C4 Corvettes: 1984 to 1996
1988-89 Corvette Challenge Racer
Illustrated by K. Scott Teeters
This print measures 11" x 17", is made on tan parchment paper,
and is signed by the artist.
Price: $19.95 + $3.95 Postang & Handling
Unframed Print
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1988-89 Corvette Challenge Racers
"Too Fast... Too Good"
Here's the story...
For decades General Motors had a strange attitude towards racing. Obviously, many people raced Corvettes, but GM would never officially stand behind their efforts. All that changed in 1988 with the beginning of the "Corvette Challenge Series."
It was a banner year for the Corvette. There was the 35th Anniversary Special, the high-output Callaway option, an awesome GTO body kit, and the production of 56 specially prepared, street-legal Corvette race cars. The series was an outgrowth of the Corvette's total dominance of the Showroom Stock series from 1985 to '87. Since Corvettes were banned from the series for 1988, a Corvette-only race was created.
Toronto racing promoter John Powel pitched the idea to Chevrolet with a plan to sign on sponsors to create a million dollar, 10 race series with equally prepared, performance Corvettes. Chevrolet agreed and began building cars that used every performance part available for the car. A total of 56 cars were built and retrofitted with a full rollcage and other safety items. The engine and running gear of each car was balanced, blueprinted, and sealed by the factory. Special non-tamperable green paint was applied to hold-down bolts and assured things wouldn't be tweaked.
The races were supporting events for CART and IMSA , but had full and extensive coverage on ESPN with on-screen information from real-time telemetry from the cars. The Vettes were equalized to the point where every car raced using gas from the same tanker. The "racing" all came down to the driver's skill behind the wheel.
The series was very popular with the fans and most of the drivers enjoyed the experience as well. When the '89 season began, the country was in a recession and sponsorship money became a problem. Chevrolet ended up financing the series for the million dollar purse. But they also gained R&D information from 50 Corvettes racing ten races in '88 and twelve races in '89. Nearly all of the adjustments and parts improvements went directly into production Corvettes.
The cars could do over 160mph, but speed has never been cheap. A Corvette Challenge car cost over $35,000 and was officially "street-legal."
The series concluded at the end of '89. What started out as a zero-cost deal for Chevrolet ended up costing quite a lot, but they did get their money's worth in field testing. Also, SCCA reported that other manufacturers were ready to take on the Corvettes again in '90. But this time, Corvettes were packing the awesome ZR-1.
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