gave it a prototype VIN number #
and it was added to the Chevrolet test
fleet inventory. The aim was to use it
to develop high-performance parts for
the new small-block V-8 engine. Mauri
Rose sent #5951 to Smokey Yunick’s
shop in Daytona Beach near the end
of 1954 to replace its I-6 engine with a
265ci small-block. Yunick also swapped
the Powerglide automatic with a close-
ratio three-speed manual transmission.
This transmission became standard in
all 1955 V-8–powered Corvettes. It was
returned to Michigan and assigned to
Duntov for testing. Zora used this pro-
totype to evaluate engine, suspension
and aerodynamic improvements for the
Corvette. He was well aware of Corvette’s
performance shortcomings, because
of the exotic sports cars he worked on
when he lived in Europe. He gave the
Corvette a new identification number
EX87/5951 for the project. His first order
of business was to correct its poor high-
speed handling by altering the front/rear
suspension settings and their attachment
points. During testing, Zora discovered
exhaust fumes were entering the cabin
so he used yarn to identify the problem.
He photographed the car in motion to
watch how the yarn behaved. He found
that moving the exhaust outlets to exit
through the rear bumper stopped the
cabin fumes. This exhaust outlet design
became standard on all 1956 Corvettes.
Each year, NASCAR sanctioned the
Pikes Peak Hill Climb up the 14,000-
foot mountain range in Colorado. Mr.
Cole wanted to demonstrate Chevrolet’s
high-performance capabilities and
decided to attempt breaking the Pikes
Peak record for unmodified sedans.
He assigned Duntov to drive a camou-
flaged 1956 Chevrolet coupe equipped
with the “power pack” 265 engine to
attempt to break the record. Duntov
drove the sedan up the mountain in 17
minutes and 24.04 seconds and beat the
record by two minutes. It was a press
bonanza for the dull Chevrolet brand.
NASCR President Bill France was on
hand and encouraged Chevrolet to
begin participating in NASCAR events.
Duntov wanted to run a Corvette at the
1956 Flying Mile event on the sands of
Daytona Beach. He told Cole that he felt
that the Corvette was capable of reach-
ing 150 mph in the flying-mile event if it
was properly prepared. Cole was skepti-
cal but gave Zora permission to preparea test “mule” Corvette to test his theory.
Corvette #5951 VIN was expanded
to include EX87 for his project. It was
delivered to assistant chief engineer
Jim Premo to install a NASCAR kit on
the Corvette. This included a tail fin/
headrest, two cut down windscreens
and a fiberglass passenger seat cover.
Premo and his group added a precision
tachometer on the steering column and
a complete underside belly pan. They
installed an early version of the 1956
225hp high-performance small-block
V-8 and instruments to monitor engine
performance. These included: under-
hood air temperature, fuel pressure,
manifold pressure, water, oil and under-
hood pressure gauges.
Duntov performed high-speed
tests with the revised Corvette at the
Milford proving grounds. He discov-
ered the engine was underpowered and
unable to reach 150 mph. He designed
the legendary Duntov camshaft to
improve the engine’s top end perfor-
mance. Ed Cole was encouraged by
Duntov’s testing and decided to field a
team of Corvettes at the 1956 Daytona
Speed Weeks and 12 Hours of Sebring.
Duntov determined he needed up toEX87 was not fitted with a rollbar. The only safety equipment was a seat belt. The
fiberglass cover covered the dash and included a small windscreen.
Standard seating was used in this proto-
type and did not provide much support
for the driver. The headrest provided a
place for Duntov’s head to be held when
the wind pushed it back at 150+ mph.VETTEWEB.COM 17