Zora Arkus-Duntov was greatly influenced by the Auto Union and Mercedes race cars of the pre and post WW II era of racing. AWD was often part of the advanced engineering of the world’s best racecars, so it was no surprise that Duntov wanted AWD in his Corvette prototype to race at Le Mans. “Getting there” in a company that makes consumer cars would be a challenge, so Zora was limited to the parts bin. Duntov built his AWD racer using a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission with a modified 11-inch torque converter for the rear wheels, and a Corvair Powerglide transmission with a modified 10-inch torque converter just ahead of the front wheel centerline. There are many ways of driving four wheels in an automobile, but this was so unique that on November 19, 1968 Duntov was awarded U.S. Patient #3,411,601 for the design. Read More
Search Results for: Cunningham
What’a STEAL! 1991 Callaway ZR-1 Corvette Sells for $28,000!
In 1991 the ZR-1 was the “Corvette to die for!” Everything was SO exotic, it’s too bad Chevrolet played it outrageously safe with the body styling that looks almost exactly like a regular Corvette. On well, ZR-1s are still beauties and the only way it could get better was to have Callaway Engineering do their thing on top of what was already Corvette’s flagship model. Read More
Corvette Prototypes and Concepts – Trend Setting: Part 6
Corvette Restoration Expert Kevin Mackay’s Favorite Vettes
Corvette Restoration Expert Kevin Mackay Interviewed by Corvette Historian Scott Teeters Read More
Corvette Racing Legend John Fitch Is Just Fine
The John & Burt Greenwood BF Goodrich Trifecta at Corvette Repair
Here’s a sweet little bench racing, Corvette day dream for ya! Imagine if you have a Corvette restoration shop and you had ALL THREE Greenwood BF Goodrich Corvette race cars in for restoration work. Yes, I know – open headered, old-school, hard-ass Corvette racing machines. Could you stand it? Well, Kevin Mackay and the Corvette Repair team could and it was no bench racing fantasy. (Check out the slide show at the bottom of this post.) Read More
Corvette Timeline Tales: Happy 94th Birthday, John Fitch!
John Fitch was already a hot shoe when Zora Arkus-Duntov hired him to drive one of the three specially prepared ‘56 265-CID Corvettes for a speed record run on the sands of Daytona Beach, Florida in January 1956. Were it not for those exciting early racing experiences, the tone and attitude of the Corvette would have been closer to a passenger car rather than a scrapper race car.And John Fitch was part of the first wave of Corvette drivers. Read More
Corvette Odd-Ball: SHOCKING! Naked C1 Fuelie Corvette!
What you are looking at here is essentially a mid-50s Chevy sedan frame and suspension, taken to its limits. This was the basic platform that was in Briggs Cunningham’s Le Mans class-winning 1960 Corvette. Read More
