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This recently discovered Tom Burnside photo taken Dec,1956 at the Governors Trophy Race Nassau,Bahama provides proof positive the Fuel Injection Prototype Air Box was installed on the Nassau Car. In the photo Zora is inspecting the engine.
Zora was a player. He was legionary in the world of Chevrolet but I remember seeing his name and reading a story about his aviation accomplishments in flying magazines. I think he owned a Piper Comanche, that would be a single engine personal airplane. This goes back to the 70's or 80's and I believe he had the engine turbocharged, pretty good stuff in the day. He is not a young man in the picture and it shows him smoking, that probably contributed to his death.
As an aside I've been around airplanes and pilots all of my adult life. Before 1975 lots of us smoked cigarettes but that ended about then for 95+% all in aviation. Not so with automobiles, still lots of smoker .. Al
This recently discovered Tom Burnside photo taken Dec,1956 at the Governors Trophy Race Nassau,Bahama provides proof positive the Fuel Injection Prototype Air Box was installed on the Nassau Car. In the photo Zora is inspecting the engine.
Nice find Joe. What are your long term plans for the car now?
Nice find Joe. What are your long term plans for the car now?
No rush. Will continue to maintain as an unrestored original car complete with original Engineering engine and prototype Fuel Injection. The car is still revealing I important information after 14 years of ownership. Only known unrestored original 1957 Corvette Factory Race Car known to exist.
This recently discovered Tom Burnside photo taken Dec,1956 at the Governors Trophy Race Nassau,Bahama provides proof positive the Fuel Injection Prototype Air Box was installed on the Nassau Car. In the photo Zora is inspecting the engine.
Nice picture but I don't think this is real riveting news. At one time I owned V.I.N. 834 which is an air box car. Early on Mike Hunt thought the car was a "mule car" for the race team. Not sure if that is still believed or not. I do believe that my old car raced at Nassau. I will send you a PM with my phone number and email and can share what I know about these things.
Nice picture but I don't think this is real riveting news. At one time I owned V.I.N. 834 which is an air box car. Early on Mike Hunt thought the car was a "mule car" for the race team. Not sure if that is still believed or not. I do believe that my old car raced at Nassau. I will send you a PM with my phone number and email and can share what I know about these things.
what significant about this photo is the date, location and person in the picture. Good friend Bill Connell’s 4007 car was likely the first production airbox car in March / April 1957. Clearly that required testing and development. The air box on the Nassau car at Nasssu in Early Dec 1956 is not the same as the final production airbox. The 1956 version in this picture has an air hose from next to the radiator that went about a foot before connecting to the airbox. The prototype airbox itself has a different shape and different connection to the air meter. The special test lab made air meter extension in this photo is still on the car. It was determined the airbox did not deliver sufficient air to the air meter and was removed. My inner fender shows where the existence of the prototype air box was attached. There were two or three cars that I know of by period pictures that had the special air meter extension. Two 57 Nassau cars and the Bill Mitchell SR 2.
150 sets of air box parts were made. 4 sets were ordered in February to be used at Sebring.. but the two 57 production cars that ran at Sebring did not use an airbox.
what significant about this photo is the date, location and person in the picture. Good friend Bill Connell’s 4007 car was likely the first production airbox car in March / April 1957. Clearly that required testing and development. The air box on the Nassau car at Nasssu in Early Dec 1956 is not the same as the final production airbox. The 1956 version in this picture has an air hose from next to the radiator that went about a foot before connecting to the airbox. The prototype airbox itself has a different shape and different connection to the air meter. The special test lab made air meter extension in this photo is still on the car. It was determined the airbox did not deliver sufficient air to the air meter and was removed. My inner fender shows where the existence of the prototype air box was attached. There were two or three cars that I know of by period pictures that had the special air meter extension. Two 57 Nassau cars and the Bill Mitchell SR 2.
Approximate birthday E57S100834: November 15, 1956 for my old car. If you have Noland Adam's 1st book there is a picture of the engine compartment of my car that was taken at an early NCRS meet in Rockford, Illinois around 1976 or so. The caption under the picture is "would you buy this mess?" Maybe you can determine the size of the box from it? The air box on my car had a very rough raw mat finish to it.
It is believed that my car was filter through Doan Chevrolet to Jim Jefford later to show up at Elkart Lake racing track where a man 14 miles from where I lived in Illinois bought the car.
The other teams probably didn’t think a guy wearing a hat like that was a threat. Except to their manhood! If you look a little crazy, people stay away, and away from your speed secrets!
10-26-2018, 09:13 AM
1957 Prototype Air Box w/Zora
