[PIC] Throwback Thursday: The Real McCoy

It’s time for Throwback Thursday where we feature vintage photos of Corvettes. Today’s selection is a vintage Chevrolet ad celebrating the 1956 Corvette that won its class at the 1956 12 Hours of Sebring. This same Corvette, dubbed “The Real McCoy” will be auctioned Saturday afternoon at Mecum’s Kissimmee auction.

Chevrolet campaigned the Corvette at Sebring for the first time in 1956 with four Corvettes. Three were factory production cars while the fourth, wearing the #1, was the engineering mule that broke 150 mph in the Flying Mile at Daytona earlier in the year.

John Fitch and Walt Hansgen drove the #1 Corvette to class victory and they finished ninth overall in the 12 hour race. Chevrolet was quick to commemorate the event with this advertisement proclaiming Corvette’s racing credentials as The Real McCoy.

Click here to see a larger version of the Real McCoy advertisement.

At the time, Corvette was in a battle for its life. Crosstown rivals Ford had a hit on their hands with the Thunderbird while in the previous year, only 700 Corvettes were produced. But the racing win helped cement Corvette’s bonafides and sales took off. The Corvette would go one to become the longest continuously produced sportscar in the automotive world.

CorvetteBlogger will be at Mecum’s auction in Kissimmee to witness this amazing car as it crosses the auction block. The auction is scheduled for 2:30 pm ET and will be televised on NBC Sports Network. Check out this promo for the Real McCoy from Mecum:

Source:
Corvettes @ Tumblr.com

Related:
Corvette Auction Preview: The Real McCoy Heading to Mecum Kissimmee
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: 1959 Corvette Stingray Racer with the 1956 Corvette SS
[PIC] Throwback Thursday: One Man’s Trashed Corvette is Another Man’s Treasure