How & Why a Corvette C7.R in Redline Livery Will Race in Shanghai
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WEC Round 5 November 15 - 18, 2018: The Short Version
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It may come as a shock to some that General Motors sold 45% of its production in China last year. More than any other auto manufacturer measured by percentage output.
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We pick up with folks at the National Corvette Museum, looking to exhibit 2 cars that threatened the Corvette that occurred some 42 years apart.
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The T-Bird was the first. The Corvette had flopped in the aftermath of its flashy debut at the Waldorf Astoria, NYC in January of 1953. In 1955, however, Ford was selling its new 2-seated Thunderbird 5 times over the Corvette.
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Summoning up the courage, Chevrolet’s chief engineer Ed Cole gambled to go racing on the advice of assistant Zora Arkus Duntov, who had a European racing background.
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John Fitch, America’s top sports car driver and Walt Hansgen (also no slouch) survived 12 hours to win their class at Sebring on March 24, 1956 in a hastily-prepared Corvette, equipped with a special engine and transmission.
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That paved the way for Duntov to spearhead the Corvette SS project, a prototype that could win overall at Sebring and the 24 hours of Le Mans.
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We’ll never know the outcome because, that April, GM abruptly withdrew from racing, most likely to avoid publicity. Anti-trust was a real concern since GM enjoyed a 50% market share at the time.
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That did not deter privateers racing Corvette fuelies. They ran the Jags and Mercedes right out of SCCA BP Class.
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During GM’s decades of denial “backdoor”, incidental help was all that (even the better racing teams) could hope for.
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The Dodge Viper was another threat. Starting in 1997, Chrysler backed various teams that won racing Vipers at Daytona, Sebring, and Le Mans. That got the attention of GM “gearheads”, led by Herb Fischel, to create a racing program built on the new Corvette C5.
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The team was ready, after a year of testing and development in concert with an outfit known as Pratt & Miller. Decked out in GM Goodwrench black and silver, the #2 C5.R scored 2nd in class on its 1st outing at Daytona in January, 1999.
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With unmatched success for 20 years straight, there is no example of a racing team with better leadership, higher standards, and greater consistency. They also care for their people, many of whom have become Pratt & Miller “lifers”.
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Corvette racing heritage can be a cool way to help drive sales of the Redline brand of Chevrolet in China which has become the world’s largest car market.
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Registry of Corvette Race Cars
46 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201
(718) 802-1104
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