1990 CERV III Corvette Illustrated Series No.84

Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 84 1990 CERV III
"Over the Top Design"

The CERV III was a real-world version of the Corvette Indy show car. The Corporate Engineering Research Vehicle III (CERV III) was more than pretty show car; it would be the most advanced Corvette study to date.

Chief of Chevy III Studio, Jerry Palmer, handled the styling details while Dick Balsey was the engineer on the project. The objective was to showcase the Chevrolet design team and Lotus' advanced racing experience. This was no easy task, by any means.

The nose of the Indy had to be shortened and the side windows flattened out so that they could go down into the doors. The wheel openings had to be opened up to allow 3.5 inches of travel and the rocker panels reshaped to accommodate side-mounted fuel cells. Also, the overall height had to be increased a few inches.

The CERV III's hardware was just as exciting as the body shape. To start, the LT5 engine was treated to two Garrett T3 turbochargers that bumped the horsepower up to 650 and the torque to 655 lb-ft. The 3,400-pound CERV III ran 0 to 60 in 3.9 seconds, had a top speed of 225 mph, and had 1.1 gs of lateral acceleration!

Since the car was completely built by Lotus in England, carbon fiber was used everywhere possible, just like a race car. The underbody was carbon fiber with a fiberglass-finish coating. The classic Lotus backbone chassis was made of carbon fiber and weighed only 38 pounds.

Although the suspension looked normal, the springs and A-arms were made of titanium. Actuators were used in place of shock absorbers and were connected to a state-of-the-art computer-controlled active suspension system. ABS braking and traction control was also part of the package. The transverse-mounted engine used a six-speed automatic transmission for all-wheel-drive and four-wheel steering.

The completed car was more than anyone expected, especially the bean counters. Cost estimates put the price tag between $300,000 and $400,000, making the world-class CERV III the most expensive proposed Corvette ever!