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Here's
the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 4 1956 Corvette
This
time they got it
right and everyone noticed! The 1956 Corvette was truly a pivotal
model. At
Chevrolet, every car has to pay its way or die. The 1955 Corvette hit
an
all-time low sales volume of only 674 units. Although not "big"
numbers by GM standards, Chevrolet sold 3467 Corvettes in 1956, enough
to buy a
future for the fiberglass car that many wanted to see die!
Writer Karl Ludvigsen from Sportscar Illustrated made the statement
that would
forever be the Corvette credo: "The only true American production
sports
car." What turned the tide was the fact that the Corvette now had the
performance to back up its great looks.
All of the '50s comforts were there: roll-up windows, bucket seats, and
a
quality AM radio. By far, the best part was under the hood. The 265 V8
came in
two versions. The base engine, single four-barrel was rated at 210 hp,
and the
optional dual four-barrel engine was rated at 255 hp. The optional
version had
high compression 9.25:1 pistons, a special camshaft, and a cast
aluminum intake
manifold. With the close ratio 3-speed manual transmission, the '56
Corvette
would go 0-60 mph in just 7.3 seconds. Quarter-mile times were 15.9
seconds at
91 mph. Gas mileage averaged 12 miles per gallon. With the right stuff
in the
'56 Vette and "more" planned for '57, Zora Arkus-Duntov set out to
prove the Corvette on the track.
At the 1956 Daytona Speed Week, the car made an impressive two-way run
of
150.583 mph, with Zora himself at the wheel! With John Fitch driving
during
competition, a Corvette was fastest in the Modified class with an
average of
145.54 mph. Even Carroll Shelby was quoted as saying, "Racing was the
thing that actually saved the Corvette." At the Sebring 12 Hour race,
Corvettes placed ninth overall and first in-class. From here on, racing
would
for- ever define the Corvette.
With the limitations of the previous GM Motorama car in the past, even
Road
& Track blessed the '56 Corvette by saying, "The new Corvette
is as
good to excellent compared to other dual purpose sports cars." Little
did
they know that things would get even better in '57!
Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 6 1956 SR-2 Racing Corvette
It
was as if the Gods of
Fortune had smiled upon the Corvette! The 1956 Corvette was so well
received
that GM executives felt comfortable enough to indulge themselves with
special
"racer" versions of their new darling. Thus, the SR-2 was born.
"SR" had several meanings: "Special Racing," "Sports
Racing" or "Sebring Racer." These terms referred to the '56
Sebring effort that got so much attention. Three SR-2 Corvettes were
built.
The first SR-1 was built for then president of GM, Harlow Curtice. This
was a
styling exercise over a 265, 3-speed Corvette off the assembly line.
The car
was never intended to be a real racer. Its distinguishing feature was
the
symmetrical low fin in the middle of its decklid. The extra trim made
it look
more like a showcar than a race car.
The second SR-2 was built for GM vice president Harley Earl's son
Jerry! But
this SR-2 had real teeth. Under the hood was a 265 with a 3-speed
manual
gearbox. The running gear and chassis featured quick ratio steering,
stiff
springs and shocks, a limited slip rear, oversized brakes with cooling
scoops
and Halibrand knock-off wheels on racing tires. Dual exhausts exited
just in
front of the rear wheels.
The interior had extra instruments, power windows and stock seats.
There also
was a fire extinguisher, a wood-trimmed steering wheel and a radio! The
body of
the SR-2 had some interesting changes. The nose had been extended and
louvers
were added to the hood. The side coves had functioning scoops to cool
the
brakes. Two short windscreens replaced the stock windshield. Centered
on the
trunklid was a short single fin. This was later replaced with the tall
"Mitchell-style" high fin and roll bar.
Bill
Mitchell, GM chief of
styling, had the third SR-2 built. Although the second and third cars
look the
same other than the fin, the Mitchell car is three inches wider! The
car was
also made lighter by removing nearly all frills and using racing bucket
seats.
On the race track, Earl's SR-2 was the most successful of the three.
While
sponsored by Nickey Chevrolet, the SR-2 won the SCCA B-Production
national
title in 1958. Happily, all three SR-2 Corvettes have been fully
restored and
are accounted for.
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