The CERV I today. Photo courtesy RM Sotheby’s.
Call them the greatest Corvettes that never were, or view them as reminder of what might have been had GM not adopted a “no racing” edict in 1957 and again in 1963, but even decades after their retirement, the Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicles draw crowds wherever they’re displayed. Seeing one is a rare event, but this year’s Lake Mirror Classic in Lakeland, Florida, will see the open-wheel CERV I displayed together with the later CERV II, something that’s happened on just a handful of previous occasions since the 1986 closure of the Briggs Cunningham Automotive Museum.
Initially developed between 1959 and 1960, the CERV I was either a prototype racing car for Chevrolet to try its hand at the Indianapolis 500 (and, oddly enough, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb), or a rolling testbed used to develop body, suspension, transaxle and chassis components. As Daniel Strohl pointed out in a 2015 article on the car’s appearance at auction, even Zora Arkus Duntov himself may not have been clear on the car’s ultimate objective.
The CERV I, circa 1960. Photo courtesy GM Heritage Center.
From the onset, the CERV I was designed along the lines of a racing car, with the engine mounted behind the driver and all four wheels exposed. As in racing, weight was the enemy, so the CERV I used a fiberglass body (penned by Larry Shinoda) mounted on a chrome-moly steel tube frame. Even the small-block aluminum V-8 engine was built using magnesium bits where possible, resulting in a curb weight of 1,600 pounds (1,450 pounds dry).
While the CERV I was used for component testing, it also made several race track appearances (though never in competition). Period photos show it at Pikes Peak, wearing deep lug rear tires, where it was exercised on the mountain by Duntov himself. The car also appeared at the Riverside Grand Prix, where it ran exhibition laps in the hands of Duntov, Dan Gurney and Stirling Moss.
Over the course of its testing life, the CERV I carried a series of V-8 engines, some with forced induction, others normally aspirated. The engine currently mounted in the car, a 377-cu.in. V-8 with cross-ram fuel injection from Hilborn, powered the CERV I to its top recorded speed of 206 MPH at GM’s Milford Proving Grounds in 1964, with Duntov behind the wheel.
The CERV II, circa 1964. Photo courtesy GM Heritage Center.
By the time the CERV I topped 200 MPH in Michigan, GM was already hard at work developing the CERV II. Initially, its purpose was to carry the Chevrolet banner into the arena of prototype sports car racing, where the CERV II (or the car it birthed) would compete against the Ford GT40 at venues like Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. Like the production-based Corvette Grand Sports, however, the CERV II fell victim to GM management’s second “no racing” decree, prompting Duntov to once again shift the car’s primary focus.
If he couldn’t go racing with the CERV II, Duntov was determined to use the car to develop a “Super Corvette” for the street, furthering the mid-engine Corvette rumors begun with the CERV I. Wrapped in an aerodynamic body penned by Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine, the CERV II was initially powered by an alloy 378-cu.in. V-8 with Hilborn fuel injection, reportedly good for around 500 horsepower. Instead of sending power to the rear wheels, the CERV II used an innovative all-wheel drive system with dual torque converters to vary the power sent to front and rear wheels with vehicle speed.
The CERV II today. Photo by Richard Lentinello.
With racing as its original raison d’etre, the CERV II was built to be light in weight, so titanium was used for hubs, connecting rods, valves and exhaust manifolds, while magnesium was used for the wheels. Further upping the handling game, the CERV II used four-wheel independent suspension and experimental low-profile Firestone tires, with disc brakes in all corners to ensure fade-free braking from speed.
The CERV II also carried several engines throughout the course of its life, and in 1970 was running a 427-cu.in. ZL-1 V-8 rated at 550 horsepower. With this setup, which remains in the car today, the CERV II was capable of stunning performance, dashing from 0-60 MPH in 2.8 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 200 MPH.
Neither CERV enjoyed the racing glory they were ultimately designed for, and in 1972 General Motors donated the CERV I to Briggs Cunningham’s museum in Costa Mesa, California. The CERV II found its way into the museum as well, and when the facility closed its doors in 1986, both research vehicles eventually passed into separate collections.
Taking place October 14-16, this year’s Lake Mirror Classic, the 17th edition of the show, will give attendees a rare opportunity to see both the CERV I and CERV II displayed together, alongside an estimated 600 vehicles parked on the Lake Mirror promenade and adjacent downtown Lakeland streets. The weekend begins with Friday’s “Hot Rod Rumble” and Heacock Insurance-sponsored new car show, followed by Saturday’s classic car show and 175-car concours d’elegance, ending with Sunday’s Hemmings Motor News Road Tour, open to all vehicles.
For more information, or to register a vehicle, visit LakeMirrorClassic.com.
See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/09/20/2016-lake-mirror-classic-offers-rare-chance-to-see-gms-cerv-i-and-cerv-ii-together/
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