7 Coolest Vintage Corvette Drag Racers
Be it a C1, C2, or C3 Corvette, these cars have always had a home on the quarter-mile. V8 engines with plenty of power saw the lightweight Corvette stomp on the competition. We take a look back at some cool vintage racers.
It Didn’t Take Long For Corvettes To Be Used On The Strip
We know when the first Corvette race car existed, but not quite when the first one was drag raced. But in the late 1950s and beyond, the Corvette would be a regular sight at your local strip. With a sturdy V8 and performance parts direct from GM, anyone with a Corvette could have fun at the strip. Some went beyond what GM offered, and that’s what we’re looking at here. As seen above, this 1961 modified-wheelbase Corvette is shredding rubber up the strip. We found it on our forums, with a section dedicated to C1 and C2 drag cars.
Photo courtesy of CorvetteForum.
The Uniqueness of Drag Cars Can’t Be Matched
One thing that separates drag cars from the rest is the unique owner input. Sure, a Corvette could be a Bloomington Gold level restoration, but a drag car had one specific person’s hard work and dedication put into it. They read the rules, maybe bent a few of them, and created something uniquely their own. Is the value there when it comes to the market? Not really. But that’s why you’ll see Corvettes like this one, which we found on Autoevolution. It’s easy to assume any Corvette would end up like this – a project too sentimental to the owner to let go, but one day will be brought back to its former glory.
Photo courtesy of Autoevolution.
C2 Brought Big Blocks and Big Power
By the time the C2 Corvette rolled out of showroom floors in 1962, drag racing technology had improved massively. Wider slick tires were available and forced induction engines brought in all new power levels. Add on to that extra displacement from big block motors, and you can lift the front wheels. Cars like this C2 also saw a more serious side of the sport, with NHRA and IHRA hosting sanctioned races across the US. Local speed shops and drag racers were heroes in their own right.
Photo Courtesy of Corvette Forum.
Even More Drag Racing Evolution Came About With The C3
The “Funny Car” category of drag racing took off in the ’70s and spawned creations like this “HellFire” C3 Corvette. With very little original Corvette left, it just squeaks in on this list, but as it stands, it is a Corvette drag racer from years past. Even more safety standards came about in the 70s to mitigate risk, especially with cars reaching huge speeds at the end of their runs. Vicari Auction says this car ran a 7.14-second quarter mile, with a trap speed over 200 miles per hour.
Photo Courtesy of Vicari Auction.
Corvette Community Is Strong At The Strip
One thing that’s common now, which was also common then, was the friendships that were established at the track. Corvette owners may have competed against each other, but at the same time shared something unique in common. Kumbera Motors shows us this pair of C1 Corvettes, with the black one being “The Executioner.” As a race-winning Corvette, this car probably made just as many friends as it did enemies.
Photo Courtesy of Kumbera Motors.
They Don’t All Have To Be Abandoned Projects
Nostalgia has a strong appeal these days, so its easy to see why someone might want to take an old Corvette gasser, and revive it back to its racing high point. Built by Dave Glass (he sure has an appropriate name for a Corvette, eh?), this “Glasses Gasser” C2 Corvette is an immaculate Corvette dragster. Via MotorTrend, we know it started off as a 63 Split Window coupe that was not a numbers matching car. Dave, being a Bloomington Gold judge decided it would be a perfect candidate for a gasser build. And what a job he did!Photo courtesy of Motor Trend.
Gasser Builds Are The Coolest
One could argue that you shouldn’t mess with originality. But also, what about having fun? This C1 gasser from Mecum is a resto-mod, but who wouldn’t have fun in a Corvette with dumps at the headers, a 502 cubic inch V8 making 600 horsepower on pump gas, and a 4-speed Muncie Rock Crusher M22? That’s the point of cars like these, and honestly, the point of drag racing a Corvette in general. It’s fun. And out hat is off to anyone who willingly modified a Corvette in this era, because they created memories that last longer than a perfectly preserved car.
Photo Courtesy of Mecum.
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