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Greetings,
Scott Teeters here and welcome to the September / October 2007 issue of The Illustrated Corvette Series Newsletter.
It seems like Summer passed us faster than a C6.R Corvette. Depending on where you life, you might have a few weeks to a few months of nice weather to get out and enjoy the Corvette scene. If the weather is great all year around, don't rub it in. LOL
It was so busy here that this newsletter is going out a few weeks late. Actually, Illustrated Corvette Series No. 128 is almost complete. No. 128 covers the 1963 Z06 Corvette. From a '63 perspective, this car was every bit as hot as today's Z06. The biggest difference is that today's Z06 can be your daily ride, where as the Z06 from '63 was a few strokes away from a race car. And there's also the matter of a $60,000 difference in price.
So, with a lot to share with you, here are the highlights.
* The new Illustrated Corvette Series No. 127
- The 1960 Briggs Cunningham Le Mans-winning Corvette.
* The new Illustrated Corvette Series II No. 127
The 1960 Briggs Cunningham Le Mans-winning Corvette - same art used in the Vette Magazine column, but no story copy.
The Briggs Cunninghan Car Museum - An amazing collection of stunning sports and classic cars.
* New "Old" Vette Quarterly illustrated articles from Scott's art files - It will be obvious that my work has improved. A blast back to my beginning days with Vette Quarterly.
* Corvette Oddball - The XP-819 Rear-Engine Corvette
* Corvette Emblems in Steel - These are just ott cool!
* Hot From the Rumor Mill...
Ready for the '09 ZR1 Corvette?
* Personalized Corvette Prints - Have it your way!
On we go!
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The Latest Illustrated Corvette Series: ICS No. 128
"Briggs Cunningham's 1960 Corvette
Le Mans Assault"
 Forty-one years before the C5-R took the GTS class win at Le Mans, privateer racer Briggs "Swift" Cunningham took Le Mans by storm with a team of three white 1960 Fuel-Injected Corvettes. Cunningham was one of those guys with gasoline in his veins and was interested in racing anything that was fast. Cunningham's Corvettes were plenty fast, managing to seriously frightened the race officials with their unusual handling characteristics. One of Briggs' Corvettes hit 151-mph on the Mulsanne Straight.
What I find to be so interesting about early Detroit race cars (NASCAR stockers too) is how "stock" they were. The cars were about 85% factory stock and 15% aftermarket parts.
In other words, an average person could theoretically buy a Corvette similar to Briggs' car, add the extra racing parts, and go racing. Of course, it wasn't ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom easy, but one didn't need a degree in computer fuel management systems either. A timing light, a good ear, guts, and luck could get through a race.
Although Cunningham never won big in a Corvette again, he showed what was possible using parts from the Chevrolet parts catalogs. He was certainly an inspiration for a generation.
You can order ICS No. 127 directly from The Illustrated Corvette Series website by using the PayPal payment buttons, or you can call us TOLL-FREE at: 1-800-858-6670.
All
of our prints measure 11" x 17", are printed on tan parchment paper,
are signed by the artist and cost $19.95, + $4.95 S&H. For an additional $10 you can have any of our prints personalized! An excellent gift for that hard to buy for Corvette person in your life.
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The Latest Illustrated Corvette Series II : No. 127:
Briggs Cunningham's 1960 Le Mans Assault Corvettes
Now Available!
 Chip Miller of Carlisle Productions was the last owner of one of the 1960 Cunningham Le Mans 'Corvettes. I believe that the Miller car might be the only surviving Cunningham Le Mans Corvettes. I personally do not know what ever happened to the other two Cunningham cars. But if you do, or know someone that might know,
I'd enjoy getting in touch with them.
I can be reached at: lightoak@comcast.net
All of the Illustrated Corvette Series II prints feature a large side-view rendering, as well as front and rear 3/4 views. Check it out HERE.
Each print is made on 11" x 17" tan parchment paper and signed by the artist, and cost $19.95, plus $4.95 for shipping & handling. A delightful gift for that special Corvette person that has almost everything.
And remember, any of our Corvette prints can be personalized for just an extra $10. A deal!
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Special Club Offer
I'd like to make a special offer to you and your Corvette club. Each signed, parchment paper print retails for $19.95, plus $4.95 for shipping and handling. If your club places an order for 5 or more prints, each print can be yours for just $15.00 each. That's a $4.95 savings - almost 25% off.
Each print measures 11" x 17", is made on tan parchment paper, and signed by the artist - me.
If your club orders 5 or more prints, we're offering FREE SHIPPING!!!
So, I invite you to browse our online catalog at: www.IllustratedCorvetteSeries.com We have art prints of every production Corvette from 1953 to 2007. Besides reproductions of the Vette Magazine series, I also have side-view profiles of every production Corvette and 18 Corvette engine illustrations.
If you own a Corvette,
we have an art print of YOUR CAR.
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The Briggs Cunningham Online Car Museum
 Briggs "Swift" Cunningham lived a long and fine life, and died at the age of 96. During Briggs' heydays he raced anything that was fast, including world-class racing yachts. The man loved exotic cars and spent lavishly on them. Everything he did was first-class all the way. The man's life was so big, we really can't do his memory justice here in a few paragraphs.
There is a delightful website with Cunningham's biography, photos of his cars, commentary from his fellow racers and friends. You can visit the Briggs Cunningham online museum at this address...
http://www.BriggsCunningham.com/index.html
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Scott Teeters' New "Old" Articles
 My association with Vette Magazine goes back to 1976 when the magazine was called, "Vette Quarterly" because it was a quarterly publication. When I saw the first issue, I thought it was totally "groovy" that there was finally a Corvette-only magazine. There was a Chevrolet publication titled, "Corvette News," but that was only available to Corvette owners and not sold on newsstands.
I immediately wrote a letter to then editor and publisher Marty Schorr telling him that I thought he had a great magazine, but it needed some artwork.
"So what do you want to do, Kid?" Marty asked. I fired off a short list of illustrated article ideas and the rest is Vette Magazine history. So far I have found 15 articles from 1977 to 1981. Each month I'll be adding one or two, as time permits.
My first Vette Quarterly illustrated article appeared in the 1977 - Volume 1, Number 4 issue and was titled, "Restyling the Stingray." This article featured illustrations of Corvettes as different kinds of cars: such as a Cafe Racer, a Top Speedster, a Trans-Am racer, a 4-wheel drive off-road car, and a Pro Stock racer. In the mid- '70s I was creating my pen & ink illustrations by using black india ink with a crow quill pen, on vellum or hot press illustration board. Today, my style and work technique are completely different, but it's fun to look back. Enjoy!
To access the article archives, CLICK HERE.
Note: the above image is a scan of the only copy of my first Vette article. I gave away a bunch, lost my copy, and had to buy this one at an old magazine stand where they cut off all the magazine title headers. Oh well...
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Illustrated Corvette Series Catalogs
 Our lllustrated Corvette Series website, is updated several times a month. But if you would like to receive a free 22-page catalog, you can send me an e-mail with your mailing address to:
lightoak@comcast.net
Or, you can call us toll-free at: 1-800-858-6670 and we'll be happy to send you a catalog package.
THIS JUST IN!!!
Our Corvette Art Prints catalog is now available as a FREE PDF file.
To get yours now,
CLICK HERE!
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Let's Play, "Corvette Oddball!"
Quirky Vette Factoids
Question: Did Chevrolet ever seriously consider a "rear-engine" Corvette?
Answer: Ah... yes, but fortunately, not seriously. I covered this unusual engineering study car in The Illustrated Corvette Series as installment No. 42. Take note of how tiny the car was. Here's the story...
Car
companies make prototype cars all the time. Most of these machines are
never shown to the public. Corvette prototype cars often become very
high-profile machines. Only a few were never shown, for good reason.
The XP-819 was an engineering study used to prove a point concerning
the correct direction for future Corvette development.
The XP-819 was the result of a clash between Zora Arkus-Duntov and
engineer Frank Winchell, who'd been involved with the Corvair project.
Winchell contended that you could make a balanced, rear-engine, V-8
powered sports car by using an aluminum engine and larger tires on the
rear to compensate for the rear weight bias. Duntov adamantly
disagreed. A loose design was drawn that received some very
unflattering comments from Duntov and Dave McLellan. Winchell asked
designer Larry Shinoda if he could make something beautiful with the
layout, to which Shinoda told him that a tape drawing could be shown
after lunch. Shinoda and designer John Schinella sketched out the basic
shape shown here. Duntov asked Shinoda, "Where did you cheat?"
It didn't look "too bad", so a working prototype was ordered. Shinoda
supervised the styling and Larry Nies' team of fabricators built the
car. In only two months the XP-819 was on the test track.
It turned out that Winchell's theory about rear-engine, V-8 cars didn't
work out very well. However, Shinoda's design was well received. They
were obviously into the "shark thing" and picked up styling points from
the Chaparral cars. It even had wheels from a Chaparral.
This car was definitely a Corvette, even though the back end was big.
Unfortunately, with all that weight behind the rear axle, it was only a
matter of time before it crashed during a high-speed lane change test.
The question of stability was answered, and the XP-819 was send off the
the scrap bin...almost.
Oddly enough, GM sent the car to Smokey Yunick's shop in Daytona,
Florida. The chassis was cut in half and usable parts were removed.
What was left was stored in an unused paint booth as just "old junk."
Years later, a Corvette collector was buying some parts from Yunick and
offered to buy the junked XP-819.
So the pile of car scrap was rebuilt and finished as a streetable car,
like a kit car. A cast-iron V-8 was used in place of the original
all-aluminun engine. We're talking serious rear weight bias here. It's
quick and now does awesome wheelies!
Installment No. 42 of The Illustrated Corvette series can be seen HERE.
 To see a larger verion of this print, just click the image.
Got a "Corvette Oddball" factoid that you'd like to share? Zip me off an e-mail at, lightoak@comcast.net and I'll include it in the next newsletter.
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Corvette Emblems in STEEL
These are just TOO COOL!
We have available a selection of 20 Corvette emblems from the '59 - '62 crossed flags to the C6 crossed flags that ae cut from steel. We even have the 25th, 40th, and 50th Anniversary designs and 3 Z06 emblems.
Each Corvette emblem has been cut from 12-gauge steel plate, is buff-finished, and clear-coated to prevent rust.
There are two versions of each emblem design:
The Tabletop Designs - These free-standing emblems are between15-inches and 18-inches wide, with heights that vary depending on the design.
The Wall-Mounted Designs - All wall-mounted emblems measure 36-inches wide with heights varying depending on the design.
The table top models are $79.95 + $10.95 for S&H
The wall-mounted models are $199.95 + $15.95 for S&H
Corvette Emblems in Steel look terrific in a family room (a "Corvette" family room that is) or your Corvette garage. The holiday season is quickly approaching and we're expecting heavy sales, so order early.
To see all 20 Corvette Emblems in Steel, plus the Chevy Bow Tie, 2 GTO emblems, and the AM General Hummer H2 emblem, CLICK HERE.
Pictured here is the C6 Z06 Corvette Emblem is Steel
 Pictured here is the C3 25th Anniversary
Corvette Emblem is Steel
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Hot From the Rumor Mill:
The 2009 ZR1?
Corvette gossip has always been delicious! I'm sure that you have read blurbs about the new "Corvette SS," the "Corvette Blue Devil," or the "Z07."
Now the ZR1 term is being kicked around the mill. Well, talk can be just hot air, but this is interesting. A video clip has surfaced that looks like a cell phone video captured by an observant motorhead on the highway.
Yes, preproduction cars often are driven on the the public highways and camouflaged with tape and coverings. First of all, the car looks like a Z06. Also, the car is wearing a short, full-width rear spoiler.
When you watch the video, you'll see some other interesting details. The hood could be wearing a plastic cover, or it might be unfinished carbon fiber. It also looks like the roof section might be carbon fiber as well. A carbon fiber hood and roof would make sense for a "super Vette" as part of a weight reduction program.
The other interesting part of the video is at the very end when you get to hear some VERY healthy sounds coming from whatever is under the hood of this beast.
I've been watching car spy photos for decades. What always amazes me is how when you see old spy photos from decades ago, (say of the '84 Corvette spy pictures) they always look so obvious. But when we first saw the pictures, since we did not yet know what the new car really looked like, the images always look strange.
Another point to consider is that if the Corvette team is driving a preproduction car on the public highways, it's close to being complete. Look at Phil Berg's book, "Corvette C6" and you'll see lots of spy photos taken of preproduction C6 Corvettes on public roads wearing goofy-looking covers.
Like I said, it's SO DELICIOUS.
To read the article from AutoBlog, go here...
http://www.autoblog.com/tag/corvette/
To watch the video, scroll down and look for the above image, and click the picture. Stay tuned and enjoy!
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Coming Up In The Illustrated Corvette Series
Here's what's coming up in the series for the next 4 months...
No. 128 - 1963 Z06 (October 2007)
No 129 - "Astoria Chas" Snyder Drag Racing '67 Corvette Roadster (Nov 2007)
No. 130 - 2004 Dick Guldstrand 427 Special (Dec 2007)
No. 131 - 2008 Production Corvette (Jan 2008)
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Personalized Corvette Prints
CLICK HERE, or on the above image to see the large version.
We now have over 345 Corvette art prints to choose from. Every production Vette is covered, so if you have a Corvette, we have a print of your car.
Any of our Parchment Paper Prints can be personalized for just an extra $10. We'll personalize your print any way you want. Here are a few examples based on the above image;
2006 Z06 Corvette - Bob's Baby
2006 Z06 Corvette - Nicole's First Vette
2006 Z06 Corvette - Paul & Marilyn's Retirement Ride
To have your print personalized, you can use the PayPal buttons on the page showing the print you are ordering. Or, you can place your order by phone using a credit card. Our toll-free number is: 1-800-858-6670
Everyone's Corvette is special, now you can make that print a real keepsake.
One last thing, we also have over 240 nostalgia drag racing and muscle car prints at Scott's"Motorhead Shop" website. Stop by for a look-see.
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Suggestions Anyone???
Since the series started in the Spring of '97, it has been telling the chronological history of the Corvette. Beginning this September, the series will be covering interesting famous racing Vettes, specialty Vettes, and some of the more obscure prototype and show Vettes, such as the '63 4-seater Sting Ray prototype and the 1954 Nomad. This should be a lot of fun, as there's always a good story behind race cars, prototypes, and show cars.
So, if you have a suggestion for something that you'd like to see in the series, please e-mail me at: lightoak@comcast.net. I'm open to all suggestions.
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SPECIAL CLUB OFFER!!!
When your club places an order
for 5 or more prints,
we will discount each print
$4.95 to just $15 each!
PLUS, FREE SHIPPING!!!
You can pick and choose from
our collection of over
300 Corvette prints.
Check out our selection at: www.IllustratedCorvetteSeries.com
If you have any questions or would like a FREE catalog, call us at:
1-800-858-6670.
List Price:
$19.95 + $4.95 S&H
Club Discount Price:
$15.00 each & FREE SHIPPING
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That about wraps things up for now Vette fans. Since this newsletter is a little late, I'll be sending out another in a few weeks as the October issue. The next newsletter will cover the 1963 Z06 Corvette.
Drive safe and remember the wave.
Scott
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