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Corvette Stingray (concept car)

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Corvette Stingray Racer
Overview
ManufacturerChevrolet (General Motors)
Also calledXP-87
Designer
Body and chassis
ClassSports car
Body styleRoadster
LayoutF/R
PlatformCorvette SS
Powertrain
Engine283 cu in (4.6 L) V8
Transmission4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase92 in (2,337 mm)
Length175 in (4,445 mm)
Curb weight2,154–2,000 lb (977.0–907.2 kg) (dry)
Chronology
PredecessorChevrolet Corvette SS

The Corvette Stingray Racer is a sports racing car and concept car that debuted in 1959. The car was developed in the styling studios at General Motors (GM) as a private project of Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President of styling, who personally financed the car's development. The design was based on a sketch by designer Pete Brock, and was further developed by Larry Shinoda. The car strongly influenced the styling of the second generation (C2) Corvette Sting Ray.[1][2]

History

Corvette SS predecessor

Main article: Chevrolet Corvette SS
Chevrolet Corvette SS at the Indianapolis Speedway Museum

The 1957 Corvette SS racing sports car was created by a team of engineers headed by Zora Arkus-Duntov as part of an official Chevrolet race effort meant to culminate with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Soon after its race debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring, where it retired after 23 laps, the Automobile Manufacturers Association (AMA) banned manufacturer-sponsored racing, and the SS was relegated to test track duty. Mitchell bought the Corvette SS development mule and used its chassis as the basis for the new car.

Design and development

The Stingray used elements of the still-born Q-Corvette design study as well as the SS underpinnings, featuring a 92-inch (2,337 mm) wheelbase. The new car was exceptionally light, with a dry weight of 2,200 lb (998 kg), nearly 1,000 lb (450 kg) lighter than a 1960 production car. Its fuel-injected small-block 283-cubic-inch (4.6 L) V-8 engine produced 315 horsepower (235 kW) at 6,200 rpm. The Stingray body design strongly influenced the styling of the next generation Corvette, which saw production as a 1963 model. It also was a test bed for many technical developments, including the four-speed manual transmission, extensive use of aluminum and a De Dion rear suspension.

Motorsports

Billed as a car "built to test handling ease and performance," Mitchell arranged to have the car raced extensively. In the hands of Dr. Dick Thompson, it made its debut at Maryland's Marlboro Motor Raceway on 18 April 1959, finishing in fourth place. It went on to win an SCCA National Championship in 1960.

Retirement

1959 Corvette XP-87 Stingray Racer on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California in July 2016.

The Stingray was then retired from racing and modified by Mitchell with, among other things, a passenger seat added. The modified vehicle was exhibited as an experimental show car even while Mitchell regularly drove it personally on weekends. After its career as a concept car was finished, it was retained by the GM Design Studio as a historically significant vehicle.

Specifications

1959 Stingray Racer: Detail
Engine: Chevrolet small-block V8
Valvetrain: Single cam-in-block, pushrods, rocker arms, 2 valves per cylinder
Displacement: 283 cu in (4,640 cc)
Bore × Stroke: 3.875 in × 3.000 in (98 mm × 76 mm)
Induction: Naturally aspirated, Rochester constant-flow mechanical fuel-injection
Maximum power: 315 hp (234.9 kW) at 6200 rpm
Maximum torque: 295 ft⋅lb (400.0 N⋅m) at 4700 rpm
Compression ratio: 11.0:1
Cooling:  Water-cooled
Transmission:  4-speed manual
Differential:  Halibrand quick-change
Steering:  Saginaw recirculating ball — 2.5 turns lock-to-lock
Brakes f/r: Drum/drum
Suspension front: Short-long arms (SLA) with coil springs over tubular Delco shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Suspension rear: De Dion tube, four trailing arms, coil springs over tubular Delco shock absorbers
Body/Chassis: Fiberglass body on a tubular steel space frame chassis
Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
Track f/r: 51.5 / 51.5 in (1,308 / 1,308 mm)
Wheelbase: 92 in (2,337 mm)
Wheels: Halibrand cast magnesium, 5.00-15 with knock-off hubs
Tires f/r: Firestone Super Sports 6.50-15/7.60-15
Length
Width
Height:		 ———
———
———
Weight: 2,204 lb (999.7 kg)
Power-to-weight ratio: 7.0 lb/hp (4.3 kg/kW)
Power-to-volume ratio: 1.113 hp/cu in (50.6 kW/L)
Maximum speed:

2009 Stingray Concept

50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept at the 2009 Dubai International Motor Show.

The 50th Anniversary Stingray show car debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2009.[3] Also referred to as the Corvette Centennial, the car was featured as the character Sideswipe in the movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

The two-seater version appeared as the private car of Elvis Presley's oil tycoon character in the 1967 film Clambake.

See also

References

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cd-concept was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference museum-timeline was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept". media.gm.com. 30 October 2009.

Further reading

  • Friedman, Dave and Paddock, Lowell C. Corvette Grand Sport: Photographic Race Log of the Magnificent Chevrolet Corvette Factory Specials 1987-1998. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Co., 1989. ISBN 0-87938-382-8.
  • Mueller, Mike. Corvette Milestones. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Co., 1996. ISBN 0-7603-0095-X.
  • Nichols, Richard. Corvette: 1953 to the Present. London: Bison Books, 1985. ISBN 0-86124-218-1.
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