Original Corvette History Unearthed, to be Auctioned June 28

MARENGO, Ill., June 19 -- Zora Arkus Duntov is considered the Godfather of America's true sport car -- the Corvette. Now, Duntov's recently discovered GM test race car will be offered for sale at the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show on Saturday, June 28 in a golden celebration of the Corvette's 50th anniversary.

Beginning production in 1953 as a six-cylinder sport car, it was Duntov who led the charge to put "performance" in the Corvette, Chevrolet's new fiberglass sport automobile.

The first quarter of 1956 was an important time in the history and development of the Corvette, which began competitive racing at Sebring in March 1956. Prior to this racing debut, prototype Corvettes raced on the beach in Daytona in February 1956, setting speed records of 150 mph and establishing the Corvette as a serious performance sport car.

The car presented at Bloomington Gold is the test mule, or predecessor, to the Corvettes that ran at Daytona and Sebring in 1956. In January of that year, it ran at General Motors' Phoenix test track, testing a new camshaft design Duntov had developed to achieve an extra 30 horsepower. Duntov's research had shown this extra horsepower was necessary to break the 150 mph barrier at Daytona. The car ran 163 mph at Phoenix.

"This Corvette is unique and truly the first high performance V-8 Corvette," says Dana Mecum of Mecum Collector Car Auctioneers. "Its place in Corvette history cannot be overstated. This car was the first ever to have the Duntov camshaft, which helped lead to years of racing and performance success by Corvettes worldwide."

This Corvette's body was discovered in fall 2002 at the Bible Broadcasting Group in Charlotte, North Carolina, to which it had been donated. Its "record run engine" was later found in the Daytona shop of racing icon Smokey Yunick. Body and engine reunited, the car is now prepared in its original test condition. As this was a GM test car, it has never been publicly displayed. (However, it was altered and used as a demonstration car in NASCAR's early days when Bill France owned the car.)

The vehicle's history is heavily documented to prove its provenance including original leather-bound GM test logs. It will be offered for auction at 2 pm Saturday, June 28 at the Bloomington Gold Corvette Show at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Illinois.

In its 31st year, Bloomington Gold is the Granddaddy of all Corvette shows. The show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Corvette will attract approximately 10,000 Corvettes and more than 50,000 people, June 26-29. For more show information, visit www.bloomingtongold.com .

This rare and elusive Corvette will be sold by the Mecum Collector Car Auctioneers. For more information on this Corvette, or the other 500 Corvettes to sell at auction, visit www.mecumauction.com . For photos, see lot #294.