Posted on 01/10/2013 12:18:11 AM PST by Impala64ssa
We think it is fair to say that today, most people take video recording technology for granted. After all, most smartphones come equipped with video recorders that produce better-quality movies than those huge home video camcorders from just 20 years ago. Sixty years ago, filmmaking was still astonishingly primitive, and few car companies bothered to record, nevermind release, the hundreds of thousands of hours of engineering footage they took from back then.
CorvetteBlogger has come across some footage that is remarkably relevant to right now. The video above is a little more than two-minutes of 1953 Corvette engineering test footage, and includes some rare shots of Corvette patriarch Zora Arkus-Duntov at the wheel of the car that would become his legacy.
There is no sound to the video, so at times it can be hard to know what we’re seeing. The initial footage appears to have to do with airflow around the Corvette, as this was a time when aerodynamics were starting to become important. From there the footage shows Zora driving the Corvette and throwing his hands into the air. Why? Who knows, but it looks fun!
Next up is a hill climb test pitting the Corvette and its Blue Flame six-cylinder engine against another Chevy sedan. It is remarkable just how slow the original Corvette is… and how much slower the sedan is going up the hill. It almost hurts to watch! Thankfully the video ends on a high note, with the OG ‘Vette drifting through a dirt corner, albeit quite slowly.
With the next-generation Corvette C7 set to debut in just a few days, this footage is a reminder of just how far the Corvette has come.
Mine just turned 26..
Neat video BTW.
Mine is about to turn 47.
We have been married longer than...
Well, that’s a big never mind.
I would rather have a Jaguar or a McLaren Mercedes, Corvette may be the best sorts-car in America but its still a poorly made cheap piece or lackadaisical handling and style, it has power and performance but no finesse.
Or maybe I watch too much Top Gear on BBC, they love the Corvette for its wildness and testosterone style, but they also know what is better.
You're entitled to your opinion even if it is completely wrong.
Rather have a Mercedes?? That would be with a chauffeur, right?
Wow. 60. WHen you say it like that...
Golden years of automobiles, where each year there were significant changes to body styles and performance options. The Corvette. I’ve only had the privelege of riding in them a couple of times.
Testing straight line tracking, and return to center after jerking the wheel then letting go.
The first Corvettes sold for around $3700. My dear old Dad told me when he bought his 1959 Impala convertible with a 348, nicely loaded he paid around $3200. He joked that in those days anyone who spent more than 3k on a Chevy could be declared legally insane.
My dad’s first new car was a $1,600 1956 Chevy. He probably could have bought two of them for the $3,000 your dad mentioned. Your dad must have really wanted to waste his money. The ‘56 even had a heater and rubber floor mats, though no radio.
Thanks for posting....
My first car was a 1956 Chevy for which I paid all of $200.00. And my third was a 1958 Corvette - 283, 3 speed. That one cost me $600!!(it was 1967...) It was the Corvette (or maybe my amazing good looks) that got me my first date with my future wife.
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