Step back to 1999 as Jay Leno shares his Corvette passion in a revealing Corvette Quarterly interview. Known worldwide for comedy and his legendary car collection, Leno offers candid insight into performance, craftsmanship and why Corvette holds a special place in his automotive heart. This rare feature captures the personality and enthusiasm of one of America’s most recognized car guys.
This story, “Zora Looks Back” offers some interesting insights into Duntov’s tenure at GM, as well as the “Lightweight Grand Sport Corvette” experience. For instance, Duntov said, “It was a quick and dirty sledgehammer project that we put together in a couple of months. There were so many compromises and constraints that we made something of which I am not particularly proud.” Interesting. Well, we sure love them!
On February 20, 2021, we attended the SVRA event at Sebring International Raceway, in Sebring, Florida, and were invited to take our Vette out on the track for a lap. I knew we weren’t going to go fast, but I didn’t know we would be going SO SLOW!!!
Here’s a speed-ed up version (individual photos) of our Slow Lap around Sebring! One of the images you can see on my speedometer, “5-mph”! HA! And no, the sound on the video is NOT my car. I had to make this entertaining.
Unlike today’s Corvette Racing Team’s massive year-around, non-stop R&D program, the Sebring cars were prepared in just a few weeks and were being worked on around the clock. But all things considered, it was a valiant effort that paid off. Here’s a list of the modifications made to the Corvettes. This is why I say, these were no ordinary Corvettes and by 1956 standards, these cars were very advanced.
