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| Corvette SS Debuts at Sebring, March 23 1957 | |
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|  | | December 31 1969 07:00:25 PM EST | |
| 50 years ago today one of the most advanced and beautiful Corvettes ever, the SS XP-64, debuted at Sebring.
Built under the direction of Zora Arkus-Duntov, (shown in this picture with its driver, John Fitch) it boasted a super light magnesium alloy body, tubular frame, and a 300+ hp 283 ci fuel injected V8. The whole car was more than 900 pounds lighter than a standard production Corvette.
The plan was to test this car at the 12 hour race on its way to racing at the 24 hours of Le Mans, however both racing events were not to end on a happy note for the SS.
At Sebring the car only lasted 23 laps before being forced to retire due to a myriad of technical problems, and soon after Sebring the AMA banned manufacture-sponsored racing so the SS never entered Le Mans. This first "Chevy SS" spent its days relegated to the test track.
But out of the fire rises the phoenix: 2 years later Bill Mitchell took an SS chassis and built an even more famous Corvette legend upon it: the '59 Stingray.
[read more about the Corvette SS]
 | | 1959 Stingray | |
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