"The advanced styling that swept the world has not faded over the years."

The 1st generation Chevrolet Corvette made its racing debut 3 years after its release in 1955, and went on to win many trophies. The next step was the development of the Corvette SS race car which debuted in 1957, a project led by Zora Duntov - the man often dubbed 'the father of the Corvette.'

This car was fashioned in the image of the Corvette, but was a totally different beast internally. On a shortened tubular frame was mounted a 302 BHP fuel-injected 283 engine, and the car achieved a top speed of 292 km/h in testing. Hopes were high for its performance in racing, but the project came to a grinding halt as the American Automotive Manufacturer's association banned the participation of manufacturers from racing.

Fortunately, the story did not end there. There is a rightful heir to the Corvette SS: The Corvette Stingray Racer, code name XP-87.

The car inherited the frame and body covering the engine, almost as is from the Corvette SS. The final car, created by the newly appointed GM Styling department Chief, Bill Mitchell, and designer Larry Shinoda, also borrowed styling elements from a blackballed next-generation Corvette prototype.

This Stingray Racer entered a variety of races as a private personal race car of Bill Mitchell, and won two consecutive SCCA Class C modified titles for 1959 and 1960.

After 1961 it served as a show car, but its styling had great influence on the design of the 2nd generation Corvette which appeared in 1963.

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