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Here's the story:
lIlustrated Corvette Series No. 52 - 1973 Mid-Engine 4-Rotor
Experimental Corvette
"148-MPH Prototype Corvette!"
Zora
Arkus-Duntov had that rare blend of a deep understanding of engineering
and a passion for speed. Aesthetics did little for Duntov, unless it
helped the car's performance. Concerning the Four-Rotor Corvette,
Duntov was quoted, "Looking back on my 20-year association with
styling, this is the best design ever produced."
From '68 to '73, Chevrolet R&D made five unique mid-engine
prototypes. So, what happened? The mid-engine Corvette dream never made
it into production because of the Corvette's sales success in the early
'70s. Production was at an all-time high in '73, and Chevrolet returned
8,200 orders to dealers because they couldn't make enough cars! So,
strictly from a business standpoint, "We're selling all we can make,
don't change it!"
Another interesting situation was going on inside of Chevrolet. Four
power-players were approaching the end of their careers, and they all
wanted a spectacular replacement for the Corvette. Duntov from
engineering, Bill Mitchell from styling, Joe Pike from sales, and GM
President Ed Cole were powerful Corvette allies. But in business, the
bottom line is king.
The 2-Rotor car was nice, but more power was obviously needed. So a
bold plan was presented to get the job done. Using the chassis from one
of the '70 XP882 cars, two 292.5-cid rotary engines joined together
inside a stress member case. The 585-cid "engine" made close to 420hp.
The transmission was a Turbo Hydramatic 425 from a Toranado, with a
Morse Hy-Vo chain and bevel gears.
Styling was directed by Mitchell and penned out by Henry Haga. Starting
with the bumper height datum line, Mitchell's instructions were to
"make it sleek." The long tapers on the front and rear, and a steep
windshield, made the drag coefficient only 0.325. Gull-wing doors,
vents, louvers, scoops, and lots of show car trim made the 4-Rotor
Corvette nearly perfect from every angle of view. Slightly longer,
lower, and wider than a production '74 Corvette, it looked like "the
future."
On a one-mile check track, GM president Ed Cole and Duntov clicked off
148 mph in the 4-rotor Corvette. The car started out with a throaty
roar and hit top speed, belching flames and making an ear piercing
scream. It was actually faster than a '73 454 Corvette! But not even
powerful friends in high places could get this prototype into
production.
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