JJKJ

I've read a bit about the history of the GS stripes, including a couple recent threads. The common theme is that they were used to identify a particular car or driver on a team before the days of electronic communication.

However, I guess I still don't completely understand. Didn't each car on a team have an unique car number? Couldn't the support team just look at car number instead of the fender stripes? Did each car then have a specific number of stripes, ie: 3-car-team would have 1 car with 1 stripe, 2nd car would have 2 stripes, etc? Or were the stripes used during endurance races to identify who was driving the car at the time, so the number of stripes would be changed throughout the race as drivers were changed?

I'm trying to understand the use of the stripes. I'm getting ready to install the GS stripes on my car and I would like to understand the complete history behind them.

Thanks,

John

JoesC5

I believe that the numbers on the hood were hard to read at a distance and the numbers on the doors were often blocked by other cars. The stripes on the tops of the fenders were high enough to see in heavy traffic, and since the Grand Sports were the only cars with the fender stripes, they were easy to recognize and easy to count the number of stripes to identify the car. The stripes remained on the car the entire race as each crew could remember which driver was in their respective car.

Thrash

Not a fender stripes fan ... please think about it further, look at them on other cars and think about it further again, please. Could be cool if done a touch differently or if painted on with pinstripe borders - just my lame 2¢ - I don't know all that much ...

JJKJ

Not here to debate whether to install the stripes. Thanks for the opinion though.

Joe--thanks for the info, a wealth of knowledge as always.

carjo

POST SCRIPT


My wife hates 'em!

I like 'em!

I don't have 'em!


What else is new?

Z06LUST

I put up a long thread a ways back-a search should find it.

In short..
The Grand Sport stripe is actually called a HASH MARK and it was USED ONE TIME AND ONLY ONE TIME on a racing original Grand Sport. That one time started a legend and history.

The hash mark was NOT on the fender- didn't show up on the fender until the NON RACING 1996 tribute edition.

In 1963 John Mecom took 3 Grand Sports to the Bahamas for Speed Week (rich boys in the early 60's went there to race on street courses, google Bahama Speed Week and the Nassau Tourist Trophy-also understand that GM NEVER raced the Grand Sports, private parties only).

All three Mecom Grand Sports were painted the same color of blue. A single HASH MARK (red, white and black I believe-sorry too tired to go look it up) was placed on the nose of each car--THE NOSE--this allowed the car to be identified as it came down pit lane. This is 1963, no cell phones, no laptop computers, no in-car radios...just a sign board telling a car to come into the pit...can't see the "side' of a car coming at you down pit lane thus the hash mark to id the car.

The HASH Marks were done with TAPE NOT PAINT. The 3 Grand Sports never raced like that again...just that single week frozen in time....thus no more hash marks.....until 1996 and later during the C5R and C6R programs. Also understand the history or racing and 'safety--in 1963 pit lanes were not 40 mph safe zones of today...they were just part of the main straight...you worked on the car while racers blew past 20 ft away at 120mph. You didn't step into pit lane (the damn racetrack) unless you had to and for your car-thus car id was critical.

Hash Marks were again used in the C5R and C6R programs...NOT just fenders but mirrors...look at pictures of the #53 BLUE LeMans C5R from 2003. You will see 3 yellow stripes on the passenger mirror (pit wall side)...again a marker to identify the car to a pit crew. Even today the C6R has a "hash mark" in every race....look at the windshield CORVETTE banner--one car has a black background and the other red..WHY? Instant Identification when viewing the car head on...

JJKJ

Excellent info. Thank you for taking the time to type a detailed response.

Z06LUST

No problem--Great book is Corvette Grand Sport by David Friedman, I highly recommend it for a history of the "original" cars.

zwaldo

dude, I read this to my girlfriend and we both cracked up laughing!

Shysterman69

Interesting because I found this info here http://www.grandsportregistry.com/faq.htm#2

This states it was painted on the fenders in 63'. Even has a photo showing the hash marks on the fender.



I am really confused now as I thought the data above was correct. I will be at the NCM over the labor day weekend and will see if I can find out more info.

Don-Vette

" When the original Grand Sports ran at Nassau in the fall of 1963, three different colors were used on tape on the front cowl of the cars to help identify them as they passed the pits at speed. Red is used on the 1996 Grand Sport on the left front fender as a styling enhancer to tie the two generations together."

From the Corvette legends website.

gideonox1

where can I find a book to identify the vin numbers on my 1995 corvette that was sold to me as a grand sport with the red hash stripes on driver front fender?

AORoads

if I were you I'd contact the NCRS (fr. their website: "....National Corvette Restorers Society Mission

Formed in 1974, the National Corvette Restorers Society is a non-profit hobby group of 15,800+ families dedicated to the restoration, preservation, history and enjoyment of Corvettes made from the model years 1953 through 1996. ").

if you got sold a '95 as a GS, that is unfortunate since '96 was the year for that tribute model known as a GS, as you know.