Category: C1 Corvettes

Tom & Deb DeBold’s PERFECT 1960 Fuelie Corvette

Published on by Scott

St. Louis never built Corvettes like this!

Dateline: 6.16.21 – This story was first published in the August 2018 issue of Vette Vues – Story by Scott Teeters, Photos from Tom & Deb DeBold:

Imagine spending twelve years restoring a Corvette, winning all kinds of NCRS awards and such, only to at one point being told that your Corvette is “too perfect”! That was Tom and Deb DeBold’s experience at the 2017 NCRS National in San Antonio, Texas event. How could that be? We’ll explain later.

Corvettes have never been “cheap”. Even in the early days, a new Corvette cost about the same as a mid-level Cadillac. In 1975 I bought a 10-year-old 1965 327/300 Sting Ray Coupe with side-exhausts for $2,800, which is in 2018 dollars around $13,500. That’s around the same price some 2001-to-2004 C4 Corvettes are going for today. The point is that, back in the day, if a young man wanted to be driving a used Corvette, was willing to work hard, and work some overtime (remember that?), he could get a Vette.

But as the 1960s wore on, car insurance companies went to war on young male Corvette owners. A lot of that had to do with the way young guys drove back then. They did tend to get into more accidents, and Corvettes had a much higher theft rate. (I know, mine was stolen!) So, it was not uncommon for young guys, even with an older Corvette, to be “insuranced” out of being able to own their Corvette.

That was Tom DeBold’s experience. In 1966 as a young single guy, Tom purchased a 1959 Corvette. This was his daily driver for only 8 months before his insurance company raised his rates into the Unaffordable Zone. They didn’t like the idea of an 18-year-old guy in a fast sports car. In 1970 Tom and his sweetheart Debbie were married. But Tom promised his new bride that “someday” he’d get another 1959 or 1960 Corvette.

The DeBolds raised a family in Ohio and Tom had a long career in sales, eventually becoming a sales manager for a national pesticide manufacturer in Kansas City, Kansas. Deb had a long career as the Human Resources Director of Benefits for Dick’s Sporting Goods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While on a business trip to Orlando, Florida in 2001, Tom found a barely running 1960 Corvette Fuelie basket case. He knew it was time to take action, so he called Deb and told her, “Deb, I’m buying another Corvette!” According to NCRS Master Judge Steve Neal, there are currently only 15-to-17 original 1960 Fuelies in existence!

By this time, Tom and Deb had a second home in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tom had his new, 41-year-old, barely running, 1960 Fuelie Corvette transported to Las Vegas. Once Tom got the car home he was unsuccessful in finding a restorer that he felt comfortable working with. Tom didn’t want to just fix up the car to get it running again. Tom decided that his goal was to have an NCRS-level restored car. A year later, after some searching, Tom found Cub Gustafson, in Chandler, Arizona.

Cub’s background was mostly with rare European cars, such as Mercedes, Bugatti, Alfa, Ferrari, and others. Cub had never restored a Corvette but was up for the challenge. Tom and Cub found a local 1960 Corvette (not a Fuelie) in need of restoration and decided to do both cars. A long-term friendship formed from working on the two cars. Once completed, both 1960 Corvettes went through the complete NCRS judging process together and both received the coveted DUNTOV Award at the 2017 National NCRS Convention in San Antonio, TX. The second Corvette was restored for a friend and was a non-Fuelie car.

Working out of a two-bay garage, Tom and Cub took the 1960 Corvettes completely apart. All of the parts were cataloged, examined, refurbished, and repaired if possible. And thus began a 12-year restoration project. You are now probably wondering why it took 12 years to complete the restoration? First of all, it was just Cub and Tom working on the disassembly and reassembly. And secondly, Tom decided that he wanted every single part on the car to be a vintage 1960 Corvette part; everything. No reproduction parts were used during the restoration.

When Tom got his car, it was barely running and needed a lot of help, plus over the years, there had been numerous repairs done with newer parts, so everything had to be examined to make sure it was a 1960 vintage part. If a part was deemed to not be from 1960, Tom and Cub had to source the part. It turned out that sourcing parts took a lot more time than they thought it would. Plus, in the early 2000s, car parts were not as cataloged on the Internet as they are today.

So, Tom and Cub had to do a “parts juggling act” getting the car together. While waiting on parts for one component, they’d work on another component until it was completed, or stopped because a year-correct part had to be sourced. As you can imagine, the process got complicated. The guys started with the frames and step-by-step worked through everything on the cars. This is why the project took 12 years because the end goal was that everything had to be to NCRS standards.

Tom’s 283 Fuelie engine received a total rebuild and was balanced and blueprinted by DeWayne Samuels of SST Performance Engines, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fuelie engines are notoriously challenging to get running right. Jerry Bramlett in Mobile, Alabama rebuilt the Rochester Fuelie unit, “dialed it in” to the engine, and then dynoed the engine to produce 325HP.

While Tom and Cub were working on the chassis of Tom’s Corvette, the body was sent to Steve Loy in Scottsdale, Arizona for the full body treatment. Steve put hundreds of hours perfecting the entire body. The guys knew they would take a few points hit by over-restoring the body, but it was just too gorgeous to not make perfect. Therefore, everything else about the car had to be perfect

Loy painted the car with Roman Red Urethane paint and wet-sanded with 5000-grit sand paper between eight coats of clear. Tom and Cub could have stopped there, but chose to take the body to Distinct Detailing, in Scottsdale, Arizona where Scott Nicholes took the already amazing paint two stages farther by wet-sanding beyond 5000-grit, then polish, polish, polish, and polish again. The end result is Roman Red that looks VERY deep.

The Tom and Deb’s 1960 Fuelie was completed in 2014 and immediately hit the NCRS circuit and has racked up an impressive resume of awards, including:

2014 NCRS Chapter Top Flight
2015 NCRS Regional Top Flight
2015 NCRS Performance Verification
2016 NCRS Regional Top Flight
2016 Bloomington Gold
2016 Triple Diamond
2016 Chicago Concours Gold
2017 Arizona Concours Best in Class
2017 NCRS Regional Top Flight
2017 NCRS National DUNTOV
2018 Boca Raton Concours Best in Class
2018 Boca Raton Concours Sponsors Choice (out of 247 cars)
2018 Tri-Power
2018 Keels & Wheels Concours Best in Class

Along the way, Tom did an interesting thing. He used the judging as an indicator of what needed to be corrected. So whatever a judge picked up that wasn’t quite right, Tom would go back and correct. Do this, and eventually, you’ll get to “perfect”. Even the tires on the car are really from 1960!

The NCRS “Performance Verification Test” is especially challenging. Most cars attempt this six or seven times before achieving their Performance Verification. The test is a 12.4-mile drive with over 350 points that have to be passed. And when the drive is completed, it has to be EXACTLY 12.4-miles. Not 12.3, or 12.5; 12.4 on the dot! A car has to score 100-percent. If you score 99.9-percent, you fail! That’s why most owners attempt this test six or more times. (sounds worse than the Bar Examination, doesn’t it?) The DeBold’s 1960 Corvette Fuelie passed the Performance Verification Test the first time!

So where and when were Tom and Deb DeBolt told their car was “too perfect” and points were deducted? At the NCRA Regional Top Flights in 2014 and the Duntov in 2017. The judges told Tom and Deb that the car is absolutely perfect, but he would have to take off one point. And what was that? The paint. The judge determined that the paint was simply “too perfect”, as no production Corvette’s paint would ever have been that good. The judge also pointed out that no Corvette would ever stand a chance at a Concours D’Elegance show with a factory paint job. Of course, this was part of Tom’s plan, to begin with.

While the DeBold’s 1960 Fuelie Corvette has won every award there is in the arena of the Corvette hobby, there’s always more. Tom explained that what’s ahead for their Corvette is the Concours D’Elegance circuit and plans to do two or three shows per year. They have already won Concours D’Elegance Best In Class at the 2017 Arizona Concours, the Boca Raton Concours in 2018, and the Keels & Wheels Concours in Sea Brook Texas in 2018. They also won the “Sponsor’s Choice” award at the 2018 Boca Raton Concours D’Elegance event. Tom and Deb are looking forward to attending Concours D’Elegance events in Atlanta, Amelia Island, Boca Raton, Hilton Head, and the ultimate, Pebble Beach. So, the DeBolds are well on their way.

We’re sure that Tom and Deb DeBold will do quite well. The ultimate achievement will be Pebble Beach, as there has never been a Corvette at this most prestigious event. When Tom and Deb’s 1960 Fuel Injected Corvette makes its showing there, we’ll let you know. – Scott

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Riding Shotgun With Zora Arkus Duntov in a 1961 Fuelie Corvette – VIDEO

Published on by Scott

Imagine having Zora Arkus-Duntov give you a test drive in a new 1961 Fuelie Corvette! WOW!

 

Dateline: 3.18.21 – In the summer of 1960, Zora Arkus-Duntov took a lucky guy with a recorder for a test drive in a new 1961 Fuelie Corvette. He was in for an E-Ticket ride! After a brief introduction, Duntov says,…

“I have a ‘61 Corvette ready to go. This one is equipped with our new 315-horsepower, high-lift cam, and fuel-injection. Let’s get in. Is your safety belt fastened? Alright, let’s go…”

And OFF THEY GO with Duntov rowing through the gears! Sounds WONDERFUL! – Scott

Signed & Numbered 11″ x 17″ prints of this 1961 Fuel Injected Corvette –

America’s “Old Glory” Sports Car!

are available in our Etsy Store.

$29.92 + $7.95 S&H

Our Etsy Store has America’s “Old Glory” Sports Car prints of every Corvette from 1953 to 2020. You can find the year you are looking for by looking into the Corvette generation sections on the left side of the home page, HERE.

Rick Weigand’s C1/C4 1954 Corvette Restomod

Published on by Scott

Sebring, Florida resident Rick Weigand swaps out his tired old ’63 Split-Window Coupe for a modernized C1 classic!

Dateline: 11.13.20 This story was first published in the  August 2020 issue of Vette Vues Magazine. Story and Photos by K. Scott Teeters – In 2015, Sebring, Florida resident Rick Weigand was in a pickle! Rick was the long-term owner of a 1963 327/300 Sebring Silver Split-Window Coupe with an AM/FM radio that he bought in 1973. After all, when you live year-round in the Sunshine State, and you’re a young, good-looking guy; you have to have a sexy car! Corvettes aren’t the most practical cars in the world, but for Rick, he couldn’t have cared less; he owned one of the most desirable Corvettes of all-time.

The bargain-priced, $53 L75 327/300 engine was a sleeper thanks to its 350 lb/ft of torque – that’s just 15 lb/ft less than the mighty 327/375 L84 Fuelie! Rick’s Sting Ray was quick and fast and provided years of cruising, some drag racing fun, plus going to the races at Sebring International Raceway. When you are young and full of spunk you can do anything and tolerate a lot. But a performance car with no A/C in hot, humid Florida can be a workout.

The Sunshine State is known for its beaches, outdoor activities, and fantastic winter weather. But being in a lower latitude, the intense sunshine and ultraviolet light is brutal on modern clear-coat paint and more so on lacquer-painted old cars. As Rick’s Sting Ray was a daily driver, it spent its days baking in the sunshine.

When it was time for new paint, Rick discovered that Sebring Silver was not the car’s original color. Yes, he could have discovered the factory paint from the VIN number, but hey, it was the ’70s and his car was a driver. Rick had the car repainted to its original Ermine White. As the years rolled by and life picked up more responsibilities, Rick found he was driving the Sting Ray, less and less and we all know, these cars are made to be driven.

By 2013, between lack of use and heat, the repaint was shot, and just about everything needed to be replaced. An expensive full restoration was needed, so after four-plus decades of ownership, it was time to say good-bye to his old friend. No one knew back in ’73 that Split-Window Coupes of every pedigree would become so valuable.

Sometimes, Providence visits us. In 2014 Rick learned that NASCAR legend Rick Hendricks was looking for a 1963 Split-Window Coupe for his car collection. Even ’63 Split-Window hulks can cost many tens of thousands of dollars. Terms of the sale were agreed on and Rick’s old daily driver is currently being treated to a full, frame-off restoration.

Once a Corvette guy, always a Corvette guy, Rick always loved the classic lines of Harley Earl’s original 1953-1955 Corvette style. But with his 20s behind him, creature comforts and safety now have a higher priority. Rick wanted modern disc brakes, electronic fuel-injection, 25-mpg, and a suspension that can deliver a comfortable ride. Rick realized what he was looking for was a restomod.

Creating a restomod from scratch can be an expensive enterprise. Being a big fan of car auctions Rick had been to the Mecum Kissimmee Auction many times. Restomods are always at auctions, so it’s a great way to find a modernized classic ride. When Rick saw a cherry-red, ground-hugging 1954 Corvette restomod in the 2016 Mecum Kissimmee Auction catalog, he said, “That’s my car!”

After winning the car’s auction, all he had to do was drive the car home to Sebring. Most restomods are objects of affection and are not daily drivers. Not Rick’s car, he puts around 50-miles a month on the car, tooling around town, attending car shows, and the weekly Friday morning Corvette breakfasts at Oscar’s Restaurant in Sebring. Let’s have a look-see at what’s makes this restomod unique.

Corvette restorer James Sandford and his son, a mechanical engineer; in St. Petersburg, Florida built the ’54 Corvette as a project car in 2010. The body and interior are essentially original; right down to the wire mesh headlight guards and vintage-style upholstery. Under the 66-year-old fiberglass is a 1990s C4 frame, suspension, and brakes. C4 Corvettes have a 96.2-inch wheelbase so the C4’s frame was lengthened 102-inches.

While the C4 chassis looks dated compared to the C5s-to-C7s, they are plentiful and excellent for hot rods and restomods. Compared to a C1 chassis with its recirculating-ball steering and X-Frame, the C4 chassis is light-years beyond the C1. And considering that Chevrolet built 358,180 C4s, there are tons of parts in salvage yards. As Rick’s restomod is a street machine, new factory-level shocks, sway bars, bushings, etc are used. The power rack-and-pinion steering, aluminum differential, and four-wheel independent suspension make Rick’s restomod ride and drive like no C1 ever did.

Under the factory-original hood, there’s a refreshed C4 Gen II fuel-injected 350 LT1 engine with a K&N air filter, and metallic powder-coated headers connected to a custom stainless steel exhaust system. An aluminum radiator with a thermostatically-controlled electric fan keeps everything cool. The GM 700R4, 4-speed automatic transmission with a 30-percent overdrive fourth gear. The brake rotors are drilled and slotted, with refurbished, painted red C4 calipers. The chrome 5-spoke 17×8 wheels are from a 2000 Corvette and are shod with Michelin MX4 All-Season tires.

The interior has red pile-cut carpeting, a red dash top, a white instrument surround, steering column, kick-panels, door panels, seats, new/refurbished bright-work, and a stock shifter for that classic C1 look. The only non-production elements are a coolant gauge, a Lecarra teak-wood steering wheel, and an AM/FM radio. Rick wants to have the seats lowered and re-contoured to accommodate his 6′-3” stature. He’s also thinking about period-correct, chrome Halibrand-style wheels.

South-central Florida has a robust car culture with all kinds of street machines. In 2016 Rick won 1st place in the Corvette Class at the Lake Placid Caladium Festival Car Show in Lake Placid. If you are in Sebring, Florida and you see a low, cherry-red Corvette, that Rick Weigand’s 1954 Corvette restomod. You can’t miss it! – Scott

PS – The story was originally published in the September 2019 issue of Vette Vues Magazine.

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Corvette Factory Show Cars 1961 Mako Shark-I, Part 2 – VIDEO

Published on by Scott

Bill Mitchell’s First Shark Corvette, the 1961 Mako Shark-I

Dateline: 8.7.19 – Photos from GM Archives – Upon Harley Earl’s retirement in 1958, William L. “Bill” Mitchell took over the reins as V.P. of General Motors Design. Earl hired Mitchell in 1935 and Bill essentially learned his trade working under Earl’s guidance. Mitchell was a car guy, an illustrator/designer, and came from the world of advertising. Bill was so good, such a natural, that a year after Earl hired him; he was put in charge of the Cadillac design studio! Mitchell got along famously with Earl, which was not an easy thing to do, as the 6”-4” Harley Earl was known to be a tough and intimidating taskmaster! By 1953, Earl handpicked Mitchell to be his successor, but warned Bill that he’d have to prove himself and make his own mark. Earl’s designs were long, low, and rounded. Mitchell’s philosophy was that a car’s lines should be crisp and sharp, like a freshly pressed business suit.

A year before Mitchell was given the keys to Earl’s Design Kingdom; he was tasked with designing a body for the proposed 1960 Corvette that was to be part of Ed Cole’s line of transaxle-equipped “Q-Chevrolet” cars. One of the members of Mitchell’s advanced design team was Peter Brock, the youngest designer ever hired by GM. One of Brock’s sketches was the closest to what Mitchell had in mind, and became the body for what was later called, the “Q-Corvette”. Unfortunately, the Q-Corvette never made it past a full-size clay mockup, as the entire Q-Chevrolet concept collapsed due to the high cost of tooling for the transaxles. But Mitchell couldn’t let go of Brock’s brilliant design. Shortly after Bill’s big promotion, he indulged himself by deciding to “go racing” with the 1957 Corvette SS mule chassis, draped in a roadster version of the Q-Corvette body design. This became Mitchell’s 1959 Stingray Racer.

Bill’s privateer racing effort wasn’t just “an executive at play”; he was testing the public’s reaction to what he had in mind for the next Corvette – HIS Corvette! Mitchell raced the Stingray Racer for two seasons and it was no secret at the track that the car was his. Even though the body of the car looked nothing like the then current Corvette, and didn’t say “Corvette” anywhere, a Fuel Injected 283 “Corvette” engine powered the car, and it was the VP of GM Styling’s car, so the connection was obvious.

Part of Mitchell’s natural genius was an inner knowing of what the public would like. The public response to the Stingray Racer’s body shape confirmed what Bill knew; the next Corvette would look like his Stingray Racer. Mitchell also understood “show biz” from his time in advertising and through working with Earl on many Motorama events. So, to keep stoking the Corvette and Chevy fans, he created a functional street version of the Stingray Racer. What looked like a prototype Corvette was in actuality another in a long line of teaser show cars. After nine seasons, Corvette lovers were ready for a new machine. The XP-755, aka, the “Mako Shark,” was truly the shape of the future. What Corvette fans didn’t know was that while the Mako Shark was knocking their socks off, Chevrolet was hard at work sorting out the final design of the 1963 Corvette.

This was no small task, as everything except for the engine, transmission, and brakes were completely new. Except for details such as, vent placement, grille, bumper shapes, and the shape of the coupe’s famous, iconic roof section, the second-generation Corvette was nailed down. Bill’s Mako Shark (the XP-755) was an exaggerated version of the work-in-progress 1963 Sting Ray (XP-720). The Mako Shark was a show car to tease the public, as well as Mitchell’s occasional personal daily driver. Think of cars, circa 1961, when looking at the Mako Shark! There were still cars from the late 1920s and 1930s on the road in 1961!

Larry Shinoda was Mitchell’s preferred, go-to stylist guy and seemed to be the best at pulling Bill’s ideas into reality. According to Peter Brock (National Corvette Museum 2017 Hall of Fame inductee), Mitchell was just as tough as Earl, but more jovial and at times profane. Bill just wanted to be “one of the guys”, but he knew what he wanted. (Brock’s book, “Corvette Sting Ray: Genesis of an American Icon” is a MUST READ for all second generation Corvette fans.) Since Larry Shinoda worked out the translation of Brock’s Q-Corvette design into the Stingray Racer, Larry was tasked to do the XP-755, “Mako Shark”. Larry was also working on the XP-720, the 1963 Sting Ray, in its development phase.

Keep in mind that show cars are supposed to be “over the top”. (Remember the 2009 “Transformers” Corvette Concept car?) Since Larry knew every line on the work-in-progress for the 1963 Corvette, he exaggerated and used older elements from the 1958 XP-800. Starting with a stock 1961 Corvette, the Mako Shark-I’s nose and tail had more “point” than the production Sting Ray would have, and was in fact, the nose was 12-inches longer.

Shinoda knew that Mitchell loved “surface details”, so the Mako Shark-I had lots to gawk at, including; gills in front of the front fender opening, recessed areas on the hood, grille details on the hood, tube header side pipes/mufflers, an XP-800-like bubble top with a periscope rear-view mirror system and grille-vents in the back of the bubble, scoops on the rear fender humps, vents behind the rear wheel well openings, and two pairs of triple taillights. The engine was a 327 with a small, Roots-type supercharger and four side-draft carburetors. Outrageous four-pipe side-pipes exited from each front fender. Originally the Mako Shark had a stock 1961 Corvette interior, except for tight bucket seats and a Ferrari steering wheel that was gift from Enzo Ferrari! Chromed Dayton knock-off wire wheels gave the car that “European look”.

Mitchell’s fertile mind was always expanding upon existing show cars and he had no reservation about pulling a show car back into his design studio for a refresh. Years later, the interior was redesigned with flat panels and gauges that looked very Ferrari-like, a 427 engine with an automatic transmission was installed, and Shinoda-designed alloy lace wheels shod with wide tires were used. The bigger wheel/tire combo nicely filled the wheelwell openings.

Unlike many of Harley Earl’s Motorama cars that were basically static, full-size model cars, Mitchell felt that his show cars should be fully functional vehicles, capable of being driven and shown off in public. As much as the completed 1963 Sting Ray is an iconic classic, I believe that if the Mako Shark-I, minus some of the show car pizzazz, had gone into production as the “1963 Corvette Sting Ray” it still would have been a success. Imagine the Mako Shark-I with the Sting Ray roof – that would have been hot! – Scott

 

Corvette Factory Show Cars, Part 1 -1958 XP-700 Corvette

Published on by Scott

Chevy’s 1950s show car custom 1958 Corvette

Dateline: 7.15.19 – As seen in the January 2018 issue of Vette Vues (All images GM Archives) – A new era began on December 1, 1958 when William L. “Bill” Mitchell took over the reins of GM Styling from the great Harley Earl. Mitchell started his career as a young illustrator that loved rendering cars, racing cars, and hanging out with the Collier Brothers, the creators of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). It was Harley Earl that hired 23-year old Mitchell. From there, Bill learned the business end of the automobile business by working directly for Harley Earl and was in fact, Earl’s handpicked successor.

But when Mitchell took over, it was a whole new game. Harley Earl loved rounded shapes and lots of chrome. Bill Mitchell loved slim shapes, with fine, crisp lines. Bill believed that the lines of a car should be “crisp”, like a freshly pressed suit. That’s an important concept to hold on to as we look at the Corvette show cars of Bill Mitchell.

Mitchell’s first indulgence as GM’s Styling V.P. was the acquisition of the 1957 Corvette SS “mule” chassis for a nominal amount (I’ve read anywhere from $1.00 to $100), to use as the foundation of his own racing ambitions. Bill had Larry Shinoda work Peter Brock’s basic Q-Corvette shape into the 1959 Stingray Racer. While Bill was busy racing his Stingray Racer, there often was an accompanying custom Corvette that got a lot of attention.

Mitchell had initiated a policy that all dream cars and show cars would be fully functional. No mockups or static shells. Since Bill liked to drive his designs, they should also have plenty of power under the hood. Mitchell liked his cars “loaded for bear!” This was a trend that all Mitchell show cars had. The XP-700 also showed styling elements that would be used on the 1961 to 1964 Corvettes and believe it or not – the 1997 Corvette!

The XP-700 was built on a 1958 283 Fuelie Corvette. In 1950s excess style, everything is “bigger and better”. The front was pure “custom car design” with an elongated, elliptical nose and a scoop under it. Mitchell wanted to break away from the Earl driven, big toothy grille, towards something slim and lightweight. The now-classic Dayton Knock-Off Wire Wheels were part of the effort to make the car look lighter. The Lucas spotlight headlights are moved forward and also had scoops under them. The recessed hood vents showed up on the 1963 Corvette, but with fake grille inserts, and the 1964 Corvette, sans the grilles. The front fender scoops were shorter versions of the production 1956-1957 fender scoops.

Show cars have to have plenty of flash and sparkle. The 283 Fuel Injected engine was festooned with lots of chrome and black crackle-finished parts. Today, these kinds of parts are easily available through aftermarket Corvette parts companies, but in 1959, this kind of finish was spectacular. Mitchell loved loud side-pipes; consequently most of his Corvette show-cars had them. Looking more like a custom car setup, the side pipes are interesting, but were a little too short, looking like add-ons, as do the scoops behind the doors.

The transparent, bubble top idea was a hold over from the “Jet Age” years of auto styling. To help reduce solar heat, panels of vacuum-deposited aluminum film was placed on the inside of the double-bubble, over the driver and passenger. Between the two bubbles was a metal strip with a periscope rear-view mirror on the top and towards the back cooling vents. The entire top looked like a prop from a 1950s Sci-Fi space movie or something from The Jetson’s animated TV cartoon series. A “transparent roof” option wouldn’t be available until 1978, after years of experimentation with UV Light-blocking transparent films. A toned down version of the twin bubble top roof shape finally arrived in 1997 with the all-new C5.

There were two versions of the tail section. The original version was very short. Then in October 1959 the tail was lengthened, looking more like the production 1961-1962 Corvette. A body crease leads off the tops of the wheel openings and wraps around the back. Below the back edge, the license plate was mounted deep in the center. Now Corvette classic “dual round taillights” flank both sides of the license plate and vertical bumpers were at the corners. The basic shape, with horizontal bumpers, was put into production for 1961 and 1962, and set the design for the back end of the 1963-1967 Sting Ray convertibles.

The interior had features that became standard in 1961, such as the parking-light warning light, dual sun visors, windshield washers, and interior courtesy lights. Yes, early Corvettes had spartan interior amenities. Features that didn’t go into production were the stainless steel foot well grates, the periscope rear view mirror (a primitive version of modern rear-view video monitors), an experimental overdrive unit (tall highway cruising gears are now built into basic transmissions, typically as 5th or 6th gear), and a dash-mounted chronometer (a basic feature that’s now part of the Corvette’s GPS and Performance Data Video Recorder information system). Many of the “gee wiz!” special features of factory show cars from long ago are now either standard production features or special options.

The XP-700 was the first of the street-worthy Corvette show cars. Silver and red were Mitchell’s favorite colors to use on most of the show car Corvettes. The XP-700 wore both colors in its early years. Unlike today’s show cars, Mitchell actually drove many of his show cars to and from work – even the Stingray Racer! From the days of Alfred P. Slone, GM has always had a tight corporate structure, and when Bill Mitchell was rising through the ranks, everything at the corporate level was blue and gray suits. Mitchell was definitely a corporate “Rebel With An Attitude” and was well known for his bright-colored, flamboyant suits.

As Chuck “The Chrome Cobra” Jordan (Chief of Styling from 1986-to1992) used to say concerning Mitchell, “The man had flare!” Thanks to Mitchell’s “flare” from 1959 to his retirement in 1977, Corvette fans were treated to a steady flow of exciting Corvette show cars. – Scott

Take a Few Laps around Daytona in a ’56/’57 Corvette – 2 Videos

Published on by Scott

Watch some old school fun in this ride-along video from the passenger-side seat of this racing 1956/1957 Corvette.

Dateline: 11.13.18 – Corvette racecars from the 1950s look absolutely prehistoric from our modern perspective. They were 100-percent mechanical beasts. This video beautifully captures the sights and sounds of this old world racing Corvette.

Back in the day, just like today, Corvettes had plenty of grunt and only needed improved suspension and brakes. That’s what Chevy’s RPO racing parts program was all about. Chevrolet general manager, Ed Cole, charged engineers Zora Arkus-Duntov and three-time Indy 500 winner Mauri Rose, with running the program.

Duntov oversaw the engineering in Detroit and tested the special parts at the GM Proving Ground, and Rose was the field engineer that worked with Smokey Yunick and various racers to field test and improve the parts. By the end of the 1959s, Corvettes were winning championships and were beginning to dominate.

Just for some contrast, I’ve included an in-car video from one of the C7.R Corvettes. Here’s Tommy Milner in the C7.R at Daytona in 2014.

WOW! What a contrast! Enjoy! – Scott

 

Founding Fathers Pt 4 of 6: Corvette Godfather, Zora Arkus-Duntov

Published on by Scott

Zora Arkus-Duntov: The Performance Godfather of all Corvettes

Dateline: 10.23.18 – One of the definitions of the word, “godfather” is; “one that founds, supports, or inspires”. Of all of the Corvette’s “Founding Fathers” none are more deserving of the term than Zora Arkus-Duntov. It is not an exaggeration to say that were it not for Duntov, the Corvette never would have made it past 1970!

Although the Corvette fit the definition of a “sports car”, when Chevrolet released the car in 1953, they said that the car was, “not a sports car”. But when Zora saw the Corvette at the 1953 GM Motorama in New York City, he said that it was the most beautiful car he had ever seen, and knew instantly that he wanted to be a part of the new Corvette team.

Zora was born on December 25, 1909 and his birth name was “Zachary Arkus”. Both of his parents were Russian Jews living in Belgium. His mother was a medical student and his father was a mining engineer. After the Russian Revolution the family moved back to Leningrad, Russia, but his parents divorced. His mother’s new partner was Josef Duntov. Years later, Zora and his brother, Yura added the surname, “Duntov” to theirs.

Josef Duntov was an engineer for the Soviet government and was transferred to Berlin, Germany. Zora loved Berlin. When he wasn’t attending classes at the Charlottenburg Technological University, he was drawing cars, writing papers, riding motorcycles, roaring around in his Type 30 Bugatti, and chasing girls. When Zora met Elfi Wolff, a beautiful German dancer with the Folies Bergere, it was love at first sight, and the couple married in France in 1939. When WW-II broke out in 1939, Zora and Yura wanted nothing to do with fascism, and joined the French Air Force. But when France surrendered, the entire Duntov family made plans to get out of France and immigrate to America.

All Zora ever wanted to do was build and race cars. After the family settled down in New York, Zora and Yura started the Ardun Mechanical Corporation, a machining company. Quickly, the company became a success, receiving an “A” classification with the Army Air Force Quality Control. Government work for the war effort made Zora and Elfi wealthy. After the war Zora and Yura made their contribution to the burgeoning hot rod industry that set the stage for Duntov’s part of the Corvette story.

Image: http://www.ardun.com/

Ford brought the V8 to the masses and it wasn’t long before guys started hot rodding the Flat-head V8 Ford. The design was cheap and simple, but didn’t breathe very well. Zora designed an aluminum, overhead valve hemi-head bold-on kit for the popular Ford flathead engine. The Ardun OHV Hemi heads took output from 100-hp to 160-hp; a 62-percent increase! They offered a conversion kit, a complete engine, and an all-out, 200-hp racing engine. While terrific as a concept, Zora wasn’t a “development engineer” and didn’t have the patience to sort out details. Through a series of business mistakes, the company eventually folded. Also, in 1946 and 1947 Zora had two failed qualifying attempts at Indy.

Photo: K. Scott Teeters – Duntov wanted to take a team of Corvette SS race cars to the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans race, but the AMA Racing Ban stopped Zora’s Le Mans assault.

By 1948 Zora was looking for a racecar company to work for and took a job working for Allard England. Without a company to run, Duntov was able to stay focused on engineering and development work for Sydney Allard’s sports racing cars. In 1949 Zora raced an Ardun-powered Allard J2 at Watkins Glen, but had braking problems. Then in 1952 Zora drive a new Allard J2X at Le Mans, but broke an axle at the 14-hour mark.

Working for Allard was fun, but Zora knew there was no future there. In 1952 he came back to New York and started looking for employment with an American car company. Duntov applied with Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Ford, and General Motors. Chrysler suggested that his racing engineering skills would be more suited to much smaller companies. He even tried Jaguar, but was rejected. A letter to GM’s Chief Engineer, Ed Cole in October was responded with an invitation to, “…stop by if you’re ever in Detroit.” But Cole passed Duntov’s letter to his head suspension/chassis engineer, Maurice Olley, who responded to Zora on January 5, 1953 with an invitation for an interview.

Around this time Duntov had his “Oh, WOW!” moment upon seeing the Corvette at the 1953 Motorama. After a long series of letters and interviews, on May 1, 1953, Zora Arkus-Duntov was hired by GM to work in the Chevrolet Engineering Department under Maurice Olley, with a starting salary of $14,000.

Zora and Elfie Duntov didn’t fit into the GM corporate culture, and Olley and Duntov did not get along at all. Zora solved engineering problems with an intuitive sense of mechanics – Olley wanted to see calculations. GM executives socialized at country clubs and played golf – Zora went to races and played around with boats on his weekends. Elfie passed on invitations to social lunches, preferring to spend time with her entertainer friends. Yes, the Duntov’s were misfits in GM’s stuffy gray suit world.

Three weeks into his employment Zora was almost fired by Olley because he announced that he was taking off to drive for Porsche at Le Mans in June. Although Duntov worked for Olley, he reported to Ed Cole, who begrudgingly let him go racing, but without pay.

Fortunately for all of us, Duntov got beyond his issues with Olley and was transferred to the GM Proving Ground. The work was beneath him, but he needed a job and soldered on. It was a speech he gave at a Lancing SAE meeting about how high-performance programs can enhance efficiency and reliability of passenger cars, and that the Corvette would be the perfect platform for such R&D work. While other engineers were more thorough in their development work, Zora had the deep understanding of racing, and the enthusiasm that could make Chevrolet an authority on performance cars.

By the time Duntov got to work on the Corvette, his initial conclusion was, “… the car really stunk.” Zora was coming from a racing perspective and the Corvette was never intended to be a racer. He said, “Since we can not prevent people from racing Corvettes, maybe it is better to help them to do a good job at it.” Thus began the evolutionary transition of a car that was never designed to be a racer. Duntov was the perfect man for the job; truly, there was no one else in Detroit in 1954 that could have made Earl’s beauty queen sports car into a fearsome racer. The super-successful C5-R, C6.R, and C7.R Corvette Racing Team owes it all to Zora Arkus-Duntov – and a ton of work.

Duntov’s serious work began late in 1955, and by February 1956 at Daytona Beach, his trio modified 1956 Corvettes set speed records. From there it was a class win at Sebring and “Bring on the hay bales!” 1957 saw the introduction of the 283 Fuelie and the first of a long series of RPO “Racer Kit” Chevrolet-engineered parts for racing Corvettes. Zora wanted to take a team of Corvette SS Racers to Le Mans in 1957 but the AMA Racing Ban stopped him.

Take a test drive with Zora!

By the late 1950s, thanks to the parts Duntov and engineer Mauri Rose developed for the RPO program, privateer Corvette racers were winning championships. Then, closing out the C1 generation, the Grady Davis Gulf One Corvettes took the 1961 SCCA B/Production and the 1962 A/Production Championships. To jump-start the C2 Sting Ray, Duntov launched the now-legendary RPO Z06 racer kit and the Grand Sport Corvette. Again, Zora wanted to take a team Grand Sports to Le Mans, but GM’s strict AMA Racing Ban got in the way and only five Grand Sports were built.

Duntov was relentless in pushing performance and created numerous mid-engine Corvettes prototypes. “Brakes” had been troublesome for racing Corvettes since 1956. By 1965, all production Corvettes had 4-wheel disc brakes. When the big-block was introduced in 1965, Chevrolet realized that cubic-inches were the easiest way to more horsepower. By 1967 Duntov introduced the fearsome 427 L88. From 1967-to-1969 only 216 L88 Corvettes were built, and are super valuable today. In 1969 427 ZL-1 was an L88 with an aluminum block, offered L88 power, with small-block weight.

In 1970 Zora released the 350 LT1, best small-block Corvette to that date. From 1970-to-1972 RPO ZR1 was the Racer Kit for small-block racers. And lastly, Zora was responsible for the 1974, customer applied, “Greenwood” widebody kit, available from the Chevrolet Performance Parts catalog. When Duntov retied in December 1974 he had a mid-engine Corvette in the works, but management said, “We’re selling all the Corvettes we can, why to we need a mid-engine Corvette?” Sure, “business is business” but it would have been so cool.

Without Duntov supplying raw performance, even Bill Mitchell’s beautiful Sting Ray wouldn’t have saved the Corvette. The Corvette survived because of racing and Corvettes raced because of Duntov. Therefore, Zora Arkus-Duntov ultimately deserves to title as “Godfather of the Corvette”. – Scott

PS – You can readpervious installments of my “Corvette’s Founding Father Series from the bleelow links:

Corvette’s Founding Father’s, Pt 1 – Harley Earl, HERE.

Corvette’s Founding Father’s, Pt 2 – Ed Cole, HERE.

Corvette’s Founding Father’s, Pt 3 – Bill Mitchell, HERE.

And coming soon: Larry Shinoda and Peter Brock.

I’ll be offereing a free E-Book with all five of the Corvette’s Founding Fathers, soon!

 

Corvette Timeline Tales: March 24, 1956 – Chevrolet Scores First Major Road Racing Win with a Team of Heavily-modified Corvettes – VIDEOS

Published on by Scott

Image: GM Archives

Unlike today’s out in the open Corvette Racing Team, in 1956 John Fitch’s factory-supported racing team was strictly a covert-op!

Dateline: 3.24.18 – Photos: GM Archives & Mecum Auctions – In the early days and well into the early 1980s GM and Chevrolet had an odd attitude about Corvette racing. There never was a lack of enthusiasm from Corvette engineers and designers, but the company just wouldn’t make “racing” official, in the same way Ford and Chrysler did for their racing programs, that got them tons of publicity and street cred.

But make no doubt about it, in 1956 there was indeed a factory Corvette racing effort, and it paid off! Four Corvettes were specially prepared for the 12 Hours of Sebring race on March 24, 1956, under the official banner of Dick Doane’s Raceway Enterprises. These were no ordinary production Corvettes. WW-II fighter pilot and racing champion, John Fitch was the team manager and had the full support and assistance of Ed Cole and Zora Arkus-Duntov.

Photos by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions.

After a successful performance at Daytona Beach in February 1956 where three of Duntov’s specially-prepared Corvettes set speed records on the Daytona beach sand, the three cars were sent back to Michigan to be prepared for the Sebring assault and one more car was added to the team. Continue reading “

Corvette Timeline Tales: March 24, 1956 – Chevrolet Scores First Major Road Racing Win with a Team of Heavily-modified Corvettes – VIDEOS” →

Corvette Odd-Ball – 1958 Fiberfab “Centurion” Sells at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction for $91,000! – 2 VIDEOS

Published on by Scott

One-of-six Fiberfab Centurion (1959 Stingray Racer), fully-functional, period-correct kit cars – sells for $91,000!

Dateline: 1.19.18, Images Barrett-Jackson – The “build your own car” trend was HOT in the 1960s. Most were never finished and many were badly completed. What is arguably one of the nicest-finished kit cars ever, SOLD today for an impressive $91,000! Bidding was brisk and the auctioneer really worked the car. Check out the above video.

What is surprising to me is that according to the auctioneer, the car is eligible for the Monterrey Historic Races events! How about that?

Below is a video about the real 1959 Stingray Racer.
Continue reading “

Corvette Odd-Ball – 1958 Fiberfab “Centurion” Sells at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction for $91,000! – 2 VIDEOS” →

Corvette Timeline Tales: Happy 65th Birthday to America’s Only True Sports Car, the Corvette! – VIDEOS

Published on by Scott

On this date in 1953, GM officials never imagined their little fiberglass concept car would one day become a world-class sports car and GM’s technological flagship automobile!

Dateline: 1.17.18 – Story by Mike Waal, Images GM Archives – On this date in Corvette History, Harley Earl‘s prototype Corvette (EX-122) was introduced to the public at the GM Motorama at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in Manhattan, NYC, on January 17, 1953.

I was born and raised in Manhattan. My Dad was working for Cadillac at their show room dealership on 57th Street and Broadway, in Manhattan. Dad had access to all the car shows. While I didn’t attend this event with him, I was about to turn 6, some time between this date and 1955 I attended my first car show with my Dad. What a thrill!

My Mom got me dressed in a suit with a white shirt and tie, and put me on the subway train to meet my Dad, who was waiting for me. This is how I saw, in person, my first Corvette!

Here’s a fun Promotional film for the 1953 Corvette. Continue reading “

Corvette Timeline Tales: Happy 65th Birthday to America’s Only True Sports Car, the Corvette! – VIDEOS” →

Corvette Odd-Ball – 1965 Fiberfab “Centurion” Goes On the Block January 2018

Published on by Scott

Barrett-Jackson 2018 Scottsdale Auction will auction off one-of-six Fiberfab Centurion (1959 Stingray Racer), fully-functional, period-correct kit cars – NO RESERVE!

Dateline: 12.15.18 (Images: Barrett-Jackson.com) – Back in the 1960s the built-it-yourself “kit car” craze exploded with all kinds of interesting poser cars that used contemporary chassis, engine, drive train, and suspensions. Fiberglass was the carbon fiber of the day, so all kit cars had fiberglass bodies. Ads for kit cars were always in the back of Hot Rod, Car Craft, Road & Track, and most car magazines, and were a lot of fun to daydream about. And they had cool names, such as; Aztec, the Jamaican, Valkyrie, Vagabond, Banshee, and for Corvette lovers, the Centurion.

The Fiberfab Company had a whole series of sports car style bodies that looked very close to Ford GT40s and Ferrari Daytonas. The trouble with kit cars was that most were never completed, stalling out when it came to the electrical wiring part of the project. The body that the customer got typically required a lot of finish work, so most kit cars turned out not so good and many were never finished. Continue reading “

Corvette Odd-Ball – 1965 Fiberfab “Centurion” Goes On the Block January 2018″ →

NEW!!! Corvette Report’s “Vette of the Month” Contest

Published on by Scott

We are happy to announce the launch of Corvette Report’s “Vette of the Month” Photo Contest.
Here’s the deal.

Dateline: 11.25.17 – Send us your best photo of your Corvette and we will post it on our “Vette of the Month” photos page.

At the end of the month we will pick a winner, and announce it as a post here at Corvette Report.

The winner will get;

An “America’s Old Glory Sports Car” print of their year Corvette, signed and numbered by K. Scott Teeters.

PLUS! a feature story in Vette Vues Magazine.

After the story is published in Vette Vues, we will post it on CorvetteReport.com.

To enter, use the below Entry Form. Continue reading “

NEW!!! Corvette Report’s “Vette of the Month” Contest” →