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The fender hashes go back to the 1960's Corvettes that raced. Red duct tape was put on the fender, so pit crews could identify which car was which.
The 1960's Grand Sport was commemorated in the C4 Grand Sport in 1996 with those red hashes. Where the hashes changed color began with the C6 GS which offered them in various colors. They are exclusive to a Grand Sport Corvette though and in my opinion get very overdone by those in the world with a stock Corvette. It's the cheap mod that many people lead off with. I personally wish people would reserve it for a Grand Sport edition but...it is what it is.
Very neat. I never knew the racing heritage of the stripes. Great info! I agree with you though, I think they are a little overused on non-grand sport cars.
I've never considered this before, but since this topic came up in the C5 section...I wonder why there was never a C5 grand sport.
Very neat. I never knew the racing heritage of the stripes. Great info! I agree with you though, I think they are a little overused on non-grand sport cars.
I've never considered this before, but since this topic came up in the C5 section...I wonder why there was never a C5 grand sport.
Keep in mind, in the 1990's GM had a kill order for the Corvette. Russ Mclean, who took over management of the Corvette arm of GM, defied that direct order and developed the Corvette team, much like it exists today. In the 90's C4 era, GM was losing approximately 1,000.00 per car.
Russ took over, and separated Corvette internally, from GM/Chevrolet. He created a sub-brand essentially, from an internal perspective. He then was able to create stability.
Russ was a Corvette guy through and through. When he got the order to kill Corvette, he suppressed it. He didn't pass the exec order along to his team, or anyone. He avoided contact with his boss, didn't ask permission for anything and essentially ran management of the C4 in secrecy....much like how Zora ran the Z06 program in secrecy and defied orders internally, and beneath the authority of the Automobile Manufacturers Association. Immediately upon Russ taking over the C4 Corvette program, the Corvette was profitable the following year and this paved the path to getting the C5 approved.
C5 Z06, I believe was created in essence, for Russ. I don't think it's ever been officially stated to be so, but I'm sure David Hill, or people close to the program could possibly know the truth. Sure, the Z06 RPO had heritage as the go fast option, and I see that connection as well, but Russ's defiance of GM, saved the Corvette.
The C5 debuted later, and it was the pivot in the life of the Corvette. It had a very successful launch, and sales and profits, in many ways, saved GM through tough years.
Russ was actually penalized for his actions throughout his final tenure. He was seen as a person who wasn't a team player, despite the result. He was kept from seeing promotions that should've likely been his, and in 1996 was gone from the Corvette team (the year of the C5 launch to the public as a 1997 model). In 2001 he left GM altogether (keep in mind, that's the year of the first C5 Z06).
Without Russ, Corvette today, would be very different, if it would even exist at all. Russ was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame by the NCM.
Last edited by KnightDriveTV; Oct 20, 2017 at 02:37 PM.
They are getting over done - see them on Mustangs, Challengers, even a 4 door whatever - LOL
Hashes were used in 1 race only - revised in '96 Grand Sport option,
