emccomas

The discussion about the urban legend of a 1961 got me thinking about a legend I heard about many years ago.

A factory built 1956 Corvette with a 6 cylinder engine. I "think" the car also was reported to have a power glide transmission.

The car was reported to be in Hawaii, where fuel costs were significantly higher.

I have not heard about this car / legend in a decade or so. Time to bring it back up and see if the legend has gained anything in the retelling.

jasonsamara

I love it!

desertpilgrim

It's been 50 years, Ed. Someone would have had it at auction, including the claim that it paced Wilbur and Orville's flight.

tuxnharley

I am surprised and disappointed that you are not familiar with the details on this one, as it is very similar to the secrets you revealed in another recent thread about a stamp pad with "Performance Clinic" over struck above the VIN and engine code.

This car too was prepared by Performance Clinic - the "super secret Chevrolet engine shop", only it was intended to enter the Mobil Economy Run in 1956 and to be driven by author Tom Cahill, with a subsequent article intended to appear in Popular Mechanics. It embodied many futuristic and secret design improvements, not the least of which was the Fish carburetor.

The problem was that the car was far too successful, attaining a GM proving ground record 70+ mpg. GM quickly realized the havoc this would wreak on the auto industry and their planned obsolescence goals.

The car was kept in GM's engineering labs for a few years while they collaborated with the oil industry to buy out the rights to the Fish carb design. Once that was achieved the car was destroyed.

I am surprised you did not know this!

JohnZ

You obviously missed the COPO for the optional quad-turbocharged 12,000-hp V-20 MTU diesel conversion; keeping the valve covers clean was a job for the "Performance Clinic".

396/425

Oh wow havent seen one of those motors since I saw one in a Vega at Pomona back in the 70's

sub006

More urban legend BS. Screw the oil barons, GM would have JUMPED on this, living off conquest sales from Ford, Chrysler, AMC and Studebaker-Packard for decades. Volkswagen and Toyota would never have achieved traction in the US market. Corvette would win Le Mans in 1960, needing only a couple of fuel stops in 24 hours. Smog rules would have cut gas mileage to a lousy 55 mpg.

tuxnharley

You do know how to recognize fiction, sarcasm, and attempted humor when you read them, right?

tuxnharley

Wasn't that the engine that was supposed to go into the post WW II Cadillac limos, designed to surpass the V-16s of the 1930's and utilize diesel until gasoline production ramped back up?

I may be a little fuzzy on that one...........

Railroadman

Looks almost like a 20-645. But those only put out 3,600hp so obviously this one has been through the double-secret soup-up-shop. Wonder what Union Pacific would have done if GM had slipped 12,000 horses in a single unit to them!

emccomas

OK guys, believe it or not this one was actually a topic of discussion maybe 15 years ago. I seem to recall that it centered around an ad for a 56 Corvette with a "factory" 6 cylinder that was ordered new in Hawaii.

jim lockwood

I remember reading about this car, oh, 30-ish years ago. A special order, so the story goes, the factory workers had to look around their surplus stuff to see if they had the right fire wall panel to clear the 6 banger. The story quoted one factory worker who was involved with the project as saying something to the effect of "who would want such a doggy thing?"

True or not, I dunno.

Jim

emccomas

That is vaguely what I recall as well. I think this car was discussed at some point in Vette Vues magazine, but no positive confirmation ever came of it.

What would an original 1956 6 cylinder Corvette look like under the hood?

AZDoug

What was that used in?

Doug

sub006

I was attempting humor also.

Railroadman

The background photo appears to show the bow of a ship, so I'm guessing it was a marine application.

Roger Walling

No Corvette was assembled with a 6 cyl. in 56. (they ran out of blue paint in 54)

tuxnharley

Sorry, my misread! looks like we should both "keep our day jobs".

jim lockwood

Hmmmm, yeah, VV sounds about right.
I would imagine that it would look identical to a late '54 except for the fuel pump notch in the frame rail. That's the only way the factory workers would know how to build it.

emccomas

I was thinking more like a 55 6 cylinder car. I know of one for sure, and I think there were about 6 made.

The 55 6 cylinder cars, and the 56 6 cylinder car were all auto trans cars as I recall.

I am not real sure what (if anything) would need to be changed on the body to make this car.

I am also thinking it was an early 56 car, which might have also meant a power top.

I figure if the car ever existed, it has been converted to a V-8 car by now.

I wonder what kind of engine code a 1956 Corvette 6 cylinder engine would have had?