earl is impressed by the small European sports cars, and decides to begin designing a new American sports car.

Thus starts Ken Polsson's excellent, thoroughly detailed history of the evolution of the quintessential American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette.
The entire Corvette chronology can be found athttp://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/vettehis/

Posted By J.P. In Corvette History | 0 Comments Permalink