Most car enthusiasts will tell you that Italy and the Corvette have nothing in common. That is not true as their paths have crossed often through the years.
The earliest example of the Italian / Corvette fusion originated with Bill Mitchell’s (GM Vice President and head of Design Staff from 1958-76) 1957 visit to the Turin Salon automobile show. Bill was fascinated by a series of Fiat / Abarth / Pininfarina racing cars. They were designed for top speed runs, so aerodynamics was crucial. The approach was to make the cars as low as possible; so low that vertical blips over the tires was necessary.
The Pininfarina race car inspired Bill to build the 1959 Sting Ray Racer below. The iconic ’59 Sting Ray would form the basis of the C2 Corvette.
Another Bill Mitchell influence: The 1952 Alfa Romeo Disco Volante. Notice the belt line around the entire car separating the lower and upper halves and the fender blips which would become an important styling element of the 1959 Sting Ray Racer and (below) the C2 Corvette.
1959 Chevrolet Scaglietti Corvette
Another example of the Italian – Corvette merging is the 1959 Chevrolet Scaglietti Corvette. It was the result of the efforts of Gary Laughlin (a Texas car dealer) and racers Jim Hall and Carroll Shelby. The plan was to build a series of high performance cars with Corvette chassis and drivetrains to compete with Ferrari.
The plan was doomed from the start as Sergio Scaglietti, the coachbuilder for the project, had Ferrari as an influential customer. Mr. Ferrari, it is said, was “not pleased” and the effort was limited to three cars. It also did not help that GM management did not approve, as racing and high performance cars had become a corporate no-no.
1961 Chevrolet Corvette Vignale Coupe
The Italians are known for creating some great looking cars and a good example is this Vignale Coupe. It was designed by Gordon Kelly, who worked for the Brooks Stevens design firm. It was built by Vignale for the 1961 Paris Salon de l'Automobile. It cost $14,000, a significant sum for 1961.
Note the eggcrate grill on the Vignale Coupe. This was a common item on Italian cars of the ‘60s and ‘70s, although the Vignale went further than most with an aggressive convex approach. The Corvette shared the same style (below) starting in 1970 with the C3.
The interior door panel is an odd place to place an identification emblem, but Italians are famous for doing things differently.
Power came from a fuel-injected powerplant.
The rounded rear styling is reminiscent of the Ferrari 250 GT. Gordon Kelly owned the Chevrolet Corvette Vignale Coupe until his death in 1995.
The Chevrolet Corvette Vignale Coupe was part of the Chevrolet Small Block Powered with European Custom Coachwork at the Pebble Beach Concours, 2005 where it placed third in its class. At that time it was owned by Annita Kelly of Jefferson Wisconsin. Although there was talk about a production run, that never happened and the Chevrolet Corvette Vignale Coupe remains a one-off endeavor.
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Corvette Moray
What would happen if the Italians were to design a Corvette AND make it look like a Corvette? The answer is the Corvette Moray. (more)
Etceterini
There is a special form of Italian cars known as “Etceterini”. The term refers to a collection of lesser known manufacturers that built limited numbers of cars, mostly in the 1960s, such as Bizzarrini, Iso Grifo and Iso Rivolta. Corvette motors were often the engine of choice, as they were compact, comparatively affordable, and well supported.
The Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada came with a 327 fuel-injected Corvette engine. A total of 133 examples were produced from 1965 through 1968.
Racing Bizzarrinis were successful in the 1960s and featured Corvette powerplants with aggressive Weber carburetion.
Common practice at the time was to move the engine as far rearward as possible making for a front, mid-engine car. Stories from back in the day had mechanics forced to remove part of the dashboard to adjust the ignition timing!
The Iso Grifo is a limited production grand tourer Italian built between 1965 and 1974 using Bertone coachwork.
C7 Corvette: Italian Influences
While still distinctly American, there are strong hints of Italian influences in the new Corvette. This is a good thing, since when it comes to making great looking automobiles, Italy has always been able to show the world how it is done.
An example: The Ferrari F12berlinetta, above and the 2014 Corvette below. The headlights and hood area, while far from being identical, do have similarities. Note the air egress vents with the C7 being more angular. There is also the hood creases that end at the base of the A-pillar, which, in addition to looking good, are dictated by the laws of aerodynamics.
A side view: Above is the Ferrari 599 GTO and below is the C7 Corvette. The creases and accents are similar but somehow the Corvette has the advantage with its simple, cleaner lines. It is a great day when you can place a Corvette n ext to a Ferrari and decide that the Corvette is what you prefer to look at.
The Italian aspect of the C7 is not denied by those who created it. Tom Peters, the director of design for General Motors performance and top dawg regarding the shape of the C6 and C7 Corvettes* admitted to us that this is more than just conspiracy theorists blowing steam. He pointed out that GM and much of the American car industry has long looked towards Italy for design inspiration although it is not always obvious.
*also the Pontiac Aztek, but don’t hold that against him.