- Admin
- #1
FOR RELEASE: 2005-06-08
<!-- This is the Relase Content --><META content="Microsoft Word 97" name=Generator>Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President and head of Design Staff from 1958 to 1976, was a man with a golden eye. Mitchell's astute vision was instrumental in the creation of some of the most distinctive automobiles on earth. One of the brightest jewels from the Mitchell era is the Sting Ray Racer, recently refurbished by Design Staff employees under the direction of Ed Welburn, GM's current Vice President of Global Design.
Whether he was touring an auto show or reviewing a fellow designer's work, Mitchell's eye quickly homed in on the crucial details. During a 1957 visit to the Turin Salon, he was drawn to a low, aggressively streamlined form draped over a miniature racing car. The machine, collaboration between Fiat, tuning specialist Abarth, and coachbuilder Pininfarina, was powered by a 747-cc engine producing only 45 horsepower. To its credit, the small-caliber bullet had successfully broken endurance records by running over 135-mph for long distances.
In spite of the vast visual differences between the knee-high Abarth and the products in GM's 1957 product portfolio, Mitchell's fine eye recognized the nugget of an idea. His takeaway was the Abarth racer's combination of a single strong horizontal theme line accented by four vertical blips over the tires. The simple essence of that shape would soon adorn not only the Sting Ray Racer but also the Corvette Sting Ray production models introduced for 1963.
Upon his return to the US, Mitchell shared his inspiration with Research Studio head Bob McLean who was beginning work on a new Corvette planned for 1960. Stylists Bob Veryzer and Pete Brock collaborating with six clay modelers created a fresh, original shape built around Mitchell's idea. The first full-scale model-code-named Q-Corvette--was completed in November of 1957.
Even though the Q project was cancelled, its fine design lived on. After a 1957 industry-wide ban on direct factory motorsports involvement terminated the Corvette SS road racing effort, Mitchell purchased a mule chassis from the program for use in a private racing endeavor. Designer Larry Shinoda was assigned the task of adapting key design features developed for the Q-Corvette-a strong horizontal theme line accented by four fender blips--to what soon became the Sting Ray Racer. Since the car was personally owned and campaigned by Mitchell, it carried absolutely no Corvette or General Motors identification.
The Sting Ray Racer had a thin fiberglass skin with aluminum (initially) and balsa-wood (later) reinforcements in high-stress areas. A fuel-injected small-block V-8 engine provided ample power. This was the first application for such advanced features as an aluminum radiator and high-compression aluminum cylinder heads. Like the Corvette SS, the Sting Ray had a steel-tubing space frame, a four-speed manual transmission, short-and-long arm front suspension, finned-drum brakes, a Halibrand quick-change differential, cast magnesium wheels, and a deDion-type rear axle.
Painted a brilliant red and wearing the number 1l for its debut race at Marlboro, Maryland, the Sting Ray Racer finished an encouraging fourth. Mitchell tapped Dr. Dick Thompson to drive the car in all but one race where John Fitch temporarily filled in. (Tony Lapine also served as Thompson's co-driver in one long-distance race.) Various teething troubles were sorted during the 1959 season in preparation for a serious attack on the Sports Car Club of America's C-Modified championship the following year.
By the half-way point of the 1960 season, the hard-charging Thompson had the championship wrapped up. In ten races, he scored more than twice the points of the nearest challenger.
Point proven, Mitchell then converted the Sting Ray Racer into an official GM concept car for presentation at the 1961 Chicago Auto Show. Now wearing a spectacular metallic-silver paint job (previewed during the previous racing season), a second windscreen, and a flush cover over the passenger side of the cockpit, the retired racer finally received Corvette identification badges.
Following its short run on the show circuit, Mitchell pressed the Corvette Sting Ray Racer into service as his personal road car. This was nothing unusual for GM's design king; during his 18-year reign, Mitchell commissioned the construction of at least three special cars or motorcycles per year. One interesting side trip out of Mitchell's parking spot was a cameo role in the 1964 movie "VIVA LAS VEGAS" starring Elvis as race driver Lucky Jackson and Ann-Margret as Rusty Martin, the object of his affections.
When an all-new Corvette finally arrived in the 1963 model year, the origin of its distinctive shape was quite evident. The "mid-year" 1963-67 second-generation Corvettes are considered by many enthusiasts to be the ultimate in sports car design. In its October 2004 issue, Automobile magazine editors ranked a 1967 427 Corvette roadster number one on its list of 100 Coolest Cars.
After enduring more than three decades of road and auto show duties, the Sting Ray Racer had more than earned its trip to the restoration shop. GM Design Staff personnel-all UAW members--stripped the car down to its basic elements and refurbished all the component parts to restore this priceless heirloom to its original function and beauty.
The steel-tube space frame was in sound condition and needed little more than stripping and a fresh coat of black paint. Chassis bushings, bearings, dampers, and brake components were reconstructed using period-correct hardware when possible. The aged wiring harness was remade using new materials faithful to the original design. Certain components-such as the silver leather bucket seats-were restored without loss of the patina acquired during years of use. Explaining this strategy, Ed Welburn reveals, "I felt we should leave the seats basically alone. After all, Bill Mitchell and a lot of other famous people have driven the Sting Ray or at least sat in these buckets. So, instead, of totally reupholstering them, we decided to leave the patina intact for anyone who encounters the car to appreciate."
Hand-made brass trim plates and escutcheon badges were re-chrome plated. The original Halibrand magnesium wheels were carefully polished to the proper luster. Much of the internal paneling was hand-formed sheet aluminum which has been straightened and rid of battle scars acquired on the race track.
Numerous engines have resided under the Sting Ray Racer's hood. The current powerhouse is a 5.7-liter small block V-8 equipped with an all-mechanical fuel injection system from the 1960s. Hours of effort were devoted to repairing cracks in the original fiberglass body panels and replacing balsawood reinforcements that had deteriorated. Constructing an all new body would probably have been easier, but GM Design personnel took the longer road to preserve original components and craftsmanship where possible. The paint applied to the fastidiously finished surfaces is a period-correct silver sparkle acrylic lacquer protected by a clear top coat.
Ed Welburn, the driving force behind this project, began his GM career during the Mitchell era as an associate designer in the Advanced Design Studios. Reflecting on the restoration of this prized classic, Welburn notes, "It's not that often that we have the luxury of a fond look back to what GM designers have accomplished. Our more pressing mission is looking ahead: aggressively advancing the process to create strong, bold designs that are highly contemporary. But, in order to do that, we need to understand our history. Not dwell on it, but to understand it and to appreciate it. So, as soon as we complete the Sting Ray Racer, we'll move on to the next jewel in GM's showcase that warrants attention."
CONTACT(S):
Jeff Holland
GM Design Communications
586.986.5606
jeffrey.holland@gm.com
Corvette Sting Ray Racer's Renaissance
<!-- This is the Relase Content --><META content="Microsoft Word 97" name=Generator>Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President and head of Design Staff from 1958 to 1976, was a man with a golden eye. Mitchell's astute vision was instrumental in the creation of some of the most distinctive automobiles on earth. One of the brightest jewels from the Mitchell era is the Sting Ray Racer, recently refurbished by Design Staff employees under the direction of Ed Welburn, GM's current Vice President of Global Design.
Whether he was touring an auto show or reviewing a fellow designer's work, Mitchell's eye quickly homed in on the crucial details. During a 1957 visit to the Turin Salon, he was drawn to a low, aggressively streamlined form draped over a miniature racing car. The machine, collaboration between Fiat, tuning specialist Abarth, and coachbuilder Pininfarina, was powered by a 747-cc engine producing only 45 horsepower. To its credit, the small-caliber bullet had successfully broken endurance records by running over 135-mph for long distances.
In spite of the vast visual differences between the knee-high Abarth and the products in GM's 1957 product portfolio, Mitchell's fine eye recognized the nugget of an idea. His takeaway was the Abarth racer's combination of a single strong horizontal theme line accented by four vertical blips over the tires. The simple essence of that shape would soon adorn not only the Sting Ray Racer but also the Corvette Sting Ray production models introduced for 1963.
Upon his return to the US, Mitchell shared his inspiration with Research Studio head Bob McLean who was beginning work on a new Corvette planned for 1960. Stylists Bob Veryzer and Pete Brock collaborating with six clay modelers created a fresh, original shape built around Mitchell's idea. The first full-scale model-code-named Q-Corvette--was completed in November of 1957.
Even though the Q project was cancelled, its fine design lived on. After a 1957 industry-wide ban on direct factory motorsports involvement terminated the Corvette SS road racing effort, Mitchell purchased a mule chassis from the program for use in a private racing endeavor. Designer Larry Shinoda was assigned the task of adapting key design features developed for the Q-Corvette-a strong horizontal theme line accented by four fender blips--to what soon became the Sting Ray Racer. Since the car was personally owned and campaigned by Mitchell, it carried absolutely no Corvette or General Motors identification.
The Sting Ray Racer had a thin fiberglass skin with aluminum (initially) and balsa-wood (later) reinforcements in high-stress areas. A fuel-injected small-block V-8 engine provided ample power. This was the first application for such advanced features as an aluminum radiator and high-compression aluminum cylinder heads. Like the Corvette SS, the Sting Ray had a steel-tubing space frame, a four-speed manual transmission, short-and-long arm front suspension, finned-drum brakes, a Halibrand quick-change differential, cast magnesium wheels, and a deDion-type rear axle.
Painted a brilliant red and wearing the number 1l for its debut race at Marlboro, Maryland, the Sting Ray Racer finished an encouraging fourth. Mitchell tapped Dr. Dick Thompson to drive the car in all but one race where John Fitch temporarily filled in. (Tony Lapine also served as Thompson's co-driver in one long-distance race.) Various teething troubles were sorted during the 1959 season in preparation for a serious attack on the Sports Car Club of America's C-Modified championship the following year.
By the half-way point of the 1960 season, the hard-charging Thompson had the championship wrapped up. In ten races, he scored more than twice the points of the nearest challenger.
Point proven, Mitchell then converted the Sting Ray Racer into an official GM concept car for presentation at the 1961 Chicago Auto Show. Now wearing a spectacular metallic-silver paint job (previewed during the previous racing season), a second windscreen, and a flush cover over the passenger side of the cockpit, the retired racer finally received Corvette identification badges.
Following its short run on the show circuit, Mitchell pressed the Corvette Sting Ray Racer into service as his personal road car. This was nothing unusual for GM's design king; during his 18-year reign, Mitchell commissioned the construction of at least three special cars or motorcycles per year. One interesting side trip out of Mitchell's parking spot was a cameo role in the 1964 movie "VIVA LAS VEGAS" starring Elvis as race driver Lucky Jackson and Ann-Margret as Rusty Martin, the object of his affections.
When an all-new Corvette finally arrived in the 1963 model year, the origin of its distinctive shape was quite evident. The "mid-year" 1963-67 second-generation Corvettes are considered by many enthusiasts to be the ultimate in sports car design. In its October 2004 issue, Automobile magazine editors ranked a 1967 427 Corvette roadster number one on its list of 100 Coolest Cars.
After enduring more than three decades of road and auto show duties, the Sting Ray Racer had more than earned its trip to the restoration shop. GM Design Staff personnel-all UAW members--stripped the car down to its basic elements and refurbished all the component parts to restore this priceless heirloom to its original function and beauty.
The steel-tube space frame was in sound condition and needed little more than stripping and a fresh coat of black paint. Chassis bushings, bearings, dampers, and brake components were reconstructed using period-correct hardware when possible. The aged wiring harness was remade using new materials faithful to the original design. Certain components-such as the silver leather bucket seats-were restored without loss of the patina acquired during years of use. Explaining this strategy, Ed Welburn reveals, "I felt we should leave the seats basically alone. After all, Bill Mitchell and a lot of other famous people have driven the Sting Ray or at least sat in these buckets. So, instead, of totally reupholstering them, we decided to leave the patina intact for anyone who encounters the car to appreciate."
Hand-made brass trim plates and escutcheon badges were re-chrome plated. The original Halibrand magnesium wheels were carefully polished to the proper luster. Much of the internal paneling was hand-formed sheet aluminum which has been straightened and rid of battle scars acquired on the race track.
Numerous engines have resided under the Sting Ray Racer's hood. The current powerhouse is a 5.7-liter small block V-8 equipped with an all-mechanical fuel injection system from the 1960s. Hours of effort were devoted to repairing cracks in the original fiberglass body panels and replacing balsawood reinforcements that had deteriorated. Constructing an all new body would probably have been easier, but GM Design personnel took the longer road to preserve original components and craftsmanship where possible. The paint applied to the fastidiously finished surfaces is a period-correct silver sparkle acrylic lacquer protected by a clear top coat.
Ed Welburn, the driving force behind this project, began his GM career during the Mitchell era as an associate designer in the Advanced Design Studios. Reflecting on the restoration of this prized classic, Welburn notes, "It's not that often that we have the luxury of a fond look back to what GM designers have accomplished. Our more pressing mission is looking ahead: aggressively advancing the process to create strong, bold designs that are highly contemporary. But, in order to do that, we need to understand our history. Not dwell on it, but to understand it and to appreciate it. So, as soon as we complete the Sting Ray Racer, we'll move on to the next jewel in GM's showcase that warrants attention."
CONTACT(S):
Jeff Holland
GM Design Communications
586.986.5606
jeffrey.holland@gm.com
