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This very interesting ME Corvette was re-surfaced today by Mike Furman with two pictures of it in his Sunday delivery thread. Thank you Mike!
I kept digging as to its origin and learned some about it. It might still be for sale for those who want it. It’s creator is Mark Harlan.
[Quote=Hemmings Daily] Mid-engine, mid-year Corvette Sting Ray to cross the stage in Fort Lauderdale
Kurt Ernst on Mar 23rd, 2015
More coming on this car here soon.The 1963 Corvette V7 twin-turbo show car. Photos courtesy Auctions America.
Inspired by his mid-engine Ford GT and rumors of a possible mid-engine Corvette for the car’s then-unreleased seventh-generation, designer Mark Harlan pondered the question “what if GM had created a mid-engine version of the second-generation Corvette to run at Le Mans.” His answer was the 1963 Corvette V7 twin-turbo, a one-off show car that will surely polarize enthusiasts, especially those with a passion for Corvettes. Later this month, Harlan’s creation (since sold to new owners) will cross the stage in Fort Lauderdale as part of the Auctions America sale.
Harlan, whose background includes both architectural and automotive design, has a passion for Corvettes (and, for that matter, cars in general) and fully understands that the V7 will draw critics and fans alike. To address those who’d say the build destroyed an authentic 1963 split-window Corvette Sting Ray, he describes the project’s origin as a “field find,” that had been left a bit too long in the Florida sun. “It wasn’t a numbers-matching car,” he told us, “and it had long since passed the point of practical restoration.”
Knowing that this would be a ground-up build, Harlan enlisted the help of American Super Car, Inc., in Springhill, Florida. The shop fabricated a square tube frame and belly pan for the V7, then set to work in modifying the fiberglass body. Per the build sheet, it was “cab forwarded” by 24-inches and widened by 10-inches. The 1963 Corvette’s original 98-inch wheelbase was stretched to 101.5-inches, and the overall length decreased from 175.1-inches to 172-inches. The shape is unmistakably Corvette, but there’s also a hint of Ferrari, or perhaps other European influences, in the car’s lines.
Power comes from an aluminum block LS1 V-8, displacing 395-cu.in. and force-fed through a pair of 77mm Turbo Re-Source turbochargers. At 18 pounds of boost, the combination reportedly produces 1,070 horsepower and 915 pound-feet of torque, necessitating beefier internals (such as a Lunati forged crankshaft) and producing a claimed 0-60 MPH time of under 3.0 seconds. Don’t look for a shift lever in the custom-built console, however; the Mendeola sequential transaxle is shifted exclusively via paddle shifters.
The car’s attention to detail may not be apparent at a first glance, but look closer and you’ll see things like the machined billet supports for the hood and the trunk, or the matching billet inserts in the Cobra seats. The aluminum dash, with its Auto Meter gauges, may look like an afterthought from a race shop, but Harlan tried to be as authentic as possible to the Corvette’s original layout. The V7 twin-turbo badges that grace the bottom of the “Sui-slide” doors were cast and enameled by a jeweler, instead of simply machined and painted.
It’s no secret that Zora Arkus-Duntov wanted a mid-engine Corvette, reportedly to put the heat source behind the driver following John Fitch’s early retirement (relating to exhaust-related burns on his feet) from the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring. The CERV I, which looked more like an F1 car than a Corvette, was a step in this direction, followed by the slightly more conventional CERV II. Had Arkus-Duntov pushed forward with the idea, could the second generation Corvette have looked remarkably similar to the V7, at least in profile? There’s no denying the possibility.
As for the V7’s auction history, it was offered for sale post-build at Russo and Steele’s 2009 Monterey sale, where it failed to meet reserve. Harlan parted ways with the car at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 2011, where it sold for $170,500 (reportedly at a loss). The show car’s buyer didn’t keep the V7 long, as it next appeared at Barrett-Jackson’s 2012 Palm Beach sale, selling for $94,600. This time across the block, Auctions America is predicting a selling price between $90,000 and $110,000.
The Fort Lauderdale sale will take place from March 27-29, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For additional details, visit AuctionsAmerica.com.
UPDATE (1.April): The mid-engine Corvette bid to a high of $70,000 but failed to meet its reserve price and was not sold.
I kept digging as to its origin and learned some about it. It might still be for sale for those who want it. It’s creator is Mark Harlan.
[Quote=Hemmings Daily] Mid-engine, mid-year Corvette Sting Ray to cross the stage in Fort Lauderdale
Kurt Ernst on Mar 23rd, 2015
More coming on this car here soon.The 1963 Corvette V7 twin-turbo show car. Photos courtesy Auctions America.
Inspired by his mid-engine Ford GT and rumors of a possible mid-engine Corvette for the car’s then-unreleased seventh-generation, designer Mark Harlan pondered the question “what if GM had created a mid-engine version of the second-generation Corvette to run at Le Mans.” His answer was the 1963 Corvette V7 twin-turbo, a one-off show car that will surely polarize enthusiasts, especially those with a passion for Corvettes. Later this month, Harlan’s creation (since sold to new owners) will cross the stage in Fort Lauderdale as part of the Auctions America sale.
Harlan, whose background includes both architectural and automotive design, has a passion for Corvettes (and, for that matter, cars in general) and fully understands that the V7 will draw critics and fans alike. To address those who’d say the build destroyed an authentic 1963 split-window Corvette Sting Ray, he describes the project’s origin as a “field find,” that had been left a bit too long in the Florida sun. “It wasn’t a numbers-matching car,” he told us, “and it had long since passed the point of practical restoration.”
Knowing that this would be a ground-up build, Harlan enlisted the help of American Super Car, Inc., in Springhill, Florida. The shop fabricated a square tube frame and belly pan for the V7, then set to work in modifying the fiberglass body. Per the build sheet, it was “cab forwarded” by 24-inches and widened by 10-inches. The 1963 Corvette’s original 98-inch wheelbase was stretched to 101.5-inches, and the overall length decreased from 175.1-inches to 172-inches. The shape is unmistakably Corvette, but there’s also a hint of Ferrari, or perhaps other European influences, in the car’s lines.
Power comes from an aluminum block LS1 V-8, displacing 395-cu.in. and force-fed through a pair of 77mm Turbo Re-Source turbochargers. At 18 pounds of boost, the combination reportedly produces 1,070 horsepower and 915 pound-feet of torque, necessitating beefier internals (such as a Lunati forged crankshaft) and producing a claimed 0-60 MPH time of under 3.0 seconds. Don’t look for a shift lever in the custom-built console, however; the Mendeola sequential transaxle is shifted exclusively via paddle shifters.
The car’s attention to detail may not be apparent at a first glance, but look closer and you’ll see things like the machined billet supports for the hood and the trunk, or the matching billet inserts in the Cobra seats. The aluminum dash, with its Auto Meter gauges, may look like an afterthought from a race shop, but Harlan tried to be as authentic as possible to the Corvette’s original layout. The V7 twin-turbo badges that grace the bottom of the “Sui-slide” doors were cast and enameled by a jeweler, instead of simply machined and painted.
It’s no secret that Zora Arkus-Duntov wanted a mid-engine Corvette, reportedly to put the heat source behind the driver following John Fitch’s early retirement (relating to exhaust-related burns on his feet) from the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring. The CERV I, which looked more like an F1 car than a Corvette, was a step in this direction, followed by the slightly more conventional CERV II. Had Arkus-Duntov pushed forward with the idea, could the second generation Corvette have looked remarkably similar to the V7, at least in profile? There’s no denying the possibility.
As for the V7’s auction history, it was offered for sale post-build at Russo and Steele’s 2009 Monterey sale, where it failed to meet reserve. Harlan parted ways with the car at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale in 2011, where it sold for $170,500 (reportedly at a loss). The show car’s buyer didn’t keep the V7 long, as it next appeared at Barrett-Jackson’s 2012 Palm Beach sale, selling for $94,600. This time across the block, Auctions America is predicting a selling price between $90,000 and $110,000.
The Fort Lauderdale sale will take place from March 27-29, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale / Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For additional details, visit AuctionsAmerica.com.
UPDATE (1.April): The mid-engine Corvette bid to a high of $70,000 but failed to meet its reserve price and was not sold.
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