Category: Corvette People

George Barris’ Out of This World – Asteroid 1963 Corvette Sting Ray

C2 Corvettes / Corvette People

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George Barris’ Out of This World – Asteroid 1963 Corvette Sting Ray

What’s not known is if the finished Asteroid was what Nordskog had in mind, or if he handed the new Corvette over to Barris and said, “Customize my Vette.” Custom cars tend to polarize opinions – people love them, or hate them. But from the perspective of 1963, the Asteroid was a hit. Bob Nordskog’s custom/drag Vette won Top Award at the 1963 Long Beach Motorama and the Mickey Thompson Auto Boat Speed Show. There were a few unique factors at work here. First, the Sting Ray was not just new; it looked like nothing else on the road. It was the look of “the future” in 1963. Second, the auto sport of drag racing was really beginning to gain popularity. The beach rock’n rollers, Jan & Dean used a photo of the Asteroid on the back cover of their 1963 album, “Drag City.”

Allan “Bunky” Garonzik’s 56-Year Affair with His 1956 Corvette

C1 Corvettes / Corvette News & Opinions / Corvette People

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Allan “Bunky” Garonzik’s 56-Year Affair with His 1956 Corvette

In 1961 Allan “Bunky” Garonzik was what used to be called a “Go Getter!” Then one day, he saw it – a 1956 265 Corvette “For Sale”! The price; a whopping $765! That’s just $6,232 in 2017 dollars, but heck, Corvettes were WAY simpler back then. He drove the car home and swapped out the Corvette’s 265 engine for his ’55 Chevy’s 283. After all, new Corvettes in 1961 had the 283 engine, so why keep the 283 in a ’55 Chevy sedan when it belonged under the hood of his Vette? Then, to complete the first chapter of his life with his 1956 Corvette, Bunky sold the ’55 Chevy with the 265 for $500. So after a weekend’s worth of work, he was into a 1956, 283 Corvette for only $265!

Corvette Timeline Tales: Sept 2, 1994 – The National Corvette Museum Officially Opens

Corvette History / Corvette People / Corvette Timeline Tales

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Corvette Timeline Tales: Sept 2, 1994 – The National Corvette Museum Officially Opens

On June 5, 1992, with Duntov wearing his yellow polo helmet and behind the controls of a bulldozer wearing a large cardboard cutout of a Corvette on the sides, construction was started. Zora said, “Piece of cake!” Two years, 2 months and 28 days later, The National Corvette Museum officially opened and the Corvette’s godfather, Zora Arkus-Duntov was there. The four-day event attracted over 120,000 fans and over 5,000 Corvettes from all over the nation!

Corvette Timeline Tales: August 31, 1992 the 2nd Corvette Chief Engineer, Dave McLellan retires

C4 Corvettes / C4 ZR-1 Corvettes / Chevrolet Timeline Tales / Corvette History / Corvette People

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Corvette Timeline Tales: August 31, 1992 the 2nd Corvette Chief Engineer, Dave McLellan retires

General Motors had a mandatory, “retirement at 65” policy, so as Corvette Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov was nearing retirement in January 1975 the big question was who would be chosen to fill Zora’s big shoes. Duntov was not consulted about his replacement and McLellan would not have been his choice, but Dave was definitely the man for the job. McLellan was an Alfred P. Slone Fellow with a degree in engineering and management. The ‘70s was not a fun time and there were serious issues to be dealt with besides horsepower, racing, and mid-engine designs. There were emissions and quality control issues, as well as the implantation of a new assembly plant and an all-new Corvette to be designed and developed.

C2 Corvettes / Corvette History / Corvette News & Opinions / Corvette People / Corvette Racers / Corvette Racing Videos / Vette Videos / Videos - Racing Corvettes

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First-Ever 1963 Z06 Corvette Stingray – Dave MacDonald Picks Up, Then Races Z06 #684 At Riverside

The original Z06 was Duntov’s “racer kit” for the then-new 1963 Sting Ray. Unlike modern Z06s, there was no flash to the first Z06, it was strictly hardware designed for the racetrack – no badges, special body panels, or designations at all! But considering the official “we don’t race” policy of GM, 199 1963 Fuel Injected Corvettes with heavy-duty brakes and suspension, wasn’t anything in GM’s big picture. But, if you wanted to race your Corvette in ’63, it was everything, and Duntov made sure you got what you needed.

Racers handpicked to campaign the new Z06s included: Dave MacDonald (the Don Steves Chevrolet car), Jerry Grant, Bob Bondurant, and Mickey Thompson. The goal was for the four Corvettes to race in the October 13, 1962, L.A. Times Grand Prix at Riverside. Getting the Z06-equipped Corvettes built, delivered, and prepped for the race was going to be tight. To expedite matters, Duntov arranged to have Dave and Sherry MacDonald, Jerry Grant, and Bob Bondurant flown to St. Louis to pick up their Z06 Corvettes. The MacDonalds and Bondurant drove back to California and Grant to Washington to prep their cars for the October 13 race.

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