Quarter-Mile Corvettes & Chevrolet Corvette 2 Book Set

Re-live Corvette’s early years at the drag strip!

Famously known as “America’s sports car,” the Chevrolet Corvette came to market in 1953. That same year, the newly established National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) hosted its first event. The Corvette was not intended for quarter-mile drag racing, and it appeared to be completely at odds with the sport. Early equipment included an underpowered Blue Flame 6-cylinder motor and automatic transmission. However, the two have become forever entwined.

The Corvette brought an element of class and style to drag racing. In the showroom and on the street, it has always been unique. It is truly American. Likewise, the uniqueness that sets it apart from everything else also meant that it had no natural competition on the drag strip. However, that fact didn’t dampen enthusiasm. Indeed, the NHRA and other governing bodies introduced Sports Car divisions in the late 1950s, catering to both stock and modified vehicles. Naturally, these classes were packed with Corvettes.

Racing historian Steve Holmes breaks new ground by unearthing the complete early history of the Corvette in drag racing. Quarter-Mile Corvettes focuses on the period from 1953 to 1975, which spans the first two decades of Corvette V-8 production. Fittingly, this was also the era considered by many to be the greatest in drag racing’s history, and Corvettes encapsulated the vibrancy of the period in a way that will never be repeated.

Certainly, Chevrolet never intended for the Corvette to become a quarter-mile terror, but today, its nameplate has become one of the longest running in all of drag racing.

This new updated edition of Chevrolet Corvette covers the history and development of the racing Corvettes, from the car’s beginnings in the 1950s with just 250 horsepower, through the Corvette GTP of the 1980s, with over 1000 horsepower, and on to 1996, when 4th generation cars give way to the 5th generation. Included are many interviews with the drivers who raced these exciting, weighty and always fast cars, including John Greenwood, Dick Gulstrand, Jerry Grant and ‘Fast’ Phil Curring, among others. The book is illustrated with many quality photographs, supplied by General Motors and well-known motoring photographers; it also contains detailed specifications of the production cars, and road test reports. This book takes a detailed look at the racing Chevrolet Corvette from it’s inception, through production, and it’s subsequent updates through the years.

The Corvette was the only American sports car to gain international acceptance in this period. The book covers the often neglected racing history. Revised and updated for this new edition This new updated edition of Chevrolet Corvette covers the history and development of the racing Corvettes, from the car’s beginnings in the 1950s with just 250 horsepower, through the Corvette GTP of the 1980s, with over 1000 horsepower, and on to 1996, when 4th generation cars give way to the 5th generation. Included are many interviews with the drivers who raced these exciting, weighty and always fast cars, including John Greenwood, Dick Gulstrand, Jerry Grant and ‘Fast’ Phil Curring, among others. The book is illustrated with many quality photographs, supplied by General Motors and well-known motoring photographers; it also contains detailed specifications of the production cars, and road test reports. This book takes a detailed look at the racing Chevrolet Corvette from it’s inception, through production, and it’s subsequent updates through the years. The Corvette was the only American sports car to gain international acceptance in this period. The book covers the often neglected racing history. Revised and updated for this new edition