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Here's the story...
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 12 -1960 Corvette
The public was ready for
something really exciting. Actually what happened was the first of many
Corvette "bait 'n' switch" setups with the automotive press. Road
& Track said in January 1959, "We predict that this will be the year
of big changes for the Corvette." Rumors had it that Chevrolet was going
to release a completely new Corvette for 1960.
Rumors were fueled by speculation concerning the radical Q-Corvette.
Unfortunately, this highly advanced 1957 design never made it past the clay
model stage. However, the Q-Corvette's styling would eventually become the 1963
Sting Ray Coupe. What really fanned the flames was the XP-700 show car. This
was your basic, overdone show car that was used to test the public's reaction
to some new styling ideas. Since Bill Mitchell often drove the car, some saw it
as just an executive perk. That may have been partially true, but XP-700
clearly showed us the upcoming "boat tail" design for 1961. We'll
cover the XP-700 in the next issue.
So after all of the press-fed anticipation, the 1960 Corvette was somewhat of a
letdown. Anticipating this reaction, Zora Arkus-Duntov had planned some good
stuff under the hood . Advertisements announced, "major breakthrough in
design and metallurgy." Aluminum heads would be standard on both versions
of the optional fuelie engine. This improvement saved 53 lbs. and bumped the
power rating from 250 to 275 hp for the hydraulic lifter version and 290 hp to
315 hp for the solid lifter fuelie. Extra power came from an enlarged injection
plenum, improved combustion chamber design, larger valves and higher
compression. Unfortunately, casting irregularities killed the exotic new heads.
Disappointments and setbacks aside, the 1960 Corvette was still an improved
car. A rear stabilized bar was now standard, along with a thicker front
stabilizer bar, eliminating the need for stiffer springs. An optional racing
package included stiffer shocks, quicker steering and finned brake drums with
cooling scoops. Aluminum was used to save 18 lbs. on the bellhousing and the
fuel injection cars now used an aluminum core radiator.
On the race track, Briggs Cunningham took a team of three Corvettes to Le Mans
and finished in 8th place overall. This was a huge feather in Chevrolet's cap,
having much more status than a class win at Sebring. It clearly let the
Europeans know that the Corvette was here to stay.
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