This picture is a bit of mystery to me. The dark Corvette says (I think) World Champions and the guy sitting in that car is dressed like a jockey? Odd road and backdrop but who knows...Just three more Corvettes in a parade...

24637
 
Remember when "street freaks" were all the rage...

View attachment 24664

Unfortunately, yes. I do remember Murray....lol... Yup. That beauty would have been a Saturday night headturner at the ChickenBurger . Without Google, there's probably not a lot of people here who know where this is, but it does command a bit of fame, and is still there serving the best chickenburgers in the world today... lol...... and pretty much looks the same....

ChickenBurger.jpg
 
Credit to Loudbang for the story...pics on next post down.

1963 Chevrolet Type: Corvette Grand Sport

Intended as a series of 125, the “Lightweight,” at a thousand pounds less than the production Sting Ray, was supposed to counter Carroll Shelby’s brand new Cobras in GT World Championship races. But the Grand Sport program died almost the day it was born, killed by G.M.’s refusal to lift its ban on racing. When the ax fell at year-end 1962, only five cars existed at Chevrolet’s Research Center. Two were quickly “sold” to private teams. Alas, the orphaned cars could not be homologated as production GTs like the Cobras, and consequently had to run in C Modified, a class for which they were never intended.


Vindication came at the December, 1963 Nassau Speed Week, a week long party punctuated by races run to promoter Red Crise’s own rules. For the first time, the Grand Sports were allowed to compete directly with the Cobras. Earlier, the two privateer Lightweights had been recalled by Chevrolet and, along with a third, extensively improved. Now fitted with 377 cubic inch aluminum engines, the cars were entered by “owner” John Mecom. Conveniently, a group of Chevrolet engineers chose Nassau for a one week vacation.
 
Corvette endurance car sponsored by DX Oil. The car in front is interesting. It is a Porsche 917 LH, a blindingly fast long distance racer. Light weight cars that made drivers very nervous with cracks developing in the frame. They ended up putting an air pressure gauge on the frame then filled the frame with compressed air. If the driver saw a sudden loss of air pressure it was time to head for the pits. The 917 series of Porsche race cars came to a conclusion with Can Am series killer, the Porsche 917 30 Sunoco machine driven by Mark Donohue.

The Corvette looks a little tired, probably towards the end of the race.



Am series killing Sunoco 917 30 driven by Mark Donohue
24935
24934
 
Corvette endurance car sponsored by DX Oil. The car in front is interesting. It is a Porsche 917 LH, a blindingly fast long distance racer. Light weight cars that made drivers very nervous with cracks developing in the frame. They ended up putting an air pressure gauge on the frame then filled the frame with compressed air. If the driver saw a sudden loss of air pressure it was time to head for the pits. The 917 series of Porsche race cars came to a conclusion with Can Am series killer, the Porsche 917 30 Sunoco machine driven by Mark Donohue.

The Corvette looks a little tired, probably towards the end of the race.



Am series killing Sunoco 917 30 driven by Mark DonohueView attachment 24935View attachment 24934
One of Motorsports most iconic cars Murray. Now that’s a “Beauty” in the truest sense of the word. Sure wish I got to see and hear one. I’ve had a 1/43 Minichamps model of it for 20 years now. Missed getting “The Captains” signature on it all 14 years of going to the Vancouver Indycar race though.

52105064-C204-4F65-AF50-040F6B4B40BD.jpeg
746FC0A4-ED64-4F9B-8E49-79F174CFD1CC.jpeg
A9004FBB-2A99-4F76-87F4-8C24AC40EF77.jpeg
 
Some would never believe it that at one time I was terribly shy. :Biggrin: I have told this story before and it is one of the great regrets in my life. I was at Mosport in 1973 for the Can Am practice. I was sitting on the pit wall literally right beside my lifelong hero Mark Donohue and within arms length of the 917 30 and could not muster a word.

Donohue was killed in the Austrian Grand Prix in 1975 so the opportunity was forever lost. That car was just brutal. I can still hear it popping and banging the turbos all the way around the track.

Donohue was a master driver who just happened to have a mechanical engineering degree. He succeeded at so many forms of racing. Can Am, Trans Am, F5000, Indy 500 Winner, Champ car, NASCAR, endurance racing and even a stint in a sprint car.


24945
24946
 

Similar threads

Users who are viewing this thread