Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark Concept

Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark Concept, 1963

The XP-755 Mako Shark show car was designed by Larry Shinoda under the direction of GM Design head Bill Mitchell in 1961, as a concept for future Chevrolet Corvettes. In keeping with the name, the streamlining, pointed snout, and other detailing was partly inspired by the look of that very fast fish. The "Mako Shark" was very similar to the 1963 Corvette, with some alterations. These included adding two more brake lights in the rear (six total), making the nose of the car longer and more pointed, creating a clear glass roof with a periscope-like rear-view mirror, and remodeling the interior.

A widespread story has it that Mitchell had an actual shortfin mako shark mounted on the wall in his office, and ordered his team to paint the car to match the distinctive blue-gray upper surface gently blending into white underside of the fish. After numerous attempts to match the fish's color scheme failed, the team hit upon the idea of kidnapping the fish one night, painting it to match their best efforts on the car, and returning it to the office. Mitchell never realized the difference and pronounced himself pleased with the team's duplication on the car of nature's handiwork.

After a period, he removed the original body and redesigned it as the "Mako Shark II" in 1965. The original Mako Shark was then retroactively called the "Mako Shark I".

The 1968 Corvette styling was highly derivative of the Mako Shark II.

Chevrolet Stingray Racer Concept

Chevrolet Stingray Racer Concept 1959

Chevrolet Stingray Racer Concept 1959

Chevrolet Nomad

Chevrolet Nomad 1957

The Chevrolet Nomad was a station wagon produced by the Chevrolet Motor Division of the General Motors Corporation from 1955 to 1961. The Nomad is best remembered as a two-door station wagon and is commonly associated with the "surf culture" of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Nomad was considered Chevrolet's halo model during its three-year production as a two-door station wagon.

1955-1957
The two-door Nomad differed from other station wagons of the era by having unique styling more reminiscent of a hardtop than of a standard station wagon. Chevrolet shared this body with its sister Pontiac, which marketed their version as the Pontiac Safari.

The Nomad's unique design had its roots in a General Motors Motorama show car of the same name that was based on the Corvette. GM approved production of the vehicle if the design could be transferred to its full-size models, because top GM brass felt that they could sell more models if it were attached to the popular Bel Air model.


1958-1961
For the 1958 model year, Chevrolet applied the Nomad name to its traditional top-line four-door station wagon.

In 1959, the Nomad was transferred to the expanded Impala model range, which had replaced the Bel Air as the top-line Chevrolet. Chevrolet continued to use the Nomad name until the end of the 1961 model year, when all Chevrolet station wagons adopted their parent model name.

1964 through 1980's

The Nomad returned again in 1964 and 1965 as a two-door Chevelle station wagon, and spent the rest of the 1960's as a low-level Chevelle station wagon. In the 1970's and early-1980's it was even offered as a G-Series full-size van model.

Chevrolet Nomad

Chevrolet Nomad

The Chevrolet Nomad was a station wagon produced by the Chevrolet Motor Division of the General Motors Corporation from 1955 to 1961. The Nomad is best remembered as a two-door station wagon and is commonly associated with the "surf culture" of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Nomad was considered Chevrolet's halo model during its three-year production as a two-door station wagon.

1955-1957
The 2-door Nomad differed from other station wagons of the era by having unique styling more reminiscent of a hardtop than of a standard station wagon. Chevrolet shared this body with its sister Pontiac, which marketed their version as the Pontiac Safari.

The Nomad's unique design had its roots in a General Motors Motorama show car of the same name that was based on the Corvette. GM approved production of the vehicle if the design could be transferred to its full-size models, because top GM brass felt that they could sell more models if it were attached to the popular Bel Air model.

While considered to be a milestone vehicle design, General Motors discontinued the original Nomad at the end of the 1957 model year to focus attention on its upcoming new halo vehicles like the Chevrolet Impala.

1958-1961
For the 1958 model year, Chevrolet applied the Nomad name to its traditional top-line four-door station wagon.

In 1959, the Nomad was transferred to the expanded Impala model range, which had replaced the Bel Air as the top-line Chevrolet. Chevrolet continued to use the Nomad name until the end of the 1961 model year, when all Chevrolet station wagons adopted their parent model name.

1964 through 1980's
The Nomad returned again in 1964 and 1965 as a two-door Chevelle station wagon, and spent the rest of the 1960's as a low-level Chevelle station wagon. In the 1970's and early-1980's it was even offered as a G-Series full-size van model.

Chevrolet Corvette C1

Chevrolet Corvette C1, 1953

The Chevrolet Corvette C1 is a sporty automobile produced from 1953 through 1962. It is the first generation of Chevrolet Corvettes built and marketed by Chevrolet.

The Design
While the style of a car may be just as important to some as to how well the car runs, automobile manufacturers did not begin to pay attention to car designs until the 1920s. It was not until 1927, when General Motors hired designer Harley Earl, that automotive styling and design became important to American automobile manufacturers. What Henry Ford did for automobile manufacturing principles, Harley Earl did for car design. Most of GM's flamboyant "dream car" designs of the 1950s are directly attributable to Earl, leading one journalist to comment that the designs were "the American psyche made visible." Harley Earl loved sports cars, and GIs returning after serving overseas World War II were bringing home MGs, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos and the like. Earl convinced GM that they needed to build a two-seat sports car. The result was the 1953 Corvette, unveiled to the public at that year's Motorama car show. The original Corvette emblem incorporated an American flag into the design; this was later dropped, since associating the flag with a product was frowned upon.

Its name from the corvette, a small, maneuverable fighting frigate (the credit for the naming goes to Myron Scott), the first Corvettes were virtually hand built in Flint, Michigan in Chevrolet's Customer Delivery Center, now an academic building at Kettering University. The outer body was made out of a revolutionary new composite material called fiberglass, selected in part because of steel quotas left over from the war. Underneath that radical new body were standard Chevrolet components, including the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder truck engine, two-speed Power glide automatic transmission, and drum brakes from Chevrolet's regular car line. Though the engine's output was increased somewhat, thanks to a triple-carburetor intake exclusive to the Corvette, performance of the car was decidedly lackluster. Compared to the British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette was underpowered, required a great deal of effort as well as clear roadway to bring to a stop, and even lacked a "proper" manual transmission. Up until that time, the Chevrolet division was GM's entry-level marque, known for excellent but no-nonsense cars. Nowhere was that more evident than in the Corvette. A Paxton supercharger became available in 1954 as a dealer-installed option, greatly improving the Corvette's straight-line performance, but sales continued to decline.

GM was seriously considering shelving the project, leaving the Corvette to be little more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for two important events. The first was the introduction in 1955 of Chevrolet's first V8 engine (a 265 in³ {4.3 L}) since 1919, and the second was the influence of a Soviet emigre in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. Arkus-Duntov simply took the new V8 and backed it with a three-speed manual transmission. That modification, probably the single most important in the car's history, helped turn the Corvette from a two-seat curiosity into a genuine performer. It also earned Arkus-Duntov the rather inaccurate nickname "Father of the Corvette".

The first generation is commonly referred to as a solid-axle, based on the fact that independent rear suspension (IRS) was not available until 1963.

Fuel injection

The first generation started in 1953 and ended in 1962, with the noteworthy addition of optional fuel injection in 1957. This new induction system first saw regular use on a gasoline engine two years prior on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gull wing" roadster. Although the Corvette's GM-Rochester fuel injection system used a constant flow style fuel injection system as opposed to the diesel style nozzle metering system of the Mercedes' six cylinders, the system nevertheless produced about 290HP. The number was derated by Chevrolet's advertising agency for the 283HP/283 in³ (4.6 L) one hp per in³ slogan, making it one of the first mass-produced engines in history to reach 1 hp/in³. In 1962, the GM Small-Block was enlarged to 327 in³ (5.4 L) and produced a maximum of 360 hp (268 kW). Other early options included Power windows (1956), hydraulically operated power convertible top (1956), four speed manual transmission (mid 1957), and heavy duty brake and suspension options (1957).

Chevrolet Corvette C2, 1963

Chevrolet Corvette C2, 1963

 

The Chevrolet Corvette C2 is a sports car designed by Larry Shinoda under the styling direction of Bill Mitchell, and produced between 1963 and 1967. It is the second generation or mid-year Chevrolet Corvette built and marketed by Chevrolet.

1963 would see the introduction of the new Corvette Sting Ray coupé with its distinctive split rear window and fake hood vents as well as an independent rear suspension. The split rear window was discontinued in 1964 due to safety concerns. Because they made the design too busy, the hood vents were also cut. Power for 1963 was at 365 hp (272 kW) hitting 375 hp (280 kW) in 1964.

4-wheel disc brakes were introduced in 1965, as was a "big-block" engine option (the 396 in³ (6.5 L) V8). Side exhaust pipes appeared on the 1965 Stingray and persisted through 1969. Chevrolet would up the ante in 1966 with the introduction of an even larger 427 in³ (7 L) version, creating what would be one of the most collectible Corvettes ever. 1967 saw a L88 version of the 427 introduced which was rated at 430 hp (321 kW), but unofficial estimates place the actual output at 550 hp (410 kW) or more. Only twenty such engines were placed in the 1967 Corvette, and the cars can fetch US$600,000 or more in auction today. From 1967-1969, the 1282 cfm Holley triple two-barrel carbuetor, or Tri-Power, was available on the 427. The 1967 Corvette originally was going to be the first of the C3 generation; however, due to delays the C3 had to be put off until 1968. Other early options available on the C2 included AM-FM radio (mid 1963), air conditioning (1963), telescopic wheel (1965), head rests, presumably to prevent whiplash (1966).

The 1965 introduction of the 425HP 396 c.i. big block was ultimately the harbinger of doom for the Rochester Fuel injection system. The 396 425HP option cost $145. The 327-370HP Fuelie option cost $500. Few people could justify spending $355 more, for 55 hp less. When less than a thousand fuelie cars were built in 1965, Chevy stopped the program. It was indeed short sighted. Chevy was way ahead of its time and had they continued every car that says Lucas or Bosch Fuel injection now, may have said Rochester. As of this writing GM does not make any carburated cars.

In 2004, Sports Car International named the Stingray number five on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.
The design of this generation had several inspirations. The first was the contemporary Jaguar E-Type, of which Mitchell owned one and enjoyed driving it frequently. Bill Mitchell also sponsored a car known as the "Mitchell Sting Ray" in 1959, because Chevrolet no longer participated in factory racing. This vehicle had the largest impact on the styling of this generation, although it had no top and didn't give away what the coupe would look like. The third inspiration was a mako shark that Mitchell caught while deep-sea fishing.

Chevrolet Stingray Racer Concept, 1959

Chevrolet Stingray Racer Concept, 1959

Chevrolet Stingray Racer Concept, 1959

Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark Concept, 1961

Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark Concept, 1961

The XP-755 Mako Shark show car was designed by Larry Shinoda under the direction of GM Design head Bill Mitchell in 1961, as a concept for future Chevrolet Corvettes. In keeping with the name, the streamlining, pointed snout, and other detailing was partly inspired by the look of that very fast fish. The "Mako Shark" was very similar to the 1963 Corvette, with some alterations. These included adding two more brake lights in the rear (six total), making the nose of the car longer and more pointed, creating a clear glass roof with a periscope-like rear-view mirror, and remodeling the interior.

A widespread story has it that Mitchell had an actual shortfin mako shark mounted on the wall in his office, and ordered his team to paint the car to match the distinctive blue-gray upper surface gently blending into white underside of the fish. After numerous attempts to match the fish's color scheme failed, the team hit upon the idea of kidnapping the fish one night, painting it to match their best efforts on the car, and returning it to the office. Mitchell never realized the difference and pronounced himself pleased with the team's duplication on the car of nature's handiwork.

Chevrolet Nomad, 1957

Chevrolet Nomad, 1957

 

The Chevrolet Nomad was a station wagon produced by the Chevrolet Motor Division of the General Motors Corporation from 1955 to 1961. The Nomad is best remembered as a two-door station wagon and is commonly associated with the "surf culture" of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Nomad was considered Chevrolet's halo model during its three-year production as a two-door station wagon.

1955-1957
The two-door Nomad differed from other station wagons of the era by having unique styling more reminiscent of a hardtop than of a standard station wagon. Chevrolet shared this body with its sister Pontiac, which marketed their version as the Pontiac Safari.

The Nomad's unique design had its roots in a General Motors Motorama show car of the same name that was based on the Corvette. GM approved production of the vehicle if the design could be transferred to its full-size models, because top GM brass felt that they could sell more models if it were attached to the popular Bel Air model.

While considered to be a milestone vehicle design, General Motors discontinued the original Nomad at the end of the 1957 model year to focus attention on its upcoming new halo vehicles like the Chevrolet Impala.

Chevrolet Nomad, 1954

Chevrolet Nomad, 1954

The Chevrolet Nomad was a station wagon produced by the Chevrolet Motor Division of the General Motors Corporation from 1955 to 1961. The Nomad is best remembered as a two-door station wagon and is commonly associated with the "surf culture" of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The Nomad was considered Chevrolet's halo model during its three-year production as a two-door station wagon.

1955-1957
The two-door Nomad differed from other station wagons of the era by having unique styling more reminiscent of a hardtop than of a standard station wagon. Chevrolet shared this body with its sister Pontiac, which marketed their version as the Pontiac Safari.

The Nomad's unique design had its roots in a General Motors Motorama show car of the same name that was based on the Corvette. GM approved production of the vehicle if the design could be transferred to its full-size models, because top GM brass felt that they could sell more models if it were attached to the popular Bel Air model.
While considered to be a milestone vehicle design, General Motors discontinued the original Nomad at the end of the 1957 model year to focus attention on its upcoming new halo vehicles like the Chevrolet Impala.

1958-1961
For the 1958 model year, Chevrolet applied the Nomad name to its traditional top-line four-door station wagon.

In 1959, the Nomad was transferred to the expanded Impala model range, which had replaced the Bel Air as the top-line Chevrolet. Chevrolet continued to use the Nomad name until the end of the 1961 model year, when all Chevrolet station wagons adopted their parent model name.

1964 through 1980's
The Nomad returned again in 1964 and 1965 as a two-door Chevelle station wagon, and spent the rest of the 1960's as a low-level Chevelle station wagon. In the 1970's and early-1980's it was even offered as a G-Series full-size van model.

Chevrolet Corvette C1, 1953

Chevrolet Corvette C1, 1953

 

 

The Chevrolet Corvette C1 is a sporty automobile produced from 1953 through 1962. It is the first generation of Chevrolet Corvettes built and marketed by Chevrolet.

Design
While the style of a car may be just as important to some as to how well the car runs, automobile manufacturers did not begin to pay attention to car designs until the 1920s. It was not until 1927, when General Motors hired designer Harley Earl, that automotive styling and design became important to American automobile manufacturers. What Henry Ford did for automobile manufacturing principles, Harley Earl did for car design. Most of GM's flamboyant "dream car" designs of the 1950s are directly attributable to Earl, leading one journalist to comment that the designs were "the American psyche made visible." Harley Earl loved sports cars, and GIs returning after serving overseas World War II were bringing home MGs, Jaguars, Alfa Romeos and the like. Earl convinced GM that they needed to build a two-seat sports car. The result was the 1953 Corvette, unveiled to the public at that year's Motorama car show. The original Corvette emblem incorporated an American flag into the design; this was later dropped, since associating the flag with a product was frowned upon.

Taking its name from the corvette, a small, maneuverable fighting frigate (the credit for the naming goes to Myron Scott), the first Corvettes were virtually handbuilt in Flint, Michigan in Chevrolet's Customer Delivery Center, now an academic building at Kettering University. The outer body was made out of a revolutionary new composite material called fiberglass, selected in part because of steel quotas left over from the war. Underneath that radical new body were standard Chevrolet components, including the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder truck engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, and drum brakes from Chevrolet's regular car line. Though the engine's output was increased somewhat, thanks to a triple-carburetor intake exclusive to the Corvette, performance of the car was decidedly lackluster. Compared to the British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette was underpowered, required a great deal of effort as well as clear roadway to bring to a stop, and even lacked a "proper" manual transmission. Up until that time, the Chevrolet division was GM's entry-level marque, known for excellent but no-nonsense cars. Nowhere was that more evident than in the Corvette. A Paxton supercharger became available in 1954 as a dealer-installed option, greatly improving the Corvette's straight-line performance, but sales continued to decline.
Chevrolet Corvette C1

GM was seriously considering shelving the project, leaving the Corvette to be little more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for two important events. The first was the introduction in 1955 of Chevrolet's first V8 engine (a 265 in³ {4.3 L}) since 1919, and the second was the influence of a Soviet emigre in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. Arkus-Duntov simply took the new V8 and backed it with a three-speed manual transmission. That modification, probably the single most important in the car's history, helped turn the Corvette from a two-seat curiosity into a genuine performer. It also earned Arkus-Duntov the rather inaccurate nickname "Father of the Corvette".

The first generation is commonly referred to as a solid-axle, based on the fact that independent rear suspension (IRS) was not available until 1963.

Fuel injection
The first generation started in 1953 and ended in 1962, with the noteworthy addition of optional fuel injection in 1957. This new induction system first saw regular use on a gasoline engine two years prior on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Gullwing" roadster. Although the Corvette's GM-Rochester fuel injection system used a constant flow style fuel injection system as opposed to the diesel style nozzle metering system of the Mercedes' six cylinders, the system nevertheless produced about 290HP. The number was derated by Chevrolet's advertising agency for the 283HP/283 in³ (4.6 L) one hp per in³ slogan, making it one of the first mass-produced engines in history to reach 1 hp/in³. In 1962, the GM Small-Block was enlarged to 327 in³ (5.4 L) and produced a maximum of 360 hp (268 kW). Other early options included Power windows (1956), hydraulically operated power convertible top (1956), four speed manual transmission (mid 1957), and heavy duty brake and suspension options (1957).

Chevrolet Pick-Up, 1949

Chevrolet Pick-Up, 1949

Chevrolet Pick-Up, 1949

Chevrolet Truck Classic V-8, 1949

Chevrolet Truck Classic V-8, 1949

Chevrolet Truck Classic V-8, 1949

Chevrolet Depot Hack, 1948

Chevrolet Depot Hack, 1948

Chevrolet Depot Hack, 1948

Chevrolet Deluxe, 1947

Chevrolet Deluxe, 1947

Chevrolet Deluxe, 1947

Chevrolet Prenston Gale 1931

Chevrolet Prenston Gale 1931

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Chevrolet Prenston Gale 1931

Chevrolet 4DR, 1928

Chevrolet 4DR, 1928

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Chevrolet 4DR, 1928

Chevrolet Depot Hack, 1927

Chevrolet Depot Hack, 1927

Chevrolet Depot Hack, 1927

1927 Chevy. Beautiful, fully restored 1927 Chevy 1/2 ton soft side delivery truck. It was built in an Oakland, CA truck plant, and presently appears as it did originally, in every detail!
The restoration includes wooden spoke wheels, new paint, new wide whitewall tires, new top and side covers. All chrome and all wood in the vehicle have been restored to their pristine condition.
The gorgeous specimen is in excellent running condition, and will take you back to a slower, more opulent time of manners and beauty. It's a must-see. It has a first place trophy from a local show, and is ready for a repeat performance.

Chevrolet 4x4 Pickup, 1948

Chevrolet 4x4 Pickup, 1948

Chevrolet 4x4 Pickup, 1948

Truck was built to race in mud, converted to four wheel drive, 502 aluminum headed motor JW turbo 400 trans with brake and mid plate, 9inch frod rear with full spoil attached to trailing arm suspinsion, disc brakes, Dyna max exhaust, Dana 44 front with rack & pintion steering, roll cage real nice

Chevrolet Deluxe, 1947

Chevrolet Deluxe, 1947

Chevrolet Deluxe, 1947

The true eye catcher and show car has 8 switches control for air bags done by master image customs. Costs over 4K for airbags , small block engine 350 shaved doors and popup door missing the remote but you can buy them any where .

The interior is clean and nice. Custom made mufflers (flow master brand new) , CB and amplifier , lots more things.

This is a truly a great ride and enjoyment