The Chevrolet Corvette has served as the official pace car of the Indy 500 18 times since 1978. That accounts for half of the 32 times that Chevrolet has been given the honor since 1948, which only highlights the sports car’s endearing legacy. Interestingly enough, this C8 Corvette convertible is the first Indy 500 pace car to have a drop-top since the 2011 Chevrolet Camaro.
The L84 was the most powerful 327 available for the 1965 Corvette thanks to its Ram-Jet Fuel Injection which was an expensive $538 option. For competition, race customers had a range of options available to them including the N03 36-Gallon Fuel Tank, closer rear axle ratios and the C48 Heater/Defroster Delete (-100).
At Sebring in 1967, the Corvette L88 made its debut appearance. The L88 package included many competition components which included a M22 transmission, large disc brakes, upgraded suspension and an alumunim head 427. Shortly after the race, the L88 option would be offered on production cars which was a formidable package.
The Chevrolet Corvette Sportwagon was never actually built by Chevrolet, it was an aftermarket kit developed for the C3 Corvette that solved its single biggest problem – the total lack of useable trunk space. When the third generation Corvette was released in 1967 it proved popular thanks to its shark-inspired styling. The one key drawback was the fact that there was no trunk lid, and the small trunk area was only accessible through the interior of the car behind the seats.
The 2005 Corvette Pace Car paced at the 89th Annual Indianapolis 500 on May 29, 2005. It was driven by Retired Army General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. There were three Pace Cars produced. Eight Track/Festival convertibles painted Victory Red Corvette were used on race day. These Track/Festival Pace Cars did not have the center silver stripe, logo-embroidered headrest, and graphics that were on the actual pace car. There were two replica pace cars produced.
The 1963 Wedge Corvette split windshield concept was a sleek, front-engine design study that revived the Q Corvette’s split-windshield gullwing-style doors with a short, bobbed tail. Late in 1963, a GM Styling team under Henry Haga prepared this future Corvette proposal. Its sophisticated lines included side-mounted exhaust pipes.
In 1963 GM Design put together two special Corvettes according to special work orders. The first was delivered fresh to the 1963 Chicago Auto show, while a nearly identical version was gifted to the retired Harley Earl. These Vettes received numerous modifications from GM Design including and a new custom interior and sidepipes.
Those that have laid eyes on the Astro I will not soon forget it. This 1967 Chevrolet prototype featured sleek body lines that embodied the feel of a far more aggressively styled Mako Shark. Although the Astro I was built with the intent to aid in the study of aerodynamics, no official documentation has been uncovered as to the results of this testing.
Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Spyder prototype, 1991, by ASC. An experimental styling prototype ordered by Don Runkle, Chevrolet’s chief engineer, to see how far the ZR-1 might be pushed in convertible form. The windshield was chopped in half and the seats were mounted directly to the floorpan. The black example in the National Corvette Museum was originally painted Sebring Silver with a Neutrino Yellow interior.
Designed for the 2024 racing season to compete in the GT3 category, Corvette Z06 GT3.R will soon join a family of long-standing victors on the track. This track-only race car will be the first that Chevrolet offers to both pro and amateur teams. Although based on the design of the street-friendly Corvette Z06 and its 5.5L engine, the GT3.R won’t be street legal. The track-only race car will be modified with racing-specific equipment and will comply with FIA regulations.
This special edition takes the upgraded handling and appearance that comes with the Grand Sport moniker and adds some special cosmetic touches for extra uniqueness. Along with a stunning gray metallic paint color, it features blue accents that harken back to previous Grand Sports. A representation of the original Grand Sport race car is embossed onto the headrests. Powered by the regular (and excellent) LT1 V-8, it features magnetic ride control, an electronic limited-slip differential, and Grand Sport wheels.
The all-new, seventh-generation 2014 Corvette Stingray served as the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car, leading the field to green at the start of the 97th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” on Sunday, May 26 2013. It marked a record 12th time the Corvette served as the Pace Car, starting in 1978. Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, drove the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Pace Car
Though the first two prototype cars to carry the Astro namesake were relatively well known, the third entry in this conceptual saga was somewhat obscure and significantly more bizarre. At the 1969 Chicago Motor Show, Chevrolet unveiled the Astro III which was a gas-turbine prototype that featured a tricycle wheel arrangement.
Finally in 1971, both the ZR1 and ZR2 packages were offered side by side as initially intended. The solid lifter, 350 cubic-inch LT-1 found under the hood of the ZR1 featured a ‘178’ high-performance camshaft and a 780 CFM Holley four-barrel carburetor, which resided atop a specialized aluminum intake. The LT-1 featured a reduced compression ratio of 9.0:1 for the 1971 production year, relative to 11.0:1 specified the year prior.
In 1959, the bones of the SS were revived when Bill Mitchell secretly funded the Stingray race car. Mitchell purchased the chassis of the 1957 SS race car mule for $500 and had a design team create a new body. Mitchell felt the first generation Corvettes were too rounded and soft, so the Corvette Sting Ray Racer featured a sharper body edge that made it work.
The story of this Chevrolet begins with Fords - specifically, the purpose-built IMSA Mustangs and SCCA Trans Am Mercury Capris that became major forces in those series in 1984-85. In 1985, a Mustang built by Jack Roush and chassis firm Protofab took a young John Jones to the IMSA GTO crown and a Roush Protofab Mercury Capri had done the same in the Trans Am championship.
"Hot" is an apt description of this special coupe's drivetrain. Its 6.6-liter engine produces 512 horsepower and 523 lbs.-ft. of torque. Mated to a four-speed automatic transmission and featuring a 3:41 geared limited slip differential and four-wheel independent suspension, this "Vette takes a backseat to no other vehicle. The White Shark Corvette also features power rack-and-pinion steering to precisely pilot this vehicle and four-wheel disc brakes with ABS.
Known as the “Race Rat,” this rare 1960 Corvette is one of just 10 produced by the factory with the LPO (Limited Production Option) 1625A 24-gallon fuel tank designed by Zora Arkus-Duntov for racing purposes to reduce the frequency of pit stops. A true factory-prepared race car, this 1960 Chevrolet Corvette Tanker was ordered by gentleman racer and businessman George Reed of “Reed’s Race Rats” fame to compete in 1960 Sebring 12 Hours.
The C7.R Corvette by Pratt & Miller is one of the winningest race cars in modern history. Explore what makes this Corvette a winner on race day, and discover the connection between the C7.R and the seventh-generation Chevy Corvette Z06. At the core of the C7.R Corvette is a direct carry-over from its predecessor - the same 5.5 liter engine that was developed during the C6.R's successful tenure in both the American Le Mans series and at The 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This 1961 Chevrolet Corvette factory race car possesses a host of rare options and a provenance worthy of the velvet rope treatment at any of the world’s finest auto museums or vintage races. Gulf Oil sponsored and driven to an SCCA B-Production national championship by the likes of Dr. Dick “The Flying Dentist” Thompson and Don Yenko, it stands as one the most successful and important production-based Corvette race cars ever constructed.
This is no ordinary C4 coupe, but a GM Engineering test mule with VIN plate EX4607 proudly displayed in the windscreen, built in 1986 to test all the new-for-1988 features. This actual car must have spent weeks pounding round the General Motors Proving Ground at Milford, Michigan with longer runs on the road, testing all the changes for a year which saw the C4 suspension, steering and brakes vastly improved.
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