Trivia question of the week:  1. What year (between 1953 and today) did Chevrolet NOT offer a Corvette?  2. What was the name of the weekly television series which featured two pals who traveled the United States in a Corvette convertible?  3. What was the year of the Corvette and what color was it?  4. Name the shows stars, both real and character names.  5. The instrumental theme song for the show was lively and memorable.  What famous orchestra leader wrote and performed the song?  Was it, A. Hugo Winterhalter; B. Count Basie; C. Duke Ellington or D. Nelson Riddle?  6. What did the name Corvette represent long before the moniker was applied to Chevy’s sports car?  7. Who wrote and was the ORIGINAL performer of the 1956 hit song, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’?  Was it, A. Carl Perkins; B. Roy Orbison, C. Buddy Holly; or D. Elvis Presley?  8. On June 8, 1956, General Electric/Telechron introduced its model 7H241 alarm clock.  What was unique about this new model?

You can find the answers to this week’s V-8 Trivia Question of the Week at the FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com.

It was every young man’s dream… that is, just behind ‘going steady’ with the prom queen.  Through the years, I have met many a person who has made the statement that they have never had even a minute interest in the Chevrolet Corvette– some go so far as to say they ‘hate’ them.  My mother would not have approved of that kind of talk.  She always told me not to use the word ‘hate’, but then, my mother’s list of forbidden words included ‘butt’ when spelled with a double ‘T’.  She considered that profanity.  But (single ‘t’ mom) that was then and this is now.  Okay, I suppose it’s possible not to like the Corvette, but I often question the motives behind such a statement.  I’ll be honest with you.  The only thing that has kept me from owning a Corvette is that fact that I’ve never been able to afford one!  If money were no object, I would have been standing at Johnny Londoff Chevrolet this morning as soon as the doors opened.  (And as soon as I signed the papers and drove off the showroom floor, I would have headed to Bud’s Place to order a Chris-Craft forty foot Roamer’!)  However, for many like myself, the Corvette has always been priced just out of ‘practical reach’.  What I mean by that is, there has never been such a thing as a ‘cheap’ Corvette… that’s the nature of such a niche market automobile.  Production figures far below the average bread and butter family car mean that the Corvette could never be built at Corvair prices.  Not only that, but the nature of the beast... high quality and high performance, necessitate costly R&D as well as pricey materials which comprise the finished product.  While many of us may have been, at one time or another, able to stretch the budget or go beyond our means to buy a Corvette, there was always more to it that just the bottom line price tag.  Sure, I could have scrapped the money together many times in my life… but all that capital… for a car that seats two… has a minimal cargo capacity and is not exactly miserly with fuel?  Not gonna happen, not when I was faced with having to drag my kid and half the subdivision’s kids to soccer games, concerts and the like.

Alright, we’ve ferreted out the physical factor so what’s left?  Beauty?  That, as they always say, is in the eyes of the beholder”, but its difficult, for me anyway, to find fault with any of the Corvette’s lines from day one to present models.  The only exception, and this is in MY eyes, was the mid-eighties period when the only objectionable feature was the exposed muffler and spare tire well which so prominently became a visual eye sore, particularly when following one of them with your headlights on at night.  Fortunately, Chevy figured out how to creatively skirt the issue with a simple valance on later issues.

Love it or claim to hate it, the Corvette deserves a heaping portion of respect and admiration for it’s achievement of title being, arguably, the only real, true, “production sports car” this country has ever brought to market, and the fact that it has endured the way it has since its inception in 1953, speaks volumes about its right to claim the title.

We can argue the love it or hate it factor later and I’ll also have some interesting Corvette demographics for you... but for now, let’s get on to some specific information about this week’s feature car, the 1956 Corvette.

Nineteen fifty-six marked the third model year for Chevrolet’s new, two-seat sports car.  The car was quickly put into production in 1953 to answer the demand of servicemen returning from duty in Europe during WWII.  While stationed in Europe, many of these GIs had the chance to see, and often drive, the sports cars of Austin, MG, Jaguar and a host of others from countries across the continent.  As the war came to an end, these returning servicemen (and they were for the most part ‘men’) were eager to get on with civilian life which included spending some of that military pay which they had saved up.  These young men were looking to find a girl, fall in love and start a new chapter of their life called ‘married with children’.  And, what better way to catch a girl than with a sleek, sporty, car with seating just for two?  America’s answer to their dreams and desires came in the form of Chevy’s Corvette and Ford’s Thunderbird.  Although the two cars approached the market with a totally different strategy and would continue to distance themselves from one another through the years,  both became highly successful in their own right.  Ford’s approach was to offer a more refined sports car with amenities not found in the original Corvette... things such as roll up windows (for the most part power operated), a detachable hardtop for protection against winter’s foul temper, and a standard V-8 engine.  Chevrolet marketing gurus would shortly adopt many of the creature-cozy features common to the T-Bird, however, the emphasis would always remain performance first.  (Rumor has it that in the spring of 2007, GM chair Bob Lutz stated he was “not opposed to the idea of a Chevrolet sedan”!!  (OMG!  STOP THE INSANITY!  WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN TODAY!  [Zora Arkus-Duntov would turn over in his grave!].  Fortunately, he later recanted saying that his statement was made as merely an option that Chevrolet may have considered, in the way all options are open to consideration.)

If the name Zora Arkus-Duntov sounds familiar, then you’re not just an average tire kicker.  Duntov was inaccurately titled the ‘Father’ of the Corvette, but in fact, he was the one responsible for making something out of the little two-seater, originally designed by Harley Earl, which, at introduction, had lackluster performance at best.  The son of Russian-Jewish parents, Duntov joined General Motors in 1953 and was responsible for putting the V-8 engine in the 1955 Corvette and mating it up to a 3-speed manual transmission.  He was also responsible for numerous developments at Chevrolet which transformed the company from a conservative, low priced car company to a performance leader, popular with a youthful market.  (There’s so much to say about Zora Arkus-Duntov that it would never fit within this story, so I suggest you visit www.wikipedia.org and paste his name in the search window.)

The Corvette for 1956 was available in just six exterior colors... Venetian Red (shown in the illustration above); Onyx Black; Cascade Green; Arctic Blue Metallic, Aztec Copper and Polo White.  Interior colors were limited to red and beige.  This was the first year for the famous Corvette styling cue called ‘coves’, the concave character feature on the side panels of the car.

Options included a power top, priced at $100.00; power windows ($60.00); a detachable hardtop ($200.00); windshield washer ($11.00); heater ($115.00) and a signal seeking AM radio for $185.00.  Standard power was now a 265 cubic inch V-8 with four barrel carburetor.  It produced 210 horsepower at 5,200 rpms.  Two engine upgrades were offered with the same displacement, but producing either 225 or 240 horsepower.  The higher output was accomplished by the use of dual four-barrel carbs and high lift cams.  Standard gearbox was a close-ratio, three-speed, synchromesh model with floor mounted shifter.  An automatic was also available for $175.00 additional.

Corvette was known for its fiberglass body construction.  Although it resulted in a lower curb weight and therefore better performance, the material was originally chosen because government restrictions on the use of steel, carried over from WWII, were still in place when the original Corvettes were issued in 1953. 

The Corvette, despite a host of naysayers and non-fans, has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and accolations.  It was Motor Trend magazine’s Car of the Year for 1984 and 1998.  It’s been on Car and Driver magazine’s annual Ten Best list fifteen times: the C4 from 1985 through 1989, the C5 in 1998, 1999, and 2002 through 2004, and the C6 from 2005 through 2009.  The C6 was also nominated for the North American Car of the Year award for 2005.  The C6 Z06 was named “Most Coveted Vehicle” in the 2006 Canadian Car of the Year contest.  Automobile Magazine granted the 1963–1967 Sting Ray top place on their “100 Coolest Cars” list, above the Dodge Viper GTS, and Porsche 911, among others.  In addition, Sports Car International placed it number 5 on their list of the Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.

The 1999 Corvette Convertible, along with the Mercedes-Benz S500, were named “Best Engineered Car of the 20th century” by the Society of Automotive Engineers publication Automotive Engineering International.

Corvette has been selected as the pace car at the Indianapolis 500 ten times... in 1978, 1986, 1995, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.  I wonder how many of the naysayers might change their tune about the Corvette if they were to win the lottery?!?!

For more details and images of the 1956 Corvette, plus answers to this week’s trivia questions, visit the FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com.

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS:  Meet The FIN MAN on Saturday, March 7th for the Make A Wish mall walk at St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights, Illinois.  For details click on this link: .

Also, coming soon, the FIN MAN seminar at the beautiful YMCA Trout Lodge in Potosi, Missouri.  This is a multi-day event with overnight accomodations and in addition to the FIN MAN, features seminars on antiques and the history of Route 66.  Watch the FIN MAN’s site for more information on this annual event, coming soon.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Corvette, visit the Corvette Club of America at: http://www.corvetteclubofamerica.com/.

To e-mail The FIN MAN, click on this link: mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

‘The FIN MAN’ is available for your group’s special occasion.  In addition to his seminar schedule, he has been a guest speaker at group meetings including car clubs, engineering clubs and other professional associations.  He has also acted as host or emcee at a number of special events including trivia parties, holiday parties, social and professional club events, benefits and fund raisers.  We are now accepting bookings for calendar year 2009.  During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties.  His program includes a fascinating Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana.  Guests also have the opportunity to play “FINS for FUN,” the video game he produced in 1987 which inspired his nickname, in which players compete to identify the year, make and model of cars from tightly cropped photos of fins and taillights.  Those who score the highest win auto-related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors.  Be sure to sign up for the program which is being presented at the secluded YMCA Trout Lodge in April and May of 2009.  For more information, click on this link:  http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw. 

Bruce Kunz is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America.  He welcomes your comments and suggestions.  To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

Bruce Kunz- a.k.a. "The FIN MAN"