pyrodav

Why do I keep seeing different cars coming from the factory with GS stripes on their fenders? I saw a Durango and a few others the last few weeks. Am I missing something or are they just copying?

ruxvette

Just copying. But, then, the GS stripes are not really what they seem to be. I don't remember the entire story but a team raced three identical 1963 Corvette Grand Sports and, to tell them apart approaching the pit, they taped a stripe on the nose to the right of center...one white, one red, and (I think) one black. In 1996 the grand sport name was resurrected with 2 hash marks on the fender. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Grand Sport stripe is actually called a HASH MARK and it was USED ONE TIME AND ONLY ONE TIME on a racing original Grand Sport. That one time started a legend and history.
The hash mark was NOT on the fender- didn't show up on the fender until the NON RACING 1996 tribute edition.
In 1963 John Mecom took 3 Grand Sports to the Bahamas for Speed Week. All three Mecom Grand Sports were painted the same color of blue. A single HASH MARK (red, white and black was placed on the nose of each car allowing the car to be identified as it came down pit lane. This is 1963, no cell phones, no laptop computers, no in-car radios...just a sign board telling a car to come into the pit...can't see the "side' of a car coming at you down pit lane thus the hash mark to id the car.
The HASH Marks were done with TAPE NOT PAINT. The 3 Grand Sports never raced like that again...just that single week frozen in time....thus no more hash marks.....until 1996 and later during the C5R and C6R programs. Also understand the history or racing and 'safety--in 1963 pit lanes were not 40 mph safe zones of today...they were just part of the main straight...you worked on the car while racers blew past 20 ft away at 120mph. You didn't step into pit lane unless you had to and for your car, thus car id was critical.

jrose7004

I always thought that it was a tribute to Corvette Racing. Ruxy is right except that I thought that one car had one fender stripe, the second had 2 and so on.

ruxvette

The cars were #50, #80, and...something else.

87Z52

The whole hash mark thing really has taken on a life of its own starting with the 1996 cars. I'd like to know the history on how they settled on the red color, the number of hashes, and the placement on the fender for 1996. They really seem to have a dubious connection to anything historically accurate. My recently-acquired GS does not have them and I'm not the least bit disappointed.

Not So Fast

Nice post Rux, who knew
NSF

919cw313

Who knew? The guy who posted it originally.

Detroit1

I heard a story about racing in Africa where a driver was hit by a Zebra. Hence the stripes!

Just could not pass this up.

JB

rkj427

adds additional horsepower and a look of distinction too..........

reason you see it on so many vehicles on the road today..........................

ask a few certain GS owners, and they will swear that is a true statement..................

by the way, Ruxy has the correct information posted above................................... .....

Hebebad

Mine are not GS stripes. They are longer and narrower. I like that they add a bit o f color to an otherwise all silver car.

Jaime-Corvette

Corvette history 101

pyrodav

I just wonder if other manufacturers even know what the hashmarks represent?

Huskerman

...I was having a few beers with Zora one night a long time ago and asked him about the stripes.......He said that during development of the original GS's that as the cars were being developed and worked out on the proving grounds that for quick ident they would use duct tape on the fenders in a one stripe or 2 or 3 stipes so they could keep track of which car was which.............and thus the legend was born......plus all GS's are cooler with the stripes........

BlindSpot

So, duct tape then?........

duckvett

So I am historically correct in having silver (duct tape) hash marks.

Vet Interested

I was there!

Gman in NC

Don't have them on mine but they do look really good.

the kid C6

Oh! I'll have to get some stripes, then. Sounds like an easy mod.

ruxvette

I was having a few beers with Zora and H1...

Daviddear30

I added 2 orange stripes that have 0 historical significance. Only on my drivers side.