1960 Chevrolet CERV I Monoposto

Led by Zora Arkus-Duntov, CERV I was initially pitched as a platform to develop and refine Chevrolet body, chassis and suspension systems. An open-wheeled vehicle with a single seat, the fiberglass body weighed only 80 pounds. As an engineering tool, it served as an essential link between the 1957 Corvette SS, Chevrolet's last pre-ban factory-built race car, and the new production 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. CERV I proved key to the development and refinement of the latter's independent rear suspension.

Known as the 'R-Car' by Chevrolet Engineering, CERV I was dubbed 'The Hillclimber' internally by GM Design as it was intended to scale and attempt a record-setting run at Pikes Peak, ultimately making the run in September of 1960. Design Vice President William 'Bill' Mitchell tasked Larry Shinoda with creating the body. This work was completed in Mitchell's clandestine 'Studio X' with the help of technical designer Tony Lapine and studio chief Ed Wayne.

CERV I was originally powered by a special lightweight version of CHevrolet's fuel-injected 283 cubic-inch V8 that developed 350 horsepower. It sat amidship and weighed only 350 pounds through the use of aluminum and magnesium components. CERV I debuted to much fanfare in November 1960 during the U.S. Grand Prix at Riverside, California.

CERV I never officially competed and was relegated to the test track during its active life. It was powered by no fewer than seven different engines during this time. Its current engine, which it received in 1963, is a 377 cubic inch V8 that produces 500 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. In this configuration, it achieved speeds of over 200 mph on the test track.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2024

Six years after his 1953 arrival at Chevrolet Engineering, chief-engineer-to-be Zora Arkus-Duntov and engineers Harold Krieger and Walt Zetye designed this radical tube-frame, single-seater, open-wheel, independent rear suspension (IRS), rear-engine (RE) Indycar-type CERV (Chevrolet Experimental Racing Vehicle), which Zora then demonstrated at the U.S. F1 Grand Prix at Riverside, CA in November 1960. While open-wheel, single-seat RE 'Formula' cars were common in international racing, this was a year before the first RE Indycar (a Cooper-Climax driven by Jack Brabham) finished 9th at the 1961 Indy 500, five years ahead of the first RE Indy 500 win by Jim Clark's Lotus-Ford.

The fiberglass body designed by Larry Shinoda in the clandestine 'Studio X' weighed only 80 pounds. CERVI I was originally powered by a special lightweight version of Chevrolet's fuel-injected 283 cubic-inch V8 that developed 350 horsepower and weighed only 350 pounds through the use of aluminum and magnesium components. An impressive power-to-weight ratio rarely achieved even in high-performance aircraft at the time. During its active life, CERV I was powered by no less than seven different engines, the last of which was the 377 cubic-inch Grand Sport V8.

According to Corvette historian Karl Ludvigsen, Zora started thinking RE race car in 1957 partly because of cockpit heat problems in the front-engine Corvette SE racer. And he knew that the traction and handling advantages of locating a rear-wheel-drive racer's engine weight just ahead of its rear axle were well-proven.

Designed to Indy-car dimensions but powered (initially) by an experimental all-aluminum 353 horsepower 283 CID V8 engine - much larger than allowed by 1959 Indy 500 rules - this first CERV never competed but was used extensively for handling development and demonstrations of ME and IRS. Duntov tested it at Pikes Peak, Daytona and Sebring, and in 1964 (with a more powerful Hilborn fuel-injected experimental 337 CID engine) drove it to an astounding average speed record of 206.1 mph on GM's Milford Proving Grounds five-mile circular track.