1964 Chevrolet CERV II Roadster

Five years after their first single-seat, open-wheel CERV (Chevrolet Experimental Racing Vehicle), Zora Arkus-Duntov and his team designed CERV II, a mid-engine, four-wheel-drive Le Mans-type 'prototype' racer. Their intent was a Corvette race car to take on Ford's GT40, Ferrari and the rest in Le Mans-type endurance racing, and 4WD would offer a major advantage.

According to Corvette historian Karl Ludvigsen, then-Chevrolet General Manager Bunkie Knudsen approved the project in 1962, then was ordered to drop it by GM management due to the 1957 AMA (Automobile Manufacturers Association) ban on high-performance cars and factory racing.

The project was resurrected in late 1963 when two parallel and competing mid-engine programs began. Chevrolet R&D began work on the GS-II (Grand Sport 2), while Zora's team began work on the GS-III (Grand Sport 3, later rechristened CERV II), which was intended as a direct competitor to Ford's GT40.

Just one CERV II - this open roadster originally powered by a special 490 horsepower Hilborn-injected overhead-cam 377 CID aluminum V8 - was built. Its advanced 4WD system used two automatic transmissions with torque converters, one in front and one behind the engine in a steel and aluminum monocoque tub with outboard vented-rotor brakes and wide low-profile experimental Firestone tires on Kelsey-Hayes mag wheels. The body was designed by Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine in the GM Design's clandestine Studio X.

GM Design's Larry Shinoda and Tony Lapine delivered a striking and simple roadster with a low, peaked nose and coved vents along the body side. The rear deck was executed to accommodate twin exhaust stacks.

CERV II reached 200 mph at the Milford Proving Ground in 1964, and while its racing ambitions were stifled, it proved a very useful R&D and demonstration tool for the proposed mid-1960s production mid-engine 'super' Corvette that Zora desperately wanted to build. Tested at times by the likes of Jim Hall and Roger Penske and powered (by 1970) by a 550 horsepower 427 cubic-inch ZL-1 big-block V8, it could rocket from rest to 60 mph in a stunning 2.8 seconds.

Ultimately, the program stalled when Chevrolet's leadership abandoned its plans to compete at LeMans in 1964. It was never shown publicly during its active life but was used as a low-profile engineering research tool for many years. In 1969, CERV II was fitted with Chevrolet's aluminum block 427 cubic-inch V8 engine. This engine, which was available to the public as Regular Production Option (RPO) ZL1, was conservatively advertised as delivering more than 560 horsepower.