From the Archives

Bred to Race

- Drew Hardin

Corvette’s independent four corners, equalized weight, wind-tunnel styling, and performance options blend its street tractability into the roar of high-speed competition.”

That’s how automotive journalist Roger Huntington introduced a thorough, fivepage examination of the all-new 1963 Corvette’s engineering features in a January 1963 Motor Trend article called “Bred to Race.”

“This is the one we’ve been waiting for,” Huntington wrote. “And it’s all the rumors promised and more. This is a modern sports car. In most ways it’s as advanced as the latest dual-purpose sports/luxury cars from Europe and this includes the new Jaguar XK-E, Ferrari GT, Mercedes 300-SL, and all the rest. The new Corvette doesn’t have to take a back seat to any of them, in looks, performance, handling, or ride.”

An improvement in ride quality was one of the goals of Chevy’s engineering team, led by Zora Arkus-Duntov. “This might not seem vital in a sports car,” Huntington noted, “but you’ve got to remember the Corvette is designed to appeal to a larger market than just the purists and racing enthusiasts. Many Corvette owners use the car as they would a Thunderbird as a twoseater personal car.”