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Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 35 -1968
Astro I Mid-Engine Experimental Corvette
Almost from the beginning, there have been those at Chevrolet who wanted
the Corvette to be "something else." Along the way there have been proposals to
soften the Corvette, add a back seat, and to use steel for the body. The Astro I
proposed using an opposed, flat-six, Corvair engine. Fortunately, this was one
for the history books.
The official purpose of the Astro I was to study
aerodynamics and new features. Engineers had long known that frontal area and
shape were major factors in how slippery a car is in high-speed air. Much of
what we take for granted in aerodynamics was new territory in the mid '60s. For
this study, function followed form.
To keep the front profile as low as
possible, a modified, flat, opposed-six Corvair engine was placed behind the
rear wheels. Although a far cry from the rip-snort'n 427s of the day, the little
176 cubic-inch enginewas made of alloy aluminum with steel cylinder sleeves and
featured single overhead cams, hemi heads, Weber carburetors, and made 240
horsepower. That's 1.4 hp per cubic inch!
The unibody construction had
large boxed side sill members that added stiffness as well as housing a fuel
cell on the passenger side. The bulkhead behind the driver and the forged
aluminum windshield header provided rollover protection.
The front and
rear suspension used double wishbones and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheels and
tires hadn't gotten fat yet, so 5.5 inch and 7.0 inch wheels were used front and
back.
Note the absence of any normal door lines. The entire canopy hinged
up from a pivot point behind the rear wheels. Since the car was 35.5 inches
tall, 12.3 inches shorter than a '68 Corvette, the seats were fixed to the
canopy and actually raised up so that you could step into the interior. This was
not a rainy day car.
The Astro I had many styling tricks that were
standard for GM study cars; a closet at the base of the windshield for wipers,
pop-up spoiler brake lights, access panels on the hood for servicing fluids, and
periscope rear view mirrors. The interior had the gauges, warning lights, and
twin-grip steering control device. Trick stuff in 1967.
At only 35.5
inches tall, the Astro I was as low as a Countach, 15 years earlier. Too bad it
wasn't packing a 427. Oh well.
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