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Corvette Turns 50 Years Old
Dear Classic Car Enthusiast,
We have some great exclusives for you in this month’s issue:
• History: Corvette Turns 50 Years Old
• History: Corvette Timeline
• Biography: William C. Durant
• Tech Article: Dirty Business of Cleaning Cars
• Event Coverage: Hot August Night Photo Gallery
Mark Green - $25
Mark & Lisa Minks - $25
Erick Fellman - $75
Bob & Lorraine Simonen - The Elusive Black Panther
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Clubs are welcome to join in and we’ll see if we can work up a healthy competition between chapters and rival clubs. In addition, we are working on our archives and could use any information that clubs or readers would like to contribute. We are looking for Color Chips, Tech Info, Production Numbers, etc. ClassicCar.com is striving to open the “Classic Archives” in the spring of 2003. So, please send in your information!
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Available as a coupe or convertible, the 50th Anniversary package adds $5,000 to the price of the base car. Sales of the special-edition Corvette could reach as high as 10,000 units by the end of the 2003 production.
Corvette lovers are serious about their cars and its place in automotive history. In many ways it can be said that the Corvette is “America’s Sports Car”. The origins of the Corvette are rooted in American tradition and competition.
In September of 1951, at the Watkins Glen speedway, GM Chief Stylist Harley Earl was so impressed with the European entries of Jaguars, Ferraris, and Alfas, that he decided to begin designing a new American sports car. Work on the new car began almost immediately.
The first Corvette was shown in January 1953 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria as part of the General Motors Motorama. The car went into production six months later at the Flint, Michigan production facility. Only 300 Corvettes, all convertibles with fiberglass bodies, all with Polo White exteriors and red interiors, were produced that year.
Production grew to 3,640 in 1954 but dropped to 700 in 1955, and GM executives considered killing off the Corvette. With word that Ford’s new Thunderbird was scheduled for its début in late 1954, GM held onto their new sports car and prepared for the competition.
Production shifted from Flint to St. Louis in late 1953, and a 265-cubic-inch V-8 was added in 1955. The second-generation Corvette arrived for the 1963 model year with a racy design that was based on Bill Mitchell’s 1959 Sting Ray. A coupe version was offered for the first time, and it represented about half of Corvette’s 21,500-production run in 1963.
From 1953 to 2002, Corvette production was about 1.2 million units. As times and the car changed, its sales price grew. Offered in 1953 for $3,498, the Corvette’s purchase price topped $10,000 in 1979, $20,000 in 1984, $30,000 in 1986, $40,000 in 1992 and $50,000 in 2002.
In 1904, Billy Durant was approached by James Whiting of the Buick Company to promote his automobiles. Whiting persuaded Durant to join Buick as General Manager. In his first act as Buick’s GM, Durant moved the Buick assembly operations briefly to Jackson, and then began construction on a large Buick complex in Flint. In three short years Buick led the U.S. automobile production by manufacturing 8,820 vehicles. Between 1904 and 1908, Durant was made Buick’s president and established several essential parts and accessory companies such as Weston-Mott and Champion Ignition Company
By 1908 the top four auto producers in the U.S. were Buick, Reo (headed by Ransom E. Olds), Maxwell -Briscoe, (headed by Benjamin and Frank Briscoe) and Ford (headed by Henry Ford). Benjamin Briscoe wanted all four producers to merge and form one large company. Negotiations began in New York with J. P. Morgan’s son-in-law, Herbert Satterlee, and ended when Ford demanded cash instead of stock. and along with Reo pulled out of the deal.
Still determined to start this new auto company, Durant, at Satterlee’s suggestion, dropped the proposed name “International Motor Car Company” and settled on “General Motors” as the new name for his company.
On September 16, 1908, Durant incorporated General Motors of New Jersey (GM) with a capital investment of $2,000. Within 12 days the company issued stocks that generated over $12,000,000 in cash. General Motors then purchased Buick with stock. Six weeks later, GM acquired the Olds Corporation of Lansing, Michigan.
Next, Durant completed a deal with financially troubled Oakland Company. Oakland was located in Pontiac, Michigan, and would later be renamed — you guessed it — Pontiac. Finally, Durant sought to acquire Cadillac Motor Car Company from the Leland father/son team. The Leland’s did not want stock and like Henry Ford, would only settle for cash to the tune of $4.5 million.
GM could not raise this amount of money, but Buick, the cash cow, could. So, Cadillac was bought with Buick funds, thereby becoming a subsidiary of Buick. Eventually, though, GM purchased Cadillac from Buick. During this same period, Durant also acquired many truck and parts supply companies, including AC-Delco, which he helped form with Albert Champion and still bears his initials today.
In an 18 month burst of aggressive wheeling and dealing, Durant purchased, acquired or incurred a substantial interest in almost 30 auto makers. However, all this wheeling and dealing came at a price. Durant became financially overextended and consequently, lost control of GM to banking interests in 1910.
Undeterred, Durant partnered up with Louis Chevrolet to form Chevrolet Motor Company in 1911 and used the profits from Chevrolet to regain control of GMC in 1915. However, Durant’s management style once again proved troublesome and he resigned in 1920 under an agreement with, then GM president Pierre Du Pont in exchange for Du Pont’s paying off Durant’s debts.
Determined to regain his place in the automotive marketplace, Durant formed Durant Motors in 1921 and produced a line of cars bearing his name for the next 10 years. However, a declining market and the Great Depression ended Durant’s automotive career in 1933.
Durant continued to create innovative ideas, but he no longer had the money to execute his plans. Near the end of his life, he operated several bowling alleys in Flint near the Buick complex. Durant was not bitter, nor did he regret his actions. Instead, he put his energy into new ventures. He believed bowling alleys were the next big thing - every family in America would spend their leisure time at bowling alleys. This venture too, proved to be unsuccessful and marked the end of long string of personal tragedies and failures that plagued Durant since the fall of the Durant Motors in 1933.
From 1934 until his death, Durant dabbled in Stocks, Politics, and Social Issues. None of these later ventures reflected his former industrious thinking and he faded from public life. On March 18, 1947, William Durant died in New York City, the same year as Henry Ford, thus, marking the end of a remarkable era in automotive excellence.
Basic-H is so economical because you buy the cleaner and add the water. One quart of Basic-H is equal to 6,900 bottles of Windex® so if you are going to use it just to clean your windshields you’ll probably never have to buy a bottle of window cleaner again! However, it advertises itself as having 1,001 uses and we’ve found quite a few automotive ones. Below are different “recipes” for using Basic-H to take care of the dirty business of cleaning cars.
Car Wash: Use 1 tablespoon of Basic-H to a gallon of water. Run water full force to create suds. Wash small area at a time and hose off. Wiping dry is not necessary. Wipe windshield, windows and chrome with paper towels after rinsing. Bugs and road grime float away especially after soaking.
Engines: Use 2 ounces Basic-H® to one gallon of water to clean engines. Will not affect pain, gaskets or insulating materials. Best results can be achieved when the engine is hot for fastest drying of the ignition system. (For really, really greasy engines consider using Shaklee’s Basic-I Industrial Degreaser)
Battery Terminals: Use 1/2 teaspoon of Basic-H to pint of water. Spray on battery terminals, let soak for two minutes and clean with a wire brush.
Automobile Radiator: Use 1 tablespoon to radiator full of water or anti-freeze to help prevent rust. Coolants are not afffected.
Upholstery: 1 tablespoon of Basic-H to 1/2 gallon of water for vinyl or leather.
Sidewalls and mats: Use 1 tablespoon Basic-H to gallon of water.
Windshield Cleaner: 4 drops of Basic-H in a 16 oz. spray bottle. If glass is really dirty add a drop or two more, but do not use too much Basic-H or glass will smear.
Changing Tires: Spray diluted or full strength Basic-H on rims. Tires go on easier.
Windshield Washer: Add two drops of Basic-H per cup of water. Add a little alcohol for winter driving.
You can’t buy it in stores, so you’ll need to find a Shaklee distributor, or you can order a quart online at http://www.shaklee.net/allswellhealth/product/00021 or by clicking on the link below.
For gallon sizes of Basic-H go to: http://www.shaklee.net/allswellhealth/product/00033
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