page_title: Corvette Stingray (concept car)
section_title: Corvette SS
hierarchical_section_title: Corvette Stingray (concept car) / History / Corvette SS
caption_attribution_description: English: Chevrolet Corvette SS, a competition prototype which ended up being relegated to working as a track hack after American car manufacturers were banned from directly sponsoring auto racing. At the Indy Car Museum in 2002.
context_page_description: 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 at the behest of Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President of styling. 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 Corvette Sting Ray.
context_section_description: 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.
  The AMA racing ban notwithstanding, Mitchell was interested in building a new racing car, and used a Corvette SS chassis as its base. Some references report that he bought the complete Corvette SS development mule for one US dollar. In interviews Shinoda and Mitchell both describe Mitchell buying a spare SS chassis for US$500. He estimated the value of the chassis at US$500,000. Duntov tried to prevent Mitchell from buying the chassis, but was unsuccessful.
  Inherited from the Corvette SS were the earlier car's tubular steel space frame chassis, 92 in (2,337 mm) wheelbase and 51.5 in (1,308 mm) front and rear track, front short/long arm suspension (SLA) and rear De Dion tube located by two pairs of trailing arms with coil springs over tubular shocks front and rear and drum brakes mounted outboard in front and inboard in the rear. The original Stingray engine appears to have been identical to the 283 cu in (4.6 l) Chevrolet small-block V8 engine with aluminum cylinder heads, a Duntov profile solid-lifter camshaft, and Rochester Ramjet fuel injection developed for the SS, but with an 11.0:1 compression ratio and slightly higher power output. The transmission was a Borg Warner 4-speed T-10 manual in a lightweight aluminum case. In the rear was a Halibrand quick-change differential. Wheels were also Halibrand magnesium pieces.
caption: Chevrolet Corvette SS at the Indianapolis Speedway Museum
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