16.02.2002, 21:42
....Fortsetzung....
1956
January 1
The 1956 Corvette makes its debut at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for the Motorama show.
January 11
The 1956 model Corvette is officially announced.
January
On the beach at Daytona, Zora Arkus-Duntov sets a new Flying Mile record, with a two-way average of 150.583 MPH in a modified 240-hp V8-powered Corvette. A new Standing Mile record is set, at 89.363 MPH. (February) (255hp)
John Fitch drives a Corvette SR (Sports Racing) at Daytona Speed Week, setting a production-car record of 145 MPH. (Sebring Racer)
(month unknown)
The Corvette heater is changed, taking air from the outside instead of recirculating cabin air.
The shift knob is changed from white plastic to chrome-plated steel.
February 18
A Corvette racing team from Chevrolet arrives at Sebring, Florida, and begins preparations for a 12-hour race on March 24.
In Daytona, Florida, the Daytons Speed Weeks races are held. Chevrolet enters three Corvettes driven by Betty Skelton, John Fitch, and Zora Arkus-Duntov. The set numerous speed ans acceleration records. John Fitch sets a new Flying Mile record of 145.543-MPH in a stock 1956 Corvette.
(month unknown)
Several options are made mandatory purchases: Parking Brake Alarm, Courtesy Lights, Windshield Washers, and Power Top.
March 24
In Sebring, Florida, the Florida International 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance race is held. Raceway Enterprises of Dundee, Illinois, enters four 1956 Corvettes prepared for racing by Chevrolet. Car No. 1, with 307-ci engine, driven by John ch and Walt Hansgen, runs in SCCA class C/Modified, and finishes the race, winning first in its class, and ninth overall. Car No. 5, with 265-ci engine, high performance Duntov cam and 4.11-to-1 final drive, and driven by Dale Duncan and John Eager, runs in class B/Production, but breaks an axle shaft 20 minutes into the race. Car No. 6, with 265-ci engine, 3.70-to-1 final drive, driven by Ray Crawford and Max Goldman, runs in class B/Production, and finishes 6th in class and 15th overall. Car No. 7, with 265-ci engine, 4.11-to-1 final drive, driven by Ernie Erickson and Chuck Hassan, runs in class B/Production, but blows a piston about 1:20 hours into the race.
April
The following mandatory options are made optional: parking brake alarm, courtesy lights, windshield washer, hydraulic folding top mechanism.
Dr. Dick Thompson begins racing a factory-supplied Corvette in SCCA C-Production class.
At an SCCA race at Pebble Beach, Dr. Richard Thompson races a modified Corvette to second place, behind a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
While driving a hardtop Corvette at General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds, Zora Arkus-Duntov loses control, smashes the car, and breaks a vertebra in his back. (April 1957)
May
Jerry Earl's stock 1956 Corvette is delivered to Chevrolet's Research and Development Center, to be modified into a racer, with components and modifications developed by John Fitch and others racing at Sebring.
Zora Arkus-Duntov builds the Corvette SR-2 Sebring racer.
A manual top with hydraulic assist is made available as an option on the 1956 Corvette.
(month unknown)
Bill Mitchell orders a second Corvette SR-2 built for his own use.
General Motors President Harlow Curtice orders a third Corvette SR-2 for himself. This SR-2 is a stock 1956 Corvette, with the SR-2 nose and a center-mounted fin on the trunk.
June
Zora Arkus-Duntov returns to work.
The Chevrolet R&D Center completes the transformation of Jerry Earl's 1956 Corvette into a racer. It is designated "SR-2", for "Sebring Racer".
Jerry Earl and Dick Thompson debut Earl's Corvette SR-2 in racing, at the Road America raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
(month unknown)
Jerry Earl takes his Corvette SR-2 back to the Chevrolet R&D Center, asking for modifications recommended by Dick Thompson, and the specifications of the second SR-2 under construction.
Zora Arkus-Duntov is named special design and development engineer at Chevrolet.
July
Ed Cole replaces Thomas Keating as general manager of Chevrolet. Cole is also named vice president of General Motors.
Richard Thompson races a production Corvette to first place in C class - Production, in the Seattle Seafair race, the first SCCA National title for the Corvette.
Work begins on Project XP-64, a sports/racer built for the upcoming race in Sebring. The car is named the Corvette SS (Super Spyder), or Sebring SS. A clay model of Zora's design is made, and shown to management.
October
The first 1957 production Corvette rolls off the assembly line.
Zora Arkus-Duntov is given authorization and staff to construct four sports/racer test cars, the XP-64.
November
Chevrolet builds two 1957 hardtop Corvettes for racing, with special and prototype parts. They feature fuel injected 283-ci 283-hp engines, and 4-speed manual transmissions.
December 7
The two race-prepared 1957 Corvettes are entered in the Nassau Trophy Races.
(month unknown)
At the Nassau races in the Bahamas, Jerry Earl enters his Corvette SR-2, raced by Curtis Turner. The car wins a preliminary race, but then goes off track, ending its racing.
Zora Arkus-Duntov begins testing the XP-64, the Corvette SS.
1957
January
Vented gas tanks are used in new production Corvettes.
February
At New Smyma Beach, Florida, a car race is held. Chevrolet enters a 1957 race-prepared Corvette, driven by Paul Goldsmith, who finishes fourth.
(month unknown)
The 310-hp Corvette SR-2 is entered at Speed Weeks at Daytona Beach. The car wins the standing mile run in modified class, with an average speed of 93.047 mph.
March 21
The XP-64, now called the Corvette SS, is officially released.
March 23
Chevrolet enters four Corvettes in the 12 Hours of Sebring race in Florida. Dick Thompson and Gaston Andrey in the No. 4 1957 Corvette finish first in GT Production class, 12th overall. Dale Duncan, John Kilborn, and Jim Jeffords in the No. 3 1957 Corvette finish second in GT Production class, 15th overall. Their class finish is 20 laps ahead of the third place Mercedes. The Corvette SR-2 wins Modified Production class, 16th overall. The Corvette SS (Super Sport), driven by John Fitch and Juan Fangio, runs only 120 miles before being retired on lap 23 due to erratic brakes and faulty rear suspension. Twelfth place is the best showing to date for a car in GT class at Sebring.
April
The Corvette Owners Club of San Diego is founded.
RPO 479E "Air Box" ram-air induction is introduced for 1957 Corvettes.
Production of 4-speed 1957 model Corvettes begins.
May 1
A fully-synchronized four-speed transmission is first made available on the 1957 model Corvette, as a US$188.30 option. (April 9)
May
RPO 684 is added to the 1957 model options, offering stiffer springs, bigger shocks, fatter front anti-roll bar, faster-ratio steering, bigger brakes, and a limited-slip differential.
RPO 685 Borg Warner 4-speed manual tranmission is introduced for 1957 Corvettes.
The Northern California Corvette Association is incorporated, with 47 members. It is the first Corvette club in The United States.
June 4
The Automobile Manufacturer's Association passes a resolution recommending that member companies (including General Motors) not participate in auto racing. (April)
June 7
The decision of the Automobile Manufacturer's Association to ban race involvement is announced.
(month unknown)
Late in the 1957 production year, Chevrolet adds RPO 685, a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission.
The Corvette Club of Colorado is formed.
Richard Thompson wins SCCA Class B Production title.
J.E. Rose, racing a Corvette, takes SCCA Class B Sports racing title.
General Motors donates the Corvette SS to the Indianapolis Speedway Museum.
Zora Arkus-Duntov is named director of high-performance vehicles. Zora Arkus-Duntov officially becomes chief of the Corvette production.
Chevrolet begins producing the Corvette News magazine, published quarterly.
July 9
General Motors' circular emblem with "CHEVROLET" at top, "Corvette" at bottom, and flags in center is registered as a trademark.
September
Production of 1957 model Corvettes ends.
October
The first 1958 production Corvette rolls off the assembly line.
(month unknown)
Jerry Earl sells his Corvette SR-2 to Jim Jeffords, part of the Nicky Chevrolet racing team in Chicago.
1958
(month unknown)
Larry Shinoda joins Bill Mitchell's Studio X, to finish design work on the Sting Ray racer.
March
Two Corvettes are entered in the Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance, with one finishing first in GT class.
(month unknown)
A Corvette finishes first in class at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
July
Bill Mitchell assembles the XP-700, a highly modified Corvette with a long oval nose, and twin-bubble plastic roof. The rear design is later adopted for the 1961 model.
August
Production of 1958 model Corvettes ends.
Sales of the 1958 model reach 9168, enough to turn a profit for the Corvette for the first time.
September
Production of 1959 model Corvettes begins.
(month unknown)
Jim Jeffords in his Corvette SR-2 Purple People Eater wins SCCA B/Production championship.
(1958 Corvette) (Purple People Eater Mk II)
December 1
Harley Earl retires from General Motors.
Bill Mitchell becomes General Motors' chief stylist.
(month unknown)
Bill Mitchell buys the Corvette SS "Mule" from Ed Cole for US$1, to use it as a test car for a styling study. It becomes the Sting Ray racer.
December
Bill Mitchell begins work on the Q-Car, or Q-Corvette, with a rear-mounted transaxle and fully independent suspension. Zora Arkus-Duntov, in a Corvette SS, hits 183 MPH on the General Motors Proving Grounds in Phoenix, Arizona.
& that was it...
1956
January 1
The 1956 Corvette makes its debut at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for the Motorama show.
January 11
The 1956 model Corvette is officially announced.
January
On the beach at Daytona, Zora Arkus-Duntov sets a new Flying Mile record, with a two-way average of 150.583 MPH in a modified 240-hp V8-powered Corvette. A new Standing Mile record is set, at 89.363 MPH. (February) (255hp)
John Fitch drives a Corvette SR (Sports Racing) at Daytona Speed Week, setting a production-car record of 145 MPH. (Sebring Racer)
(month unknown)
The Corvette heater is changed, taking air from the outside instead of recirculating cabin air.
The shift knob is changed from white plastic to chrome-plated steel.
February 18
A Corvette racing team from Chevrolet arrives at Sebring, Florida, and begins preparations for a 12-hour race on March 24.
In Daytona, Florida, the Daytons Speed Weeks races are held. Chevrolet enters three Corvettes driven by Betty Skelton, John Fitch, and Zora Arkus-Duntov. The set numerous speed ans acceleration records. John Fitch sets a new Flying Mile record of 145.543-MPH in a stock 1956 Corvette.
(month unknown)
Several options are made mandatory purchases: Parking Brake Alarm, Courtesy Lights, Windshield Washers, and Power Top.
March 24
In Sebring, Florida, the Florida International 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance race is held. Raceway Enterprises of Dundee, Illinois, enters four 1956 Corvettes prepared for racing by Chevrolet. Car No. 1, with 307-ci engine, driven by John ch and Walt Hansgen, runs in SCCA class C/Modified, and finishes the race, winning first in its class, and ninth overall. Car No. 5, with 265-ci engine, high performance Duntov cam and 4.11-to-1 final drive, and driven by Dale Duncan and John Eager, runs in class B/Production, but breaks an axle shaft 20 minutes into the race. Car No. 6, with 265-ci engine, 3.70-to-1 final drive, driven by Ray Crawford and Max Goldman, runs in class B/Production, and finishes 6th in class and 15th overall. Car No. 7, with 265-ci engine, 4.11-to-1 final drive, driven by Ernie Erickson and Chuck Hassan, runs in class B/Production, but blows a piston about 1:20 hours into the race.
April
The following mandatory options are made optional: parking brake alarm, courtesy lights, windshield washer, hydraulic folding top mechanism.
Dr. Dick Thompson begins racing a factory-supplied Corvette in SCCA C-Production class.
At an SCCA race at Pebble Beach, Dr. Richard Thompson races a modified Corvette to second place, behind a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
While driving a hardtop Corvette at General Motors' Milford Proving Grounds, Zora Arkus-Duntov loses control, smashes the car, and breaks a vertebra in his back. (April 1957)
May
Jerry Earl's stock 1956 Corvette is delivered to Chevrolet's Research and Development Center, to be modified into a racer, with components and modifications developed by John Fitch and others racing at Sebring.
Zora Arkus-Duntov builds the Corvette SR-2 Sebring racer.
A manual top with hydraulic assist is made available as an option on the 1956 Corvette.
(month unknown)
Bill Mitchell orders a second Corvette SR-2 built for his own use.
General Motors President Harlow Curtice orders a third Corvette SR-2 for himself. This SR-2 is a stock 1956 Corvette, with the SR-2 nose and a center-mounted fin on the trunk.
June
Zora Arkus-Duntov returns to work.
The Chevrolet R&D Center completes the transformation of Jerry Earl's 1956 Corvette into a racer. It is designated "SR-2", for "Sebring Racer".
Jerry Earl and Dick Thompson debut Earl's Corvette SR-2 in racing, at the Road America raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
(month unknown)
Jerry Earl takes his Corvette SR-2 back to the Chevrolet R&D Center, asking for modifications recommended by Dick Thompson, and the specifications of the second SR-2 under construction.
Zora Arkus-Duntov is named special design and development engineer at Chevrolet.
July
Ed Cole replaces Thomas Keating as general manager of Chevrolet. Cole is also named vice president of General Motors.
Richard Thompson races a production Corvette to first place in C class - Production, in the Seattle Seafair race, the first SCCA National title for the Corvette.
Work begins on Project XP-64, a sports/racer built for the upcoming race in Sebring. The car is named the Corvette SS (Super Spyder), or Sebring SS. A clay model of Zora's design is made, and shown to management.
October
The first 1957 production Corvette rolls off the assembly line.
Zora Arkus-Duntov is given authorization and staff to construct four sports/racer test cars, the XP-64.
November
Chevrolet builds two 1957 hardtop Corvettes for racing, with special and prototype parts. They feature fuel injected 283-ci 283-hp engines, and 4-speed manual transmissions.
December 7
The two race-prepared 1957 Corvettes are entered in the Nassau Trophy Races.
(month unknown)
At the Nassau races in the Bahamas, Jerry Earl enters his Corvette SR-2, raced by Curtis Turner. The car wins a preliminary race, but then goes off track, ending its racing.
Zora Arkus-Duntov begins testing the XP-64, the Corvette SS.
1957
January
Vented gas tanks are used in new production Corvettes.
February
At New Smyma Beach, Florida, a car race is held. Chevrolet enters a 1957 race-prepared Corvette, driven by Paul Goldsmith, who finishes fourth.
(month unknown)
The 310-hp Corvette SR-2 is entered at Speed Weeks at Daytona Beach. The car wins the standing mile run in modified class, with an average speed of 93.047 mph.
March 21
The XP-64, now called the Corvette SS, is officially released.
March 23
Chevrolet enters four Corvettes in the 12 Hours of Sebring race in Florida. Dick Thompson and Gaston Andrey in the No. 4 1957 Corvette finish first in GT Production class, 12th overall. Dale Duncan, John Kilborn, and Jim Jeffords in the No. 3 1957 Corvette finish second in GT Production class, 15th overall. Their class finish is 20 laps ahead of the third place Mercedes. The Corvette SR-2 wins Modified Production class, 16th overall. The Corvette SS (Super Sport), driven by John Fitch and Juan Fangio, runs only 120 miles before being retired on lap 23 due to erratic brakes and faulty rear suspension. Twelfth place is the best showing to date for a car in GT class at Sebring.
April
The Corvette Owners Club of San Diego is founded.
RPO 479E "Air Box" ram-air induction is introduced for 1957 Corvettes.
Production of 4-speed 1957 model Corvettes begins.
May 1
A fully-synchronized four-speed transmission is first made available on the 1957 model Corvette, as a US$188.30 option. (April 9)
May
RPO 684 is added to the 1957 model options, offering stiffer springs, bigger shocks, fatter front anti-roll bar, faster-ratio steering, bigger brakes, and a limited-slip differential.
RPO 685 Borg Warner 4-speed manual tranmission is introduced for 1957 Corvettes.
The Northern California Corvette Association is incorporated, with 47 members. It is the first Corvette club in The United States.
June 4
The Automobile Manufacturer's Association passes a resolution recommending that member companies (including General Motors) not participate in auto racing. (April)
June 7
The decision of the Automobile Manufacturer's Association to ban race involvement is announced.
(month unknown)
Late in the 1957 production year, Chevrolet adds RPO 685, a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission.
The Corvette Club of Colorado is formed.
Richard Thompson wins SCCA Class B Production title.
J.E. Rose, racing a Corvette, takes SCCA Class B Sports racing title.
General Motors donates the Corvette SS to the Indianapolis Speedway Museum.
Zora Arkus-Duntov is named director of high-performance vehicles. Zora Arkus-Duntov officially becomes chief of the Corvette production.
Chevrolet begins producing the Corvette News magazine, published quarterly.
July 9
General Motors' circular emblem with "CHEVROLET" at top, "Corvette" at bottom, and flags in center is registered as a trademark.
September
Production of 1957 model Corvettes ends.
October
The first 1958 production Corvette rolls off the assembly line.
(month unknown)
Jerry Earl sells his Corvette SR-2 to Jim Jeffords, part of the Nicky Chevrolet racing team in Chicago.
1958
(month unknown)
Larry Shinoda joins Bill Mitchell's Studio X, to finish design work on the Sting Ray racer.
March
Two Corvettes are entered in the Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance, with one finishing first in GT class.
(month unknown)
A Corvette finishes first in class at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
July
Bill Mitchell assembles the XP-700, a highly modified Corvette with a long oval nose, and twin-bubble plastic roof. The rear design is later adopted for the 1961 model.
August
Production of 1958 model Corvettes ends.
Sales of the 1958 model reach 9168, enough to turn a profit for the Corvette for the first time.
September
Production of 1959 model Corvettes begins.
(month unknown)
Jim Jeffords in his Corvette SR-2 Purple People Eater wins SCCA B/Production championship.
(1958 Corvette) (Purple People Eater Mk II)
December 1
Harley Earl retires from General Motors.
Bill Mitchell becomes General Motors' chief stylist.
(month unknown)
Bill Mitchell buys the Corvette SS "Mule" from Ed Cole for US$1, to use it as a test car for a styling study. It becomes the Sting Ray racer.
December
Bill Mitchell begins work on the Q-Car, or Q-Corvette, with a rear-mounted transaxle and fully independent suspension. Zora Arkus-Duntov, in a Corvette SS, hits 183 MPH on the General Motors Proving Grounds in Phoenix, Arizona.
& that was it...