Corvettes at Carlisle 2014 Special Display: Rare Mid-Engine Corvette-CERV II

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Ellwood

The Corvette was born in 1953 and in less than ten years, the face of the car changed dramatically, especially in areas related to performance and competition.  One of the driving forces behind this evolution was National Corvette Hall of Fame member Zora Duntov.  Duntov had many visions during his time with General Motors, but in 1962, he dreamed up a car that was unlike any other before it.  This car, a mid-engine racer named Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle second generation (or CERV II) was the talk of the town then and this year at the 2014 Corvettes at Carlisle, that was held August 22-24 at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds.  This historical Corvette was once again all the rage among Corvette enthusiasts.




The reason behind the car didn't come about overnight, rather it was born out of a desire to compete with the Europeans at LeMans in France.  His vision included building this racer with the engine located mid-chassis, making it four-wheel drive and slapping a V8 under its centrally-located hood.  When built, the CERV II was capable of going from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds and well over 200 mph.  The goal for all of this - to assure that this Corvette performed at a level never before seen.  Chevrolet Engineering began work on the car and while it was completed in 1964, it never competed at LeMans due to General Motors’ decision to withdraw all support from racing.  Though never part of official competition, the car did provide a testing platform for Duntov’s ultimate dream, building the highest performance streetcar in the world.

Photo Courtesy of Corvettes @ Carlisle

Photo Courtesy of Corvettes @ Carlisle

Photo Courtesy of Corvettes @ Carlisle

 

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Ellwood

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Ellwood

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Ellwood

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Ellwood

Photo Courtesy of Wayne Ellwood