A unique racing Corvette from the 1950s is to be sold for $7 million (20 photos)

At the end of February, one of the most remarkable Chevrolet Corvettes in the history of the model will be put up for auction. This is the first Corvette designed and built as a racing car. According to the calculations of the famous engineer Zakhary Arkus-Dantov, with it, GM had every chance of successfully competing with European cars on the most important tracks. The prototype, which exists in a single copy, is expected to fetch $7 million.





By the mid-1950s, the Chevrolet Corvette already had several successful performances in American races, but the creators of the model, Harley Earl and Zora Arkus-Duntov, believed that something more was needed to develop the project. The designer and engineer wanted to ensure that in the eyes of buyers the Chevrolet brand stood on the same level as European Ferrari and Porsche. They decided to implement this strategy in the traditional way - through participation in the most prestigious competitions, and the main weapon was to be a specially designed racing prototype.

During development, this Corvette was known as Project XP-64, and in its finished form it was called the Corvette SS (for SuperSport). Despite the technical complexity of the car, it was created in just five months - an incredible achievement for the 1950s.

The Chevrolet Corvette SS is based on a space frame made of chrome-molybdenum steel tubes, on which magnesium alloy body panels were hung. Independent front suspension was combined with a de Dion scheme on the rear axle. A new braking system, an original steering mechanism, etc. were developed especially for the Corvette SS. The active use of unusual materials made the prototype very light. For example, the frame weighed about 80 kg, the power unit - about 200 kg, and the entire car was 450 kg lighter than a standard Corvette. The future supercar received a 4.6-liter V8 with a standard block, but completely redesigned, partially aluminum internals. The engine developed about 300 horsepower and worked with a 4-speed manual.

The first combat test of the Corvette SS was scheduled for the "12 Hours of Sebring". The car was brought to the track just a day before the race, and, according to rumors, engineers were fine-tuning certain design nuances right in the truck on the way from Michigan. The prototype attracted the attention of famous racers from competing teams immediately upon arrival at the track. Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio were allowed to test the car on the track, and the latter set a lap record on his first attempt. However, the performance of the Corvette SS itself was not very successful.

A number of technical flaws that emerged during the race led to the Corvette SS being removed from the race. The developers decided not to let the prototype wear out to the extreme, hoping to study and fix the problems later - Earl and Arkus-Duntov's plans included the participation of the sports car in the "24 Hours of Le Mans". However, in the summer of 1957, Project XP-64 was closed. The only finished prototype remained in the ownership of General Motors for about ten years, miraculously avoiding destruction, after which the car was transferred to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum. It has been stored there until now, but at the end of February, the unique Corvette will go into private hands.















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