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Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 9 - 1959 Corvette
1959 was a year of
refinement for the Corvette and toning down from the excesses of 1958. By the
end of the '50s the country was experiencing a minor recession and car sales
weren't very good. It's interesting that the Corvette's sales actually
increased in '59 to 9670 units from 9168 in '58. Very few cars could make that
claim. The Corvette was making money, but not enough for GM. Since Chevrolet
was in full swing on the Corvair project, the changes to the marginally
profitable '59 Corvette were very minimal.
The obvious external changes on the '59 Corvette were the elimination of the
louvered hood and the chrome trim on the trunk lid. More subtle was the
addition of 10 slots on the hub cap to aid brake cooling. Those were the only
external points of difference on the '59. The cleaner look was well received.
The interior received a storage bin under the passenger side grab bar and the
door knob was moved forward for better ergonomics. A common complaint of the
'58 was the almost total lack of side support from the seats. So the '59 had
reshaped seats to help keep the driver's seat planted behind the wheel. The
calibration of the dash instruments was improved, and the gauge lenses were now
concave to eliminate glare and improve readability. For safety reasons, a
T-handle reverse-lockout was added to the 4-speed shifter. Twin sun visors were
also a new option.
Under the body, radius rods were added to the rear axle to partially fix the
Corvette's wheel hop problem. Shock mount points were improved as well as improved
nitrogen-filled shocks. Front and rear springs were stiffened to offset
additional weight. New performance options included 6.70 x 15 nylon blackwall
tires and a simplified off-road braking package. There also was an oversized
24-gallon fuel tank for "long trips." Fewer than 200 oversized tanks
were sold between 1959 and 1962. Under the hood, the full line of 283
cubic-inch carbureted and fuel injected engines were available as they were in
1958.
New ground may not have been broken this year, but the '59 Corvette was still a
very desirable sports car. Motor Trend magazine tested a '59 Corvette against a
356 Porsche and concluded that if a buyer liked the idea of having one of the
world's quickest sports cars, then pick the Corvette. What more can you say?
Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 11 - 1959 Sting Ray Racer
In
December of 1958 when Bill Mitchell was 46, he was head of GM's Styling Staff
and at the top of his career. Bill had always been a car guy and had a passion
for performance, but had never actually raced. With a VP's salary and inside
connections, Bill had a race car built that thrilled thousands and shaped the
Corvette's history.
Due to corporate politics, the 1957 Corvette SS was a fond memory. Mitchell was
able to obtain one of the two SS chassis, the Mule version that had been sorted
out at Sebring in 1957. The chassis would have to be privately raced and would
need a new body so it wouldn't be recognized as a Chevy. Under Mitchell's
direction, stylist Larry Shinoda adapted the Q-Corvette body design by Pete
Brock and Bob Veryzer, to the Corvette SS chassis. Shinoda made the Q-Corvette
a roadster and gave it a teardrop fairing around the rollbar, similar to the
1956 SR-1 Corvette. A short windscreen completed the roadster. When it was
done, it was totally original and drop-dead gorgeous, an instant classic in the
making.
Even though Bill Mitchell officially raced his Sting Ray out of his own pocket,
he had ample resources from within Chevrolet. The main problem with the SS
Racer's chassis was the braking system. This was due to the SS Racer's complex
double-booster setup. Later in the first season, a single Hydrovac power assist
system was installed. Disc brakes were ruled out due to cost.
A disc brake system was ruled out due to cost. Another problem that made racing
particularly challenging was the Sting Ray's aerodynamics. Designers thought
that by making the body flat on the top and rounded on the bottom, they would
create an inverted airfoil, a huge air wing that would push the car down onto
the track. What actually happened was just the opposite. At speed, the 2,154
-pound car would sometimes lift the front wheels off the ground. This was
corrected by raising the back end, thus raking the overall stance. The car 's
top speed was around 155 mph.
Using a fuel injected 283 engine similar to the SS Racer, Mitchell entered the
Sting Ray in SCCA C-Class. During the two seasons, Bill had help from Zora
Arkus-Duntov and Chevrolet mechanics Eddie Zalucki and Dean Bedford. Dick
Thompson and John Fitch bravely handled the driving duties of the Sting Ray.
Mitchell's adventure in racing netted him the SCCA C-Modified Championship in
1960. In 1961 the car reverted to a show car to tease the public as a possible
1963 Corvette. For a time, Mitchell actually drove the car on the street! The
Sting Ray Racer still is seen at events and after 38 years is still drop-dead
gorgeous.
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