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Here's
the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 4 1956 Corvette
This
time they got it
right and everyone noticed! The 1956 Corvette was truly a pivotal
model. At
Chevrolet, every car has to pay its way or die. The 1955 Corvette hit
an
all-time low sales volume of only 674 units. Although not "big"
numbers by GM standards, Chevrolet sold 3467 Corvettes in 1956, enough
to buy a
future for the fiberglass car that many wanted to see die!
Writer Karl Ludvigsen from Sportscar Illustrated made the statement
that would
forever be the Corvette credo: "The only true American production
sports
car." What turned the tide was the fact that the Corvette now had the
performance to back up its great looks.
All of the '50s comforts were there: roll-up windows, bucket seats, and
a
quality AM radio. By far, the best part was under the hood. The 265 V8
came in
two versions. The base engine, single four-barrel was rated at 210 hp,
and the
optional dual four-barrel engine was rated at 255 hp. The optional
version had
high compression 9.25:1 pistons, a special camshaft, and a cast
aluminum intake
manifold. With the close ratio 3-speed manual transmission, the '56
Corvette
would go 0-60 mph in just 7.3 seconds. Quarter-mile times were 15.9
seconds at
91 mph. Gas mileage averaged 12 miles per gallon. With the right stuff
in the
'56 Vette and "more" planned for '57, Zora Arkus-Duntov set out to
prove the Corvette on the track.
At the 1956 Daytona Speed Week, the car made an impressive two-way run
of
150.583 mph, with Zora himself at the wheel! With John Fitch driving
during
competition, a Corvette was fastest in the Modified class with an
average of
145.54 mph. Even Carroll Shelby was quoted as saying, "Racing was the
thing that actually saved the Corvette." At the Sebring 12 Hour race,
Corvettes
placed ninth overall and first in-class. From here on, racing would
for- ever
define the Corvette.
With the limitations of the previous GM Motorama car in the past, even
Road
& Track blessed the '56 Corvette by saying, "The new Corvette
is as
good to excellent compared to other dual purpose sports cars." Little
did
they know that things would get even better in '57!
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