Bill Mitchell launches a purpose-built 1956 Corvette race car

As Director of Styling under Harley Earl and the appointed heir to the Earl throne, Bill Mitchell enjoyed some sweet perks – one being that he could have custom cars built by the Chevrolet styling department. Harley Earl’s son, Jerry caused some upper management concern when it was discovered that he was racing a Jaguar. Management felt Master Jerry should at least be racing a GM car, preferably a Corvette – thus the SR-2 was created. The car was a little heavy, but looked cool with its extended nose, fairing cones over the headlights, Halibrand racing wheels, door scoops, twin windshields and a short fin off the rear deck.

Mitchell liked what he saw, but took his a few steps farther by adding a fairing behind the driver with a tall fin attached. Mitchell’s SR-2 went through several incarnations. One version of the car, setup by Smokey Yunick for the 1957 Daytona Speed Week, the SR-2 was sans the side door scoops, had a single windscreen with a jet-fighter-like closed canopy, flat disc wheel covers, semi-enclosed rear wheels, a bored out to 336-cid Fuelie engine and dragster zoomy headers. With Buck Baker at the wheel, the 2,000-pound SR-2 set a class record of 152-mph.

The car was also raced at Nassau, Sebring, and Daytona, and was scheduled to race at Le Mans. This was before GM’s president; Harlow Curtice proposed at the February board meeting of the Automobile Manufacturers Association, that factory-supported racing be banned, so as to prevent the government from regulating the automobile industry. – Scott