Corvettes for Sale: This Million-Dollar 1957 Corvette Was Part of Zora’s Fuelie Test Fleet

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Corvettes for Sale: Million Dollar 1957 Corvette Was Part of Zora's Fuelie Test Fleet


Back in the mid-1950s, Zora Arkus-Duntov was just beginning to mold his reputation as the performance guru behind the Corvette.

It took cars like this 1957 Corvette for Zora to secure the widely respected position he holds today in the annals of Corvette history.

Corvettes for Sale: Million Dollar 1957 Corvette Was Part of Zora's Fuelie Test Fleet


This ’57, currently up for sale for nearly a million bucks at Sierra Classics & Imports in Reno, Nevada, is believed to have played a key role in Corvette racing history as a member of Zora’s “Field Test Fleet,” a group of five cars specially built with fuel injection, heavy-duty brakes and suspension, Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission, and prototype rear leaf springs not available then to the general public.

At the 12 Hours of Sebring in early 1956, Chevy General Manager Ed Cole was not impressed with the performance of the four modified Corvettes, coming away with the belief that only a Corvette designed specifically for racing would be able to beat competitors like Ferrari and Mercedes. That would set the wheels in motion for the Corvette SS, which made its public debut at the New York Auto Show in December 1956, and Zora, Cole, and General Motors were intent on having the SS become their first purpose-built race car in time for the 1957 Sebring in March. They didn’t have much time, though, and Zora needed many of the SS parts to be field-tested quickly by a select group of racers he knew and trusted.

Corvettes for Sale: Million Dollar 1957 Corvette Was Part of Zora's Fuelie Test Fleet


This ’57 Corvette – VIN 2276 – is apparently one of those five Test Fleet cars. Its original history isn’t well known, but it’s believed to have been sold new at a Southern California dealership. By 1968, it had rolled into the hands of Mike Pillsbury, the same guy who would later discover one of the 1960 Cunningham Le Mans Corvettes. He eventually sold 2276 but then was able to track it down again years later for Rich Mason, who was looking for a fuel-injected car with big brakes. During Mason’s subsequent meticulous restoration some 31 years ago, the discovery of two repaired cutouts for a rollbar seemed to indicate the car had been competitively raced and also supported the research that the Test Fleet was used and tested for competition.

Today, with 2276’s chassis remaining in its original condition, having not been restored by Mason in 1990, the interior and exterior of the car remain in excellent condition. Time will tell if it’s worth the $990,000 being asked by the Reno dealership, but based on its impressive historical significance, we’d tend to agree. What do you think?

Corvettes for Sale: Million Dollar 1957 Corvette Was Part of Zora's Fuelie Test Fleet


By the way, the SS had to retire from the 1957 Sebring race after just 23 laps in its first and only race. The next month, the Automobile Manufacturers Association enacted a ban on motor racing for all of its members, including Chevrolet, effective June 1, 1957, preventing the SS from competing in the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans. Zora did drive the SS on a track at least one more time, though, setting a fastest lap record of 155 mph at the opening of the Daytona Motor Speedway in 1959.


Source:
sierraclassics.com via CorvetteForum.com

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3 COMMENTS

  1. I see interest in early Vettes waning as those who know about 1st gen cars and Zara seen to be literally dyeing off. The fewer of those who remember the early days of Corvette, the fewer the bidders. The subject car is thought to be a Zara associated car, but where is the solid documentation? Roll bar cutouts mean nothing. Many Vettes of the era had roll bars, and there are more big tank, big brake car now than in the 50s.

  2. Cat could not agree more need real proof for a million dollar car. Are there weld marks or bolt holes for the roll bar.

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