Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,
Today looks set to become a turning point in General Motors' history. Two years ago GM was still the worlds largest car maker, as of today, the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. With the help of the American government, who have taken a 60% stake, the Detroit manufacturer hopes to start back from scratch. We will not bore you with the financial details but instead we have taken a closer look at two of the company's finest products to show just why the American manufacturer should survive.
First up is our all time favourite GM racing car, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport. Built against the wishes of the top brass, this lightweight competition car was developed in secrecy by the Corvette's spiritual father Zora-Arkus Duntov. Although they looked somewhat similar to the road-going Corvettes, under the fiberglass body they were bespoke racing cars. On the track the Grand Sport proved more than a match for the Cobra endorsed by GM's big rival Ford. The executives nevertheless called for the cars to be destroyed once they found what had happened right under their noses. Fortunately, the cars were quietly sold to privateers, who continued to race the very special Corvettes. Our article includes two of the three surviving coupes. Both have been restored to their 1964 Sebring 12 Hours specification livery and are pictured at recent outings at events like the Monterey Historics and The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering.
Slightly more civilized is this first generation Chevrolet Camaro SS. Built between 1967 and 1969 these earliest Camaros are the most sought after. It is hardly surprisisng that for the new Camaro, the original bodystyle served as an inspiration. The pictured example is seen at the 2008 Concours on the Avenue in Carmel, shortly after a complete restoration.
Hopefully the slimmed down General Motors will continue to build road and racing cars like these two in the future.
Enjoy the links:
1967 - 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350 - Images, Specifications and Information
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Coupe - Images, Specifications and Information
Regards,
Wouter Melissen