63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

[Robert I.]

I loved the article on the 63 Z06 Corvettes in the current issue of the Corvette Restorer Magazine.

It got me to thinking. How many cars were required to be built by the SCCA for it to be a production sports car?

There were 998 Cobras produced between 61 and 68.

It drew the crowds, but had enough Cobras been manufactured in the fall of 62 and the spring of 63 for them to be a production sports car?

I remember seeing the Porsche 904 being raced as a production sports car and there were only 106 ever made.

BTW I was at the Riverside race in late 62 when the Cobras and the Corvettes first raced. For some reason I didn't have a camera with me and I sat at the start/finish, not my usual spot. I've read that Duntov was there and I knew what he looked like, but I don't remember seeing him.

But I was at Riverside when the Cobras won for the first time and had my movie camera with me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m3OVcuefs4

I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this.

[Richard K.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

Cool video. Thanks for posting.

[Mark E.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

Some nice shots; thanks for posting this.

At the end a script says "3 1/2 years later both would be gone." What is this referring to?

[Robert I.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

I also took this video of the first 289 Cobra victory at Dodger Stadium. Even though the Cobras won both days, the track record was held by Bob Bondurant in the Washburn Chevrolet Z06.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpwFCs72TnM

This is my favorite video of a C1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4uVQ9TDQIo

[Mark H.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

Some nice shots; thanks for posting this.

At the end a script says "3 1/2 years later both would be gone." What is this referring to?

Dave MacDonald and Ken Miles the two Cobra drivers. Dave MacDonald was killed at the 1964 Indy 500 and Ken Miles was killed testing the Ford "J-Car" at Riverside, August 1966.

[David B.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

Dave MacDonald and Ken Miles the two Cobra drivers. Dave MacDonald was killed at the 1964 Indy 500 and Ken Miles was killed testing the Ford "J-Car" at Riverside, August 1966.

I discovered by accident the OO7 Dave MacDonald ZO6 (#684) here in Detroit in the early 1980's. Owned it for a number of years. At the time I purchased it was painted a beautaous yellow. Because of other changes made to the car I do not think it lasted on the West coast for much more then a year or so. Mike Pillsbury helped me trace the car back to Don Steves Chevrolet in LA.

[Don H.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

this one?

dave macdonald's 1963 z06 stingray at palm springs.jpg

[Michael J.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

64MCACN.jpgWait, I thought it was black......

[Duke W.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

Back then the FIA required 100 examples be produced for homologation in GT classes. I recall SCCA rules for productiom classes were a bit more restrictive, requiring at least 500 examples.

For the October '62 Riverside six-hour enduro SCCA established a temporary Experimental Production (XP) class for the new Sting Ray and Cobra. I don't understand why SCCA would not place the Sting Rays in AP and the Cobras in XP because by the end of September over 500 new Sting Rays had been built, but it took Shelby over two years to compete over 500 289s and the 427 was classified AP for '66 despite only about 200 examples being built through the end of Cobra production in 1967.

So there were "rules', but they were far outnumbered by shenanigans and politics.

The most famous surrounds the Ferrari 250 GTO. The Old Man promised the FIA in '62 that he would built 100 examples, so they allowed it to run in the GT class, but when the FIA found out only 39 examples had been produced they rejected his request to homologate the 250LM for the GT class resulting in it having to race in the prototype class. As a result Ferrari didn't send a factory team to LeMans in '64, but the FIA got even by homologating the Cobra Daytona Couple as a GT car even though only six were produced.

In later years the FIA put considerably more effort into enforcing the rules. For '68 prototypes were restricted to 3.0 liters, but a new "Sports Car" class was established requiring 50 cars with a 5.0 liter limit, which allowed the small block GT-40s to race in the sports class and they won LeMans in '68 and '69. I guess the FIA got tired of seeing Ford win all the glory, so for '70 they lowered production requirement for "Sports Cars" to 25, which opened the door for Porsche, and the FIA went to the Porsche factory to inspect the number of 917s and 25 were either completed or in the final stages of construction.

Duke

[Michael J.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

1656549768_23001_w.jpgYes, some of these "rules" seemed so odd and arbitrary. Like that requirement that a certain size suitcase had to be able to fit in the trunk area. When I got my 1964 50th Anniversary FIA Cobra, they had to explain why those dimples existed......

[David B.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

this one?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]120374[/ATTACH]

Yes, I sold it to a Doctor.

[Robert I.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

"The most famous surrounds the Ferrari 250 GTO. The old man promised the FIA in '62 that he would built 100 examples, so they allowed it to run in the GT class, but when the FIA found out only 38 examples had been produced"

I had heard that Ferrari made the GTO and option for the 250GT. Don't know if that's true or not.

[Tim G.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

The Dave McDonald ZO6 was vintage raced heavily on the West Coast in the early 90's, I saw it regularly at Laguna Seca and Sears Point.

[George J.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

"The most famous surrounds the Ferrari 250 GTO. The old man promised the FIA in '62 that he would built 100 examples, so they allowed it to run in the GT class, but when the FIA found out only 38 examples had been produced"

I had heard that Ferrari made the GTO and option for the 250GT. Don't know if that's true or not.

Bob,
I think you are mostly correct. They let him consider the GTO as an evolution of the the 250 GT short wheel base, or 250 GT swb.

George

[Duke W.]

Re: 63 Z06 article in Corvette Restorer

It was Ferrari who tried to convince the FIA that the 250 GTO was just an "updated" 250 GT SWB that used the same chassis as all the 250 short wheel base (94.5") road cars, solid axle and all, but the FIA didn't buy it, and to "get even" over the fact that the promised build was much less than the required 100 to qualify for the GT class, the FIA homologated the Cobra Daytona Coupe that, like the GTO, was a slick aerodynamic body on an existing chassis, the 289 roadster, even though only six of these Pete Brock-designed bodies were ever built.

The FIA also refused to homologate the 250 LM as a GT, yet a 250 LM entered by USA Ferrari importer Luigi Chinneti's North American Racing Team (NART), not the Ferrari works was the overall winner at LeMans in '65 because the works P2s and Ford GTs all broke, and I think to this day that was the last year that a Ferrari scored an overall win at LeMans.

Duke