These Legendary Chevrolet Corvette Racing Icons Shaped The 'Vette We Know Today

Without this racer, the Corvette would have been a short-lived stain on America's automotive industry. Chevy only sold 700 Corvettes in 1955 and was ready to pull the plug. But Arkus-Duntov convinced the automaker that racing was the way forward, and the bigwigs gave him a shot.

He took a 1956 model and bored the V8 out to 5.0 liters. The horsepower increased from 210 to 255 hp, which helped it set a flying-mile speed record of 150.58 mph at Daytona Beach.

It was then entered in the 12 Hours of Sebring, scoring a class victory. Chevrolet used the win in a huge marketing push, nicknaming the car "The Real McCoy."

Sales went up, and because of that, the Corvette is still around and as modern as some top-end plug-in hybrid supercars.

在美国建立一个声誉后,Arkus -Duntov wanted to take the Corvette name global. That meant entering the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. The factory couldn't back the attempt, so he convinced team owner Briggs Cunningham to enter three private cars in the 1960 race. Car #1 failed early on, while Car #2 lasted 207 laps.

Car 3 was the hero, finishing first in its class and eighth overall. The car overheated, but the Cunningham race crew packed the engine bay with dry ice to keep the car going for that final push.

Arkus-Duntov wanted to go back in '62 with a lightweight, dedicated C2. To get around the factory racing ban, he wanted to build 125 lightweight cars to sell to private teams. These special Corvettes used lightweight aluminum construction and single-layer fiberglass bodies.

Rather cunningly, Arkus-Duntov forgot to tell his bosses. GM found out about these secret Corvettes and shut the project down after only five were built.

This 1976 model was tuned by John Greenwood, who put a 9.8-liter V8 producing 975 hp under the hood. He took it to Le Mans and qualified ninth overall, but the car only lasted 29 laps before it was booted from the track for a fuel leak. Overall, not a great attempt, so why is it here?

Down the infamous Mulsanne Straight, the Spirit of Le Mans hit 222 mph, which made an impression. During that same time period, the factory-backed Porsche 935 hit a speed of 228 mph.

It wasn't a win at Le Mans, but a definite win for American ingenuity.

The C4 Corvettes were so successful in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) sanctioned races that they were eventually banned from competing. To make up for it, the SCCA established a one-make series for the Corvette, which turned out to be a hit with fans.

Basically, it was the opposite of what Formula 1 is today. WhileF1 is not just about the car, you can't deny that some teams are in a better position than others. With the Corvette Challenge, all the cars were equal, so a win was based entirely on the driver's talent.

Every C4 Challenge was built by Chevrolet, signaling GM's official return to factory-backed motorsport.

The C7.R was the last front-engined Corvette racing car co-designed by General Motors and Pratt & Miller. It was a C7 Z06's aluminum monocoque with carbon-fiber bodywork on top. The 5.5-liter V8 produced 575 hp, a bit step down from the 650 hp produced by the production car's 6.2-liter supercharged V8.

The C7.R won an endurance triple crown in 2015, with class victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.