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Topic starter
04/03/2026 12:11 pm
Zora Arkus-Duntov always wanted the Corvette to be a world class race car. Project XP-64, the Corvette SS. He and John Fitch had been racing modified Corvettes in 1955 and 1956, with some success but it became evident that a dedicated racing Corvette would have to be built for international competition. In 1957, this magnesium body race car with a light weight tubular frame that weighed only 1850 lbs debuted powered by Zora's 310 HP fuel injected 283 V8 linked to a 4 speed manual and Hallibrand quick change differential. The car was first shown in the December 1956 New York Auto Show and was ready for the rack the following year. As to the body, Harley Earl bought a Jaguar D-Type and hoped to do a quick conversion to impress Zora but the ran into too many problems and had to start from scratch. The final body has styling cue from both the Jaguar and production Corvettes. Two were built with the goal of racing at Le Mans with a shake-down run at Sebring. They first practiced with a fiberglass test mule and then found the magnesium body conducted the engine heat right through to the driver, so they swapped out fiberglass components from the test mule to provide more insulation. John Fitch wound up as one of the two drivers when Fangio and Shelby both backed out. At the actual race, the SS achieved some impressive lap times, but multiple problems caused Fitch to retire after 23 laps. Then the hammer fell. The AMA banned American built cars from racing and, soon after, the FIA limited engine displacement to 3 liters and ended the racing possibilities for the Corvette SS at European events. The car wasn't quite done and, with the bugs worked out, Duntov took the car out on the track at Daytona Speedway in 1959 and set the fastest lap at 155 mph. One of the two cars still exists today at the Indianapolis Speedway Museum.
Here it is in the Indy museum:
04/03/2026 12:41 pm
It's an awesome Autoart model Rich! Even though I'm not really a Vette guy, I'm glad to see this one. Years ago, I almost bought this Vette just for the wheels; I was contemplating this 1956 Mercury project.
Tony Perrone reacted
04/03/2026 5:20 pm
Does anyone know if the AutoArt 1/43 version of this same model have any opening features?
Christopher Moroni reacted
04/03/2026 6:42 pm
@old-caddys The 1/43 Autoart Corvette SS has no opening features despite having the appearance that the doors open, they do not. Nothing opens; however, the front wheels are posable, they steer.
04/03/2026 6:44 pm
This car was a must have for me even though I do not consider myself a "Corvette Guy" (Although the fact that I have no fewer than 20 in my collection might indicate otherwise) I have a feeling that if Arkus-Duntov had had his way Shelby would have never created the Cobra because the Corvette would have been to far ahead of any cobbled together sports car he could have come up with.
Rich Sufficool and Christopher Moroni reacted
Topic starter
05/03/2026 10:36 am
@franklemire Well, you could say it was just bad timing for Arkus-Duntov. The AMA banned American manufacturers from racing and the FIA dropped displacement to 3 liters leaving him without a competitive powerplant. By the time Shelby and AC came together, it was a go nationally and internationally. 3 liters is only 183 ci and most American 6 cylinders were larger than that.
Christopher Moroni reacted
05/03/2026 6:39 pm
@rich-sufficool I'm feeling that if they stayed on they would have continued to build for domestic racing and when the displacement rules went back up they would have immediately thrown their small block Chevy V8 into a lighter and more aerodynamic Corvette that the Cobra would not have been able to compete with. Just a feeling I have.
Christopher Moroni reacted