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Probably the first and most
recognizable of these prototypes has to be the one that started it all. The 1953 Corvette
was the result of Harley Earl's desire for a 2-seater sports car to compete with the
models offered from Europe. Code name for this project was "Opel Sports
Car". |
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Rumor has it that Harley Earl had a
son that wanted to race a sports car. In 1956, Earl had his designers come up with a
souped up model of the Vette that was known as the SR-2. The model shown is actually a
second model built by Bill Mitchell (Earl's successor). |
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In 1957 a Corvette show car called
the Super Sport debuted at the GM Motorama. The car featured twin racing windscreens and
was dressed with a blue racing stripe over it's white finish. This show car invoked
images of the Sebring racer. |
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Speaking of the Sebring racer, here
is a photo of the 1957 Sebring SS. Zorz Arkus-Duntov convinced GM to produce a racer to
compete with the sports cars racing at Sebring. |
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The XP-700 was a show car made for
Bill Mitchell. The metallic gold painted car was fitted with Dayton wire wheels and
traveled the show circuit. The twin bubble tops were a Harley Earl influence. |
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Not all prototypes were produced for
their styling features. The CERV I (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) was produced
to evaluate engineering components sure as rear suspension configurations and anti-lock
brakes. |
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Another on of Bill Mitchell's
concepts was the Mako Shark I. Released in 1961 it carried over the bubble tops of the
XP-700 model. Mitchell had it painted with a scheme of the shark that hung in his office. |
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In 1963 Duntov tried to convince GM
to return to sports car racing with his Corvette Grand Sport model. GM wasn't convinced
and only five models were produced. |
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In 1965 Mitchell had the Mako Shark
II built. Depending on which model you saw the engines ranged from the Mark IV 427 to the
ZL-1. |
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But Bill Mitchell wasn't the only
person influencing the design of Corvettes. A rear engine model called the XP-819
was designed by Shinoda. |
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In 1968 the Astro-Vette was
touted on the show car circuit. It's sleek aerodynamic design turned a lot of heads. |
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The XP-880 was an update to the
XP-819. It offered the engine mounted amidships. While never intended as a production car
it to traveled the show circuit as the Astro II. |
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The 1969 Manta Ray was a
redesign of the 1969 Mako Shark II. It's design would influence the Corvettes of the
1970s. |
