427 Corvette vs 427 Cobra November 1965 Road Test E-Booklett
427 Corvette vs 427 Cobra, Chevy vs Ford, the Ultimate ’60s Rivalry! PDF Article Download To read the two road tests from the November 1965...
Tagged: 1963 Z06 Corvette
Z06 Review, Pt. 8 – Dave Matlock’s NCRS Heritage Award 1963 Z06 Tanker Sting Ray
One of 63 “Tanker” 1963 Z06 Corvettes Saved From Oblivion! Dateline: 10.5.22 – This story was first published in the June 2020 issue of Vette...
Z06 Review, Pt. 7 – 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette
The 2004 C5 Corvette Goes Out With a ROAR With the Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette Dateline: 9.18.22 – This story and art were part of...
Z06 Corvette Review, Pt 2 – The ORIGINAL Z06 – the 1963 Z06 Corvette
Corvette racers never had a better friend than Zora Arkus-Duntov. For the most part, Zora was good at sidestepping GM’s “we don’t race” edict. For those who knew what to look for, there were always plenty of “heavy-duty” and “off-road” options for Corvettes. As the new Sting Ray was being prepared for the ’63 launch, Duntov assembled the most advanced Corvette box racer to that date – the Z06.
Z06 Corvette Review, Pt 1 – The 1963 Z06 Racer Kit
The C8 mid-engine Corvette is a arguably the biggest new in the world of Corvettes since the very beginning in 1953. Many of us thought Chevrolet would never offer such a Corvette, but here we are. And thanks to an established pattern of performance track-model Corvettes that started in 2001 when Chevrolet decided to brand the car, “Z06” after the one-year-only 1963 Corvette, subsequent new model Corvettes have offered a Z06 model. Within minutes after the C6, C7, and now C8 Corvettes were debuted, fans second question (after “how much is the new Vette?”) is, “Where’s the Z06?” Yes, we expect it and Chevrolet has not let us down since.
Doug MacDonald’s 2017 Dave MacDonald Grand Sport Tribute Corvette
In late September 1962, 16-year-old Doug MacDonald had such a defining moment. Doug’s big brother was road racing legend and 2014 National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame Inductee, Dave MacDonald. When your brother is eleven years older than you, while you are growing up, your perception is that your sibling is “one of the adults.” In 1960, Dave MacDonald started racing a 1957 Corvette when he was 23 years old and Doug was only 13, so the best Doug could do was hang around on the sidelines, take in as much as he could understand, and do his best to stay out of the way!
Corvette Chassis History Pt. 2: C2/C3 1963-1982
The genius of Duntov’s chassis was how much lower the center of gravity was. Chevrolet engineer Maurice Olley was a production car chassis and suspension expert when he designed the C1 chassis. As a racing expert, Duntov knew he had to get the center of gravity much lower. The C1’s chassis had a parameter frame with x-bracing in the center for rigidity. The car’s occupants sat on top of the frame. Everything measured from there; the cowl height, engine height, and everything else.
Founding Fathers Pt 4 of 6: Corvette Godfather, Zora Arkus-Duntov
One of the definitions of the word, “godfather” is; “one that founds, supports, or inspires”. Of all of the Corvette’s “Founding Fathers” none are more deserving of the term than Zora Arkus-Duntov. It is not an exaggeration to say that were it not for Duntov, the Corvette never would have made it past 1970!
Although the Corvette fit the definition of a “sports car”, when Chevrolet released the car in 1953, they said that the car was, “not a sports car”. But when Zora saw the Corvette at the 1953 GM Motorama in New York City, he said that it was the most beautiful car he had ever seen, and knew instantly that he wanted to be a part of the new Corvette team.
Z06 History Pt. 2 – The C5 Z06 Arrives!
For its day, the Z06 was a runner, so let’s just right to the performance numbers. With a power-to-weight ratio of 8.09:1, the Z06 could clock 0-to-60 mph in just 4.0-seconds and the quarter-mile in 12.0-seconds at 114-mph. Top speed was just over 170-mph! This was Dreamland in 2001! The best part was that this kind of performance could be ordered from your local Chevy dealer for about the same cost as the Corvette roadster. Gas mileage for this beast was astonishing. So long as you weren’t hot-dogging around, the Z06 could get 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.
Z06 Corvette History, Pt 1 – The 1963 Z06 Racer Kit
Corvette racers never had a better friend than Zora Arkus-Duntov. After the heavy lifting was completed and the new Sting Ray’s design was basically finished, Duntov and his team set out to create their Racer Kit for the new car. It is not known exactly how the moniker “Z06” was chosen, perhaps by chance, but it sure sounded sexy and no one knew that almost 40 years later there would be a separate performance model with the heart and soul of the Racer Kit, wearing a Z06 badge.
Ken Hazelton’s 1963 Split-Window Coupe Corvette Racecar
Ken Hazelton’s Sting Ray shows that not everyone raced Z06 and Fuelie Corvettes. When Ken bought the car in 1991, it was pretty much in its original racing configuration. The car was raced occasionally and never abused or wrecked. Frame was excellent, body was great except for a damaged nose. It looked like a jigsaw puzzle that someone put back together and not very well. Ken replaced the nose, mid tire forward with an original style nose. The 327 small-block with a Holly carburetor was not the original motor, but similar to what it came with from the factory. It had a 1965 drivetrain with a M22 transmission, and a heavy-duty rear with 3.55 gears. The car came with a 3.70 rear that Ken used until it broke, then replaced it with a 3:90, and eventually a 3.55 gear-set.
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.
BRAVISSIMO! C7 Z06 – NEW Z06 Tribute Art Print
As a salute the success and rave reviews of the new C7 Z06, my new prints show the original, 1963 Z06, the C5 2001 Z06, the C6 2006 Z06, and the C7 2015 Z06, available in three unique graphic treatments – Brushed Metal, Diazo Blueprint Paper, and Kraft Paper!
Corvette Legends – The Great, Dave MacDonald – Part 1
Could there have been a more exciting time and place to be into cars than Southern California in the 1950s? Probably not. It was postwar America, California only had about 1/3 its current population, Rock’n Roll was in its infancy, and the car culture was revving up. El Monte was just a semi-rural community in Los Angeles County, the perfect place for young Dave MacDonald and legions of other guys to pour their hearts and souls into cars. What’a time!
Life was extraordinary for the young family. Dave was one of the young lions or racing, yet he remained soft spoken and down to earth. Once, Sherry’s boss asked her if Dave would be willing to speak at a church function about auto racing. Afterwards her boss told Sherry that everyone was quite taken with this slight built, soft spoken, articulate young man who confidently answered all of their questions. Perhaps they were expecting a ham-fisted, daredevil type. Instead, they got family man and devoted husband, Dave MacDonald.
