A superb and rare photo of the magnificent Chevrolet Corvette SR-2.
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, 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 photo that reflects a wonderful era of
Chevrolet and Corvette 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 11"
(ca. 20 x 27 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.