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Grand Sport Build Up

C2 Corvettes / Corvette News & Opinions / Grand Sport Corvette / Grand Sport Corvettes / Videos - C2 Corvettes

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Vintage Grand Sport Corvette Films from 1962 and 1963 – 2 VIDEOS

Last week while finishing up a story about Bill Tower’s Grand Sport #005 Corvette for Vette Magazine, I came across two YouTube videos posted by GM Heritage Center. The videos are silent and were probably shot with an 8mm camera that someone brought along to the events. The film looks like hand-held and amateurish and not at all the same quality of the Jam Handy films from that era. But, you do get to see the Grand Sports in action.

Corvette Timeline Tails: Happy 99th Birthday Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen

Corvette History / Corvette People / Corvette Timeline Tales

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Corvette Timeline Tails: Happy 99th Birthday Semon “Bunkie” Knudsen

Within the machinations of a big corporation, to get things done, it’s good to have an angel. Zora Arkus-Duntov had several angels. We’ve talked about Duntov’s relationship with Chevrolet honcho Ed Cole. But one angle that doesn’t get much attention was Simon “Bunkie” Knudsen.

Simon’s father was former GM president, William S. Knudsen. While this was helpful for the younger Kneudsen’s career, things weren’t handed to Bunkie – he had to work for what he accomplished. Like many teenage boys of his generation, Simon was interested in mechanical things. When he asked for a car, his Dad gave him one… in pieces for the young man to out back together. During his college years, Summer break meant a stint working at Gm… on the assembly line. Upon graduation, Knudsen got a job at Pontiac in 1939 and quickly rose up through the management ranks. By 1956 he was the general manager at Pontiac.

Corvette Timeline Tales: July 1962 – Production of the “Lightweight” aka Grand Sport Begins

C2 Corvettes / Corvette History / Corvette Timeline Tales / Grand Sport Corvette

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Corvette Timeline Tales: July 1962 – Production of the “Lightweight” aka Grand Sport Begins

By July 1962, with the overall design completed, including an all-aluminum fuel-injected 327 version of the street Corvette Fuelie engine, production began on just enough cars to qualify the Lightweight as a “production” car. The rest of the story is very well known and documented.