|
Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 32 - 1969 Corvette
"Getting Its Act Together"
After all the brouhaha over
the new Corvette's Mako Shark styling, reality set in and the magazine
testers and customers figured out that the 1968 model wasn't really
done. Quality, fit, and finish were a major concerns. There was a lot
that wasn't right - so much so that the 1968 Corvette never enjoyed the
same status as the first 1963 Sting Ray.
Designers
knew that the '68 Corvette was a transition model. Much of what they'd
hoped to have on the '68 car made it into the '69 car. The Stingray
name was back, however, instead of being a two word name, it was now
just, "Stingray." Visually the Stingray had minor changes. The most
obvious one was the "Stingray" script lettering over the front fender
vents. The front grille was completely blacked out and the tailights
had integrated backup lights. The door handles were flush mounted and
operated by squeezing down. The Rally Wheels didn't look much
different, but now measured 8 inches in width. Perhaps the hottest
option was the off-road exhaust pipes. These were the same pipes that
were available in '67, but with beautifully styled covers that fit the
coke-bottle shape of the rocker panel perfectly.
The
small-block engines grew from 327 cubic inches to 350, but power
ratings remained the same. The 427 engines were unchanged for 1969
except for the $3,000, optional, all-aluminum 427 ZL-1. Transmissions
and suspension options weren't changed, either.
The
interior saw new door panels for additional shoulder room and a small-
diameter steering wheel, since most Stingrays had power steering. The
dash now had map pockets and the seats had built-in headrests. The
console area had a few new warning lights and there was a plate
indicating which of the five engines was under the hood. An alarm
systems was a new option for '69.
The
changes were mostly well received. One magazine described the
small-blocks as "marginally fast and very civilized, while the
big-blocks were marginally civilized and very fast." The Stingray was
still criticized for having a "harsh" suspension. Duntov explained that
it was tuned for speeds between 80 and 120 mph. He didn't want to,
"penalize the man who's going to drive fast." Wise words from the
Godfather.
Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 33 - 1969 ZL-1 Corvette
"The $10,000 Mega-Buck Corvette"
Imagine having a new Corvette
with more power than a big-block, and the weight of a small-block. That
was the basic idea behind the all-aluminum, 427 ZL-1 Corvette. The idea
of an all-aluminum engined Corvette was first outlined in 1957 as the
"Q-Corvette." What finally emerged was more than anyone ever expected.
While
everyone loved the 427's power, Duntov was not happy to have 51% of the
Corvette's weight over the front wheels. Some calculating showed that
if the engine was completely made of aluminum, the weight would be
close to a small-block. So it was decided to go-for-broke and make the
ZL-1 a monster.
Duntov
started with a "stock" L88 and added an aluminum block that was fitted
for a dry-sump oil system, larger main bearing bulkheads, extra
cylinder head bolts, 12:1 compression pistons, a new camshaft, and
open-chamber aluminum heads. Cast-iron sleeves were installed in the
piston bores to solve the wear problem with the aluminum block. With a
set of headers, the ZL-1 made over 585 horsepower at 6,600 rpm! Since
the L88 was already void of unnecessary street hardware, the ZL-1
optioned Corvette weighed in at only 2,908 pounds, about the weight of
a 1957 Vette.
The big
hitch for the ZL-1 was its price. The ZL-1 option alone cost $3,000 on
top of the L88 option. That made the ZL-1 cost over $10,000 in 1969!
That was almost twice the cost of a normal 427 street Corvette.
Only two
ZL-1 Corvettes were ever made, making them the rarest Corvettes ever.
Performance was amazing: 12.1 quarter mile time and 180 mph top speed.
This was really Chevrolet's all-out racing Corvette!
Here's the story:
lIlustrated Corvette Series No. 34 - Zora Arkus-Duntov's 1969 ZL-1
Corvette
Being
Chief of Engineering for the Corvette surely had its perks. In 1969,
Zora Arkus-Duntov showed the press his latest "mule car", a completely
optioned-out for road-racing ZL-1 Corvette. The public finally had a
glimpse of what it was like being in the beast.
Duntov was the best friend that any Corvette owner ever had. First and
formost, he was a sports car racer. His "vision" for the perfect
Corvette was a lightweight car with a high-revving, high output engine.
The big-block 427 was not his ideal. However, the all-aluminum 427 made
more power than anything at GM, plus it weighed as much as a
small-block!
To show off what the '69 Corvette was capable of at the high end of the
performance spectrum, Zora and his team built a Corvette the way any
racer would. Starting with a "stock" L88 optioned Corvette, he then
added the optional ZL-1. Like racers, they removed anything that didn't
look like a race car.
All non-essential parts were removed: bumpers, upholstery, radio, spare
tire, headlights, and heater. Then the good stuff was added. Cast-iron
exhaust manifolds, mufflers, and pipes were replaced with steel header
side exhausts. Racing mag wheels were 15 inches in diameter by 10.5
inches wide with non-D.O.T. approved, racing tires. Using the roadster
body with a fixed hardtop roof, the only body mods were huge fender
flares, the optional ZL-2 domed hood, and a lip along the leading edge
of the hood to keep it from blowing off at 180-plus mph! This car was
never driven on a public road, as it was a "research vehicle" only.
Needless to say, Duntov's toy ran like no other Corvette ever had up to
that time. With 3.70 gears and a close-ratio four-speed, and not
shifting like a drag racer, Duntov could hammer the quarter-mile in
12.1 seconds at 116 mph. In tight corners and heavy braking the '69
ZL-1 would pull over 1g. The suspension was set up to understeer
slightly, but a controlled drift was possible. Top speed was somewhere
over 180 mph!
Costing over $10,000, Zora's ZL-1 was twice as much as a stock
Corvette. The cool thing was that so much great stuff was available
from your local Chevy dealer.
Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 38 - 1969 Manta Ray Show Car Corvette
The
1965 Mako Shark II may well have been the most exciting Corvette show
car of all time. This one show car had more direct impact on future
production Corvettes than any other. The car was a world traveler as GM
trotted the Mako Shark II all over the automotive globe, wowing car
lovers everywhere it went.
By 1968, with the debut of the new C3 Corvette, the Mako Shark was old
news. But when your pockets are as deep as GM's, why not make a great
thing even greater? Even though $2.5 million had been spent on the Mako
Shark II, the General spent almost another $3 million on the Manta Ray!
The biggest change was the long, tapered tail, a 'la the Astro Vette
Show Car. Endura bumpers gracefully covered functional metal bumpers.
The roof line featured a beautiful, sweeping, tapered style, similar to
a Sting Ray roof, but scooped out with a small slot for a rear window.
For hard braking and turn signaling, flip up lights popped out of the
rear deck. Four taillights were fared in under the rear bumper line
with a center-located license-plate holder.
An awesome show car should have an awesome engine. The Manta Ray used
the new, all-aluminum, ZL-1 engine with a special air cleaner. Side
pipes were beautifully crafted into the side rocker panels and sounded
great. This was part of the Bill Mitchell trademark.
The nose of the car was basically unchanged, except for an extended
bumper ring around the air inlets and a small chin spoiler. Normal
sideview mirrors were deleted in favor of small, bullet-shaped mirrors
that were attached to the top of the A-pillers. Like the previous Mako
Shark cars, the Manta Ray was painted dark blue with pearl white
fogging along the lower edges. Special badges and Corvette
crossed-flags insignias completed the car.
This may have been the last "pure" show car Corvette. Later show cars
were serious engineering studies. Cars like this sure got a lot of us
juiced up for the "next" Corvette. Ah, the stuff of daydreams!
Here's
the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 39 - Baldwin Motion 1969 Phase III Corvette
"The Shelby Mustang of Corvettes"
From
1967 to 1969, the hottest street Corvette was the 427/435 L71. Not a
bad ride for most folks. But Joel Rosen isn't "most folks."
Rosen owned Motion Performance in Brooklyn, New York in the late '50s
and '60s, and was having considerable success as a local drag
racer-tuner. In '67 Joel struck a deal with the owners of Baldwin
Chevrolet, in Baldwin, New York, to make 427-engine versions of the new
Camaro. When the '68 Corvette came out, Joel knew that he had to make a
special red-hot version. The '69 Baldwin-Motion SS-427 Phase III
Corvette was born.
The deal with Baldwin Chevrolet was that Motion would perform all of
the conversion work and the car's warranty would still be maintained.
To keep everything balanced, the car was beefed up, inside and out! You
simply could not miss these cars. Even sitting still they looked nasty
and serious. A '67 427-style hood scoop was grafted on top of the stock
427 hood along with a Pontiac hood-mounted tachometer. The wider tires
were covered with wheelwell flares. Side pipes were either '65-'67
style, '69 style, or Hooker Header side pipes. An optional fastback
window opened up the luggage space. Finished off with a unique stripe
design, the car looked like a killer.
The 427 received an 850 Holly three-barrel on top of a high-rise
manifold. Ignition used a modified Mallory setup with Ramcharger wires.
Other goodies included a close-ratio Muncie four-speed, blow-proof
clutch, heavy-duty suspension, and 60-series tires on Anson Sprint
wheels. Every Phase III car was guaranteed to run 12.50 et @120 mph
with a M/P approved driver at a NHRA or AHRA track.
Unfortunately, Rosen was a high-profile, big fish in a small pond. In
1974, after seven years of building super cars, the Feds threatened to
shut down and fine Rosen $50,000 per car for violation of the Clean Air
Act. Rosen's lawyer explained that he wasn't operating a huge assembly
line. Luckily, Joel got off with just a $500 fine, but the party was
over. That's what a little too much success, publicity, and horsepower
can do to you.
Recently, Rosen was able to buy back the last Phase III Corvette he
made, a 1974 model.
|
