A superb and rare photo of the 1972
Chevrolet Corvette musclecar, photographed for the publicity campaign
of the Greetings from Asbury Park album from Bruce Springsteen.
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car that has been
manufactured by Chevrolet since 1953. While the style of a car may be just as
important to some as to how well the car runs, it was not until 1927, when
General Motors hired designer Harley Earl, that automotive styling and design
became important to American automobile manufacturers. What Henry Ford did for
automobile manufacturing principles, Harley Earl did for car design. Taking its
name from the corvette, a small, maneuverable fighting frigate (the credit for
the naming goes to Myron Scott), the first Corvettes were virtually handbuilt
in Flint, Michigan in
Chevrolet's Customer Delivery Center, now an
academic building at Kettering University. The outer
body was made out of then-revolutionary fiberglass, selected in part because of
steel quotas left over from the war. Underneath the new body material were
standard Chevrolet components, including the "Blue Flame" inline
six-cylinder truck engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, and
drum brakes from Chevrolet's regular car line. Though the engine's output was
increased somewhat, thanks to a triple-carburetor intake exclusive to the
Corvette, performance of the car was decidedly lackluster. Compared to the
British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette was underpowered,
required a great deal of effort as well as clear roadway to bring to a stop,
and even lacked a "proper" manual transmission. Up until that time,
the Chevrolet division was GM's entry-level marque, known for excellent but no-nonsense
cars. Nowhere was that more evident than in the Corvette. A Paxton supercharger
became available in 1954 as a dealer-installed option, greatly improving the
Corvette's straight-line performance, but sales continued to decline. GM was
seriously considering shelving the project, leaving the Corvette to be little
more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for
two important events. The first was the introduction in 1955 of Chevrolet's
first V8 engine (a 265 in³ {4.3 L}) since 1919, and the second was the
influence of a Soviet émigré in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov.
Arkus-Duntov simply took the new V8 and backed it with a three-speed manual
transmission. That modification, probably the single most important in the car's
history[citation needed], helped turn the Corvette from a two-seat curiosity
into a genuine performer. It also earned Arkus-Duntov the rather inaccurate
nickname "Father of the Corvette." Another key factor in the
Corvette's survival was Ford's introduction, in 1955, of the two-seat
Thunderbird, which was billed as a "personal luxury car", not a
sports car. Even so, the Ford-Chevrolet rivalry in those days demanded that GM
not appear to back down from the challenge. The "T-Bird" was changed
to a four-seater in 1958. There have been six generations of the Corvette so
far, sometimes referred to as C1 through C6.
This is a very nice and very rare non period photo that reflects a wonderful era of
Chevrolet ‘s and Corvette ‘s automotive history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to own this
photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca. 8" x 10"
(ca. 20 x 26 cm). It makes it perfectly
suitable for framing.
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you buy. For 5 or more photos, shipping is free!
(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well protected in PVC clear files and board backed envelopes.
We have photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and excellent quality.
After many decades of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace, restaurant, bar or club!
First come - first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any questions before the auction ends.