bitzman

Author trying to keep up to date wants to know if anyone has heard anything lately about:

--'56 Corvette Super Sport show car. (not to be confused with 'blue '57 Sebring race car)
White roadster, SR-2 brushed metal side panels, normal grille, SR2 turn signals in front, blue stripes on hood and trunk, normal wheels with full wheel covers (not Halibrands). Twin racing wraparound plexi windscreens. Shown in '56 at auto shows. Stolen. Supposedly wrapped around a tree. Hidden lo these many years. Want to know if it's being fixed up by a known restoration shop I can contact.

--Twin Rotor Corvette. Built by Pininfarina in Italy to GM design by Kip Wasenko. Used experimental GM rotary engine. Heard that this was found inBelgium by the British author who wrote a Corvette book and bought cheap. Anybody seen an article on this other than the brief mention in a British magazine.

--Corvette LT1 spyder. Built by ASC on C4 to try to sell GM on making this the next Corvette. Probably quasi street legal. Red exterior. special interior.
Since the suicide of ASC chief Heinz Prechter, it would be logical that there would be a house cleaning of the old prototypes, nicht wahr?

Any tidbits appreciated.
Strada5300@hotmail.com

PS thanks for the model car response,interviewed one collector for Old Cars.
I can post the whole interview here if you want.

Interested in hearing about private ownership of any other GM built Corvette show cars and prototypes.

SebringBill

I know the Super Sport was sold a little while ago and is currently being restored...but I can't seem to remember to whom... :confused:

I met the previous owner in 1994 at a laundromat in Bowling Green during the NCM Grand Opening (he was really interested in my 57's aluminum side cove inserts) but had no intentions of selling then.

If I come across (or remember) the info I'll post it here. (BTW, I was pretty sure that the Super Sport was a 57...)




[Modified by SebringBill, 10:57 PM 3/3/2002]

Tyler Townsley

The two rotor is still in England and owned by Tom Falconner, he is/has put a mazda rotor motor in it the last I knew (Year ago).

Here is a link to an 87 ZR1 prototype that I just bought and an having a correct motor built as we speak(Phase 2 ZR1). It will be at the ZR1 Gathering in May with or without motor.

http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/tyler//PrototypeZr1/Prototype43buildsheet.jpg

What is known.
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/...proto_5014.htm

and pictures
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/..._prototype.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/...type43Rear.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/...type43door.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/...3dashsmall.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/...ecpclabels.jpg
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/clubs/...rotypeTire.jpg


Tyler

66 Coupe
69 L88 clone
87 ZR1 EX 5014
90 ZR1





[Modified by Tyler Townsley, 10:19 PM 3/1/2002]

jimgessner

Wally,
Bill is correct. The SS is a 57 not a 56. It was in Alburq, NM for many years, and sold as I remember in 96 or97. I know some people that know where it is, but from what I have heard the owner does not want to talk to anyone until the restoration is complete.
Jim

jimgessner

Neat car Tyler. I saw the # 3 ZR1 red car here in California in late 1988......but never knew this car exisited. You have a real piece of Corvette history.
Jim

joe58

I read about an experimental Corvette chassis that was supposed to be scraped but ended up at Smokie Yunick's shop. He never through anything away. Someone found it and was restoring it. I believe it was for a rear engine Corvette but not sure. Anyone know which Corvette that was? Or was that a myth?

bitzman

OK once again the internet proves to be a great source for facts (or at least hot rumors) To sum up, here's the info that's been posted:

The once stolen once crashed Fifties Corvette show car with the dual cowl
racing windscreens called the Super Sport was not in Michigan like I had heard, but in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ae Forum members says it was sold in '96 or '97 and is being restored. Anybody seen a picture of it in its crashed state?Any body have a glossy print of it when it was new and on display. I will try to find an Albuquerue early Corvette guy who knows more about it.

(Incidentally once found a blue '56 or '57 in Michigan with a big tail fin but it turns out that the designer who owned it used leftover parts from the SR-2's to make his own SR-2 but it was never finished and never official car, He was a Frenchman named Marcel or somesuch)

Re the Two Rotor . I had read in English magazine that a guy who sounded like an English author of a Corvette book bought the car. The rumor about putting in a Mazda rotary makes sense as there were no GMRE engines sold. I heard he found it in a plant in Belgium. Anybody know any more about it? Interesting the car is built on a Porsche 914 chassis. I drove it when it was new and never guessed its lowly Porsche origins. Zora was supposed to have revealed that fact in an interview. Anybody know where that interview was printed?

Also need to know where the Corvette Mulsanne was and Corvette Sirrocco. May be same car repainted. Don't know which came first. both Sting Ray coupes. The Mulsanne was silver, permanent (non roll over headlamps) delicate flames in pin striping, ZL-1 engine. The Sirrocco was red, with bullet type mirrors mounted high the window frames. Bill Mitchell used these as his personal cars.

Also by now everyone has seen the red Sting Ray roadster, probably 1965 that has the shark 4 into one side pipes and white stripe down the hood and tail area. This is reportedly Bunckie Knudsen's personal car. But who was the identical blue roadster built for? I know about Harley Earl's '63 or 64 coupe with Shark sidepipes and duplicate instrumenation on glovebox door but did he also have a blue roadster? Earl''s personal cars were usually a blue similar to color of Corvette SS race car.

Re the World Fair Corvette (find website for Blackhawk Collection or Exposition), candy red, non working hand made side pipes, special interior, World Fair display car) does anyone know which GM executive owned it and who donated it to the Blackhawk Collection/Museum in Danville? I once saw this car cruise the Totem Pole in Birmingham Michigan when I was a Woodward rat.

Finally there were two PPG Pace car Corvettes. Anybody know what happened to them? Are they owned by GM?

The topic of old dream cars becomes more interesting as more models are made of them. I have no room for models but admire the silver one of the Stingray race car the most.

Strada5300@hotmail.com

Tyler Townsley

For more info on the two rotor car try this link. He owned it last I knew.
http://www.corvette.co.uk/

Tyler
87/88 ZR1 EX5014

bitzman

Hi Jim
For a story I am working on, I need to know how the long-time Alburquerque owner was able to sell it (or originally buy it) if it was stolen and crashed in Michigan. I presume that the GM corp. collected an insurance settlement when the car was recovered and the car was sold as scrap to the albuquerque man. On the other hand if GM never knew where the car was; then I wonder if the statue of limitations applies on a theft that occured over 45 years ago! If the ownership is still in question it would be foolhardy for the new owner to spend any money on restoration. So if anybody knows the old owner or the new owner and can get to me I can get my story factually correct on the disposition of what I am calling The Fourth SR2 (Sort of...)

bitzman

the car was the XP-819. It was a cobbled together piece of drek built by Frank Winchell's R & D group more or less to prove that a rear engined V8 powered car could be built (never heard of Tatra I guess). It had ferocious oversteer . The body was a pastiche of old Corvette body parts and looked sort of like the XP-880/Astro II but much cruder. Smokey is dead now so we don't know if he really cut it up but supposedly at one of his swap meets someone bought the car cut up into quarters and reassembled it. I have seen it at one auction and GM tried to stop its sale unsuccessfully. Would like to know for my historical articles where it is today....
Bitzman

bitzman

I have written the owner of the UK Corvette company to ask and will share the results. If anyone is qualified to restore this car, I am sure he is. Isn't he also the author of a Corvette book, high quality, published in the UK?

I asked GM for pictures for my article and I will be curious to see if the Two Rotor Corvette is included, as I wouldn't be at all surprised if they purged it from their Corvette family tree.

jimgessner

The missing SS was completely researched and known about by the late, great Mike Pilsbury. I do know one individual that may know it whereabouts. From what I understand, it is being restored and will debut at the 50th birthday bash at the Monterey Historics this August.

Tyler Townsley

He has written several Corvette books published in the UK and available in the US. If any of these cars were ever at Bloomington in the special collection then there some photo studio shots available if Mz Pervis could be sweet talked into making what she shot available. Another source for info is Bill Locke. He sometimes knows tidbits that can help. Since he sets up the special collection many people come to him when they have something unique which is how the 59 Paris car surfaced, he might be able to give you a shot at getting the photos too. (wrlenzo@aol.com yeah he is also into that Farrari type car stuff)

Tyler
87/88 ZR1 EX5014

bitzman

Hi
I am a little out of the loop, having been off the Forum for a year or so.
Do you have e-mail numbers for Bill Locke (who I knew from Ferrari events)
and Mz. Pervis?

Missed any discussion of '59 Paris car--what was special 'bout it?

Is everybody in rare models circles aware that Heinz Prechter died and would like to know status of the several special Corvettes his firm-ASC--built with and for Chevrolet, including the Corvette Geneve, LT roadster, etc. all C4 based stuff

Pininfarina still owns the '63 Corvette they bodied with a body design by Tom Tjaarda, who grew up in Birmingham MI but has lived in Italy since 1959

Bertone may still own the two Corvettes they did in the '90's, one mid-engined with a LT-5

Where is the Kelly Corvette (cover car Sports Car Illustrated)Vignale bodied

Also so Corvette by Ghia-Aigle, maybe a ';58 anybody have a picture?

What's the story on the blue Corvette Sting Ray coupe that Mitchell owned. Had special side grate. Picture of it in Corvette magazine against Arizona background some years ago

Thanks for any info

Tyler Townsley

Bill's email was in the post. Last phone # I have for MZ Purvis is 815-685-1739 but that is 2 years old and JD is low profile these days. Gene Tucker might know where he/she is and is also knowledgeable on some of the cars you asked about. His # is 912-477-8000, Bill's number is 561-745-0245. Bill can tell you which of the cars you talk about were in the special collection, I am sure some of them were. Another contact for the Mitchel cars is Werner Meier 248-851-6046 as he owned a few. One of which belongs to Dana Mecum last I knew. The 59 Paris car was design done by a Studibaker engineer built on a 59 frame and was very simular in shape to the Gia cars of the same time but in my opinion the best of the independent designs. Bill can tell you more on that one. The Motorama collection that Bill did at BG in 95-96? included some of these cars and MZ Purvis took studio quality shots of them at that time, well worth the trouble if you can get them.

Tyler

carcruse

bitzman: You may want to try to contact Mike Alexander of American Sunroof regarding the Prechter cars. He works for them and is one of the famous Alexander Brothers customizers. He built the Deora among others. ASC headquarters in Southgate, Michigan phone # is (734) 285-4911.

bitzman

I remember visiting alexander around the Sixties sometime, something to do with model cars. I'll call him. I was surprised when Prechter committed suicide, as his company made $499 million last year.

bitzman

How did you do those coves? On the SR-2's are they aluminum or magnesium? On the blue SR-2, I think they are highly polished, not brushed. When the Super Sport sees the light of day, it will be interesting to see how they did the coves.
I believe Bob Cumberford of Automobile magazine and Anatole Lapine, formerly design director of Porsche, did the SR-2's. If you run across either gentleman, maybe they can tell you about that. Cumberford is a judge at Pebble Beach, I'll have to remember to talk to him about that.

SebringBill

I didn't do the coves...the original owner (a Florida native) worked for GM Styling in 55-56 and transferred to Chev Engineering after one winter in Detroit! I believe he ended up working for SEDCO, the back-door racing arm of Chevy until the AMA ban in mid 57 -- a month after he ordered and received this 57. The coves are a ribbed aluminum, like courderoy, not quite the same as say, a 57 BelAir. There is matching trim around the center instruments that is strikingly similar to the SR-2 stuff. Here's a pic of the original owner, Webster Benner, Jr, and his new 1957 Corvette:


And here's a reasonable pic of the interior trim piece:

SebringBill

Oh yeah, I have quite a few pics of many of the styling cars when they were at the Special Collection (mostly with me in them...) as I was the unofficial parking valet for that year. I'll try to dig them out but don't hold your breath as I'm a CPA and should not even BE on line right now!

Also, that blue Corvette you saw in MI with the Frenchman is, in my opinion, the 4th SR-2...but is also 1956 VIN #9, the only real 56 Corvette that raced at Sebring that year. Ask John Neas in Oklahoma. He's got lotsa cool stuff.

BTW, here's what Webster did with his Corvette from new to about 1963: