C1 Corvette Race Car Art Prints: 1953 to 1962
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$19.95 + $4.95 USPS Priority Mail Postage

All of our prints measure 11" x 17", are printed on tan parchment paper, are signed by the artist,
and numbered in a series of 500. All prints are shrink wrapped on 11.5" x 17.5" cardboard so that they
stay flat and clean. U.S.P.S. Priority Mail shipping for speedy delivery is included in the prices below.

* To order through PayPal buttons, use the buttons below. After you click a button a new page will open where you can log into your PayPal account. If you do not have an account, you can use a credit card. After you log in, look for the "Note" box and type the title and number of the print you are purchasing, and complete your order.

* To pay by phone with a credit card, call; 1-800-858-6670, Monday through Saturday, 10AM to 9PM Eastern Standard Time.

11" x 17" Parchment Print
$19.95 + $4.95 Postage
11" x 17" Personalized Print
$29.95 + $4.95 Postage
Updated 9.2.10

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The 1953 to 1963 C1 Corvettes are also known as the “solid-axle” cars. When I look back at these cars, what strikes me is how simple they were compared to the C6.R race cars. Corvette racers from back them called the C1 Corvettes, “stab’n steer” cars. Between the high torque and power of the fuelie small-block Chevy engines, the skinny tires, basic suspension, and sometimes questionable brakes, drivers loves being able to just toss the cars around and let’m slide around the curves. It was also a time when you didn’t need a 6-figure budget to race. Ahhh... those were the days.


Illustrated Corvette Series No. 153
Gulf One 1962 Corvette Racer
Here's the story...

Illustrated Corvette Series-II No. 153
Gulf One 1962 Corvette Racer

1956 Corvette Sebring Racer
C1-1

1959 Stingray Racer
C1-11


Illustrated Corvette Series
No. 147
Zora Arkus-Duntov's
Mule Corvettes, Pt.1"
(To read the story, CLICK HERE.)


Illustrated Corvette Series II
No. 7
1957 SS Corvette Racer
(To read the story, CLICK HERE.)


Illustrated Corvette Series
No. 6
1956 SR-2 Corvette Racer"
(To read the story, CLICK HERE.)


Illustrated Corvette Series
No. 133
Bill Mitchell's 1959 Stingray Racer
(To read the story, CLICK HERE.)

1959 Sting Ray Racer
C1-4

1959 Sting Ray Racer
C1-11


Illustrated Corvette Series II
No. 16
Zora Arkus-Duntov's 1960 CERV I
(To read the story, CLICK HERE.)


Dave MacDonald's 1962 Corvette
Road Racer
C1-3

RPO 684 Fuel Injected Corvette
C1-12


Be sure to check out the
"289 Fuelie" Engine Art HERE.

MANY more to come!!!


Here's what our framed prints look like...

2004 Commemorative
Edition Corvette

The Last C4
Corvette

The 2001 Z06
Corvette

We're always adding new prints, so bookmark us and come back often!


Illustrated Corvette Series No. 153 - Gulf Oil '62 Corvette Racer "The Most Successful C1 Racer?" Here's the story...

After years of watching limited-production high-performance Corvettes sell at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars, we're now seeing old Corvette race cars take off where the exotic street Vettes peaked. Last month, we talked about the Grady Davis '63 Z06 racer that sold for $1,113,000. As amazing as that figure was, sellers were expecting more, in part because the Gulf Oil '62 featured here had gone for $1,485,000 a few months earlier. While low-volume performance vehicles can be quite distinctive, there's nothing like the one-of-a-kind status of a successful race car.

While the Gulf Oil '62 doesn't have the high profile of many other racing Vettes, it is arguably the most successful single Corvette race car ever. In 1962, the car competed in the SCCA's A/Production class with Dr. Dick Thompson behind the wheel and won 12 out of 14 races-an 85.7 percent win rate. We're not slighting the success of the C5-R or C6.R Corvettes. Corvette Racing's best season was actually 2004, with a 100 percent win rate, but those victories were achieved by a two-car team, with each car winning five races.

It's amazing how close this car is to a street Corvette. When Gulf Oil executive Grady Davis ordered it, he specified four options that formed the foundation for a competitive racer. RPO 582 got him the 327/360hp fuelie engine, while RPO 685 added a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmission. RPO 687 added the heavy-duty (racing) brakes and special steering, and RPO 675 brought a Positraction rear. The total cost for a car such as this was around $5,300-a lot of money in '62. After the car was assembled in St. Louis, it was driven to Yenko Chevrolet for race prep. It was quite common back then for cars such as this to be picked up at the factory and then driven to an owner's shop. Don Yenko's team was experienced in turning Corvettes into race cars, so the car was well prepared. Almost all of the prep work was bolted on and easily removable, as we'll see later.

Davis' Corvette got the standard prep treatment. The front and rear bumpers were removed, and vents and a deflector were added to the hood. A 37-gallon fuel tank was added, and the rear glass was modified to accommodated a quick-fill gas cap. Plexiglas replaced the side windows, and an aluminum racing seat was installed in place of the stock bucket. A full complement of Stewart-Warner gauges were added, along with a Motorola two-way radio. A roll bar was installed, and the interior carpeting was replaced with rubber mats. Chromed-steel lift bars were added to the front and rear to assist in pit stops. The engine was essentially stock, with the factory cast-iron exhaust manifolds connected to 2-1/4-in exhaust pipes that exited just ahead of the rear wheels. Koni shocks were used, and Goodyear Blue Streak 7.00-15 tires were mounted on the stock steel wheels. FIA-required marker lights were added to the roof and passenger side, and the stock Ermine White body was treated to a blue racing stripe that ran over the center of the car, from front to back. The side coves were painted with the same blue paint. From there, it was off to the races.

At its first race, at Daytona in January, the Gulf Oil Corvette came in Second. The next month, the car took First Place at the Daytona Continental. In March, the team took another First Place win at Sebring. At the Washington Marlboro Governor's race, the car did not finish. Then, from the Virginia International President's Cup race in April to the final race of the season at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix, the Gulf Oil '62 fuelie won every time to take the A/Production Championship.

With the arrival of the much-improved C2 Corvette, Davis sold his champion '62 fuelie to Tony Denman in favor of a new Z06. But the '62 was still potent enough to take the pole position at Daytona in January of 1963. Denman raced the car a few times, then converted it back to a street car and sold it as a big-brake '62 fuelie. For the next 16 years, the car's owners didn't have a clue that they were driving a former A/Production champion. That is, until Reverend Mike Ernst bought the Vette off of a used-car lot for $3,500 in 1979. Ernst noticed a few unusual things about the car, researched its past, and discovered what he'd purchased. Fortunately for Ernst, Tony Denman had saved most of the race-car parts, and he was willing to sell them so Ernst could restore the car to its former glory.

Since then, the car has had several owners and a few restorations. In August 2008, at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the Gulf Oil '62 Corvette sold for $1,485,000. It's worth noting that Davis actually purchased two identical Corvettes in 1962 and raced both. The second car was not as successful, but, like its more famous sibling, it was ultimately converted back to a street Vette. So where is that car today? No one knows. - KST