Corvette Blog

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

Being from Detroit, we have a great appreciation for Car Shows, car displays and all that goes into marketing cars to the world.  This story takes us back to 1965.

GM and Chevy used Autoramas to display cars and bring the technology and vehicles to customers in a revolutionary way for the time.  The Corvette was nearly 3 years old in '65 and the hype had died down a little in that time.  They decided they would create a cut-away display of the Corvette to show how not only the beauty of the car, but also how advanced the vehicle was.

Reportedly the display's location was unknown for sometime until the 1990's when it was returned to the US and purchased by Al Wiseman.  This week it went on the auction block to the highest bidder looking to revel in Corvette history.  The final bid on the vehicle was $640,000 and with the buyer's commission of 10%, the final cost coming in at a whopping $704,000!  The buyer you ask?  Showdown Muscle Cars, out of Detroit.

Even better, our friends at CorvetteBlogger have a video of the auction, available after the jump.

[ CorvetteBlogger ]

Posted By Ryan In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette Memorabilia | 0 Comments Permalink

The 25 Most Beautiful Cars Ever.  When you think about that statement, as I did before reading the story, you have to immediately think Corvette Sting Ray.  So did the editors of Automobile Magazine.  They've collected 25 of the most beautiful cars ever designed and you guessed it, the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray makes the list.

Here's what Automobile said about the Sting Ray, "The 1963 Corvette coupe, the Cindy Crawford of sports cars, would be just another fair fastback without its cleft rear window. GM design boss Bill Mitchell used the thin band of bodywork to sweep his signature windsplit from the top of the windshield to the tail--and to assert his dominance over Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, who hated it. (It was gone for '64.) The split rear glass was considered a radical design gesture in its day, but Corvette stylists experimented with even more extreme proposals. One sculpted in 1957 by Peter Brock, code-named the Q-Corvette, featured doors that hinged up and forward from a split windshield."

A big thank you to Automobile Magazine for featuring, and acknowledging, a classic piece of American history, the Sting Ray.

[ Automobile Magazine ]

Posted By Ryan In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette News , Corvette Recognition | 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

This video is a special find.  It is almost a ten minute report on the final C4 Corvette that was built at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant in 1996.  If you have a couple of minutes, watch this one all the way through.  It shows what goes in to each and every Corvette that comes out of the plant... and shows a lot about every American that works on our beloved Vette.

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Fun , 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 | 1 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 | 0 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 | 3 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

June 30th marks the birthday of the Chevrolet Corvette!

In 1953, the very first Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan.  While Flint certainly isn't what it was in 1953, the Corvette is everything it was then and so much more!

Did the designers, the engineers, the product managers, and mostly the assembly workers know that day what they were building?  The culture, the love, the admiration and domination of the sports car industry for over 50 years?  I doubt it, but we owe them a great deal of thanks for their efforts then, and still to this day.

So all you Corvette owners out there, give your Corvette some birthday love on it's Birthday!

Posted By Ryan In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Events , Corvette History , Corvette News | 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

Historic information is being sought for a unique 1965 Corvette Coupe by Pro-Team Corvette of Napolean, Ohio. This vehicle, with VIN 194375S115982, was built to be shipped to Switzerland, where it became known as the Suisse Racer.

It has a 425hp, 396 cubic inch engine, and all numbers match. The physical description given is: very rare radio delete car, optioned with race prepared big block, aluminum heads, aluminum water pump, side exhaust, teakwood wheel, telescopic, race harnesses, race seats, M-22 transmission, posi, special heavy duty suspension, heavy duty brakes, American racing wheels, and high speed radial tires.

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette News , Corvette Parts , Corvette Racing , Corvette Recognition | 2 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 | 1 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

As a follow-up to my “Corvette’s Turning Point” story a month ago: the success of the Corvette as refocused by Zora Arkus-Duntov created new challenges. Sales of the overhauled roadster soon skyrocketed, adding pressure to the already struggling St. Louis plant’s workforce.

Production had risen from the first year’s 300 (built that one year in Flint, Michigan) to 3,467 annual units in 1956, but no one could have predicted that what was generally considered to be a small niche vehicle would spell doom for the original St. Louis plant. Production in 1960 topped 10,000 units, a record later shattered by the 1963 mark of 21,500. They surpassed building 30,000 units by 1969, and eventually peaked at an incredible 53,807 Corvettes in 1979!

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History , Corvette Museum | 2 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 | 13 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 | 0 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

I remember where I saw my first Sting Ray. The dad of my brothers’ friend was a GM executive and always had the latest and greatest of Detroit iron in his driveway. And one day after high school classes, there it was in his driveway!

Amazing! Perfect! Flawlessly styled with the gorgeous split rear window and the center spine! The hood louvers were superb! Beautiful was insufficient to describe it. Stephen Covey’s “paradigm changing” would have worked, but nobody knew the term back then.

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette History , Corvette News , Corvettes of the Future | 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 | 0 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.

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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

Beautifully summarized in their promotional material: “The Detroit Public Library’s National Automotive History Collection documents the history and development of the automobile.”

It is the “world’s largest public automotive archive, making available more than one million documents, collected over more than a century.”

The good news for Corvette enthusiasts around the world is ...

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette History | 1 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 | 0 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