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Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 10 - 1957 Q Corvette
In light of the new C5
Corvette, the 1957 Q-Corvette is not only the most forgotten Corvette, but the
most profound of all concept Corvettes! Mechanical designs for the C5 were
actually laid out in this very unique 1957 prototype.
Early in 1957, Chevrolet was in the beginning stages of developing a completely
new small car concept that would eventually become the Corvair. Corvette
designers saw that the transaxle and independent rear suspension from the
Corvair could be used to develop a totally new and revolutionary Corvette. With
this exotic piece of hardware, Zora Arkus-Duntov and his designers saw this as
a golden opportunity for a new and very different Corvette for 1960.
The rear mounted transmission/axle helped balance the weight of the Corvette.
Drum brakes were mounted inboard to reduce unsprung weight. Even the starter
motor was on the transaxle for weight balancing. The transaxle case was
aluminum and could be offered as either a 4-speed manual or automatic.
Up front an all-aluminum, fuel-injected 283 engine with a dry-sump oil system
was proposed. There were to be no steel valve guides, valve seats or piston
sleeves. This was to help achieve the target weight of 2,225 pounds.
The proposed structure of the Q-Corvette was a steel platform similar to the
356 Porsche. Because of the transmission location, the interior would have been
larger, even though the length and height were smaller than
the production Corvette. The fastback roof had a permanent arch behind the
cockpit and removable roof panels. At the leading edge of the windshield, there
were no A-pillars.
Bill Mitchell suggested to stylists Bob Veryzer and Pete Brock that the styling
should come from the slimness of the Pininfarina / Abarth cars with a strong
horizontal line and bulges over the wheels in the upper surfaces. The pointed
nose had driving lights in the grille opening and manually operated pop-up
headlights. Mitchell's Sting Ray Racer used most of the same styling ideas.
By the late 50's the economy was in bad shape, so GM killed the expensive
Q-Corvette. As it was, Corvettes were hardly profitable. So the Q-Corvette was
an on-paper and clay-only prototype with some great ideas that took 30 years to
produce.
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