Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype 2011

[Ecnelis]

Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype

Chevrolet Unveils 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype
Will debut in GRAND-AM Road Racing Series Rolex 24 in January

DAYTONA, Fla. – Chevrolet unveiled its 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype at Daytona International Speedway today. The Corvette Daytona Prototype will make its competitive debut in the 50th anniversary of the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series Rolex 24 at Daytona from January 26-29, 2012.

“Racing and performance are the founding principles of Chevrolet, and bringing the Corvette Daytona Prototype to GRAND-AM is a tremendous opportunity,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “The opportunity for innovation is what makes the Daytona Prototype Class such a good fit for Chevrolet.

“Sports car and endurance racing is an outstanding platform for manufacturers like us to test and learn. The design of this race car incorporates iconic Corvette styling cues and will be immediately recognized by sports car enthusiasts and fans of GRAND-AM Road Racing,” Campbell said. “We are excited to see the Corvette DP compete in the legendary Rolex 24 at Daytona next January.”

The new Corvette Daytona Prototype will participate in a GRAND-AM test at Daytona International Speedway on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

“GRAND-AM’s new Daytona Prototype concept is aimed at allowing manufacturers to showcase their brand in an exciting, cutting-edge fashion,” said GRAND-AM President Tom Bledsoe. “Chevrolet, with its new Corvette DP, has done just that. The anticipation of seeing this new Daytona Prototype compete is building each and every day. This announcement has immediate and far-reaching implications with the potential to change the face of sports car racing.”

Four teams will campaign the Corvette Daytona Prototype in 2012: No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing; No. 10 SunTrust Racing; No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, and the Nos. 5 and 9 Action Express Racing teams.

“The 2012 Corvette Daytona Prototype was developed by a multi-faceted effort involving Chevrolet, Corvette Designers, Pratt & Miller and GRAND-AM. Chevrolet also worked closely with chassis builders Riley, Coyote and Dallara,” said Mark Kent, GM Racing director. “The IMSA GTP Corvette Prototype campaigned by Hendrick Motorsports in the '80s was the inspiration for this new Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype. And, like the GTP Corvettes, the new Corvette Daytona Prototype contains numerous styling cues from the street version of the Chevrolet Corvette.”

Corvette has a storied history of racing-related feats in Daytona. Zora Arkus-Duntov – the father of the Corvette and chief engineer working on the Corvette in the ’50s and ’60s – set a flying-mile speed record of more than 150 miles per hour in a Corvette on Daytona Beach, one of a number of record runs on the beach for him. When Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, Arkus-Duntov turned the fastest laps – 155 miles per hour – in a Corvette SS.

More recently, in 2001, a Corvette driven by Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon was the overall winner in the Daytona 24-hour. Another Corvette finished fourth that year, with Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Andy Pilgrim and Kelly Collins.

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Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype #2

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Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype #3

[carreragt10]

COOOOOOOOOOL

[Sledgehammer]

The body style reminds me more of GT-1 racing from the late 90's.

[Cobrafan427]

That's pretty freakin slick, if i read it correctly all DPs will look like road cars kinda? If that's the case i really wonder what kind of manufacturer interest they're going to get

[Sledgehammer]

Are they planning on making road going versions?

[Dino Scuderia]

Originally Posted by Sledgehammer

Are they planning on making road going versions?

No....it's just time for a design change in the series.

[csl177]

Twenty-five years on, and the visual similarities are obvious... but this still has more sophisticated engineering:

[LHamilton_w]

hehe a limited edition mid-engine corvette in the distant future? :P

But I like how this new DP car actually looks somewhat like a production car.

[RacingManiac]

They are meant to, even the older DPs were supposed to look like road cars. I think the early ones share road car's lighting trims.....much like this one did.

Just this time around they are proportioned more attractively...

[Kitdy]

DPs still look stubby. The front is quite nice, but the sides seem really slab sided - probably for aero, but not too nice looking.

Definitely a huge improvement - DP2s were brutally ugly.

[csl177]

Originally Posted by RacingManiac

They are meant to, even the older DPs were supposed to look like road cars. I think the early ones share road car's lighting trims.....much like this one did.

Just this time around they are proportioned more attractively...

What early DP cars looked like road cars?!? The roof shape was common to all of them, dictated by their tube frame and interior volume, touted as a safety feature. As I suggested on the other thread, they looked like Mosler Consuliers, one of the ugliest things to ever roll. I worked for them trying to market those hideous things, and when the DPs were introduced the first thing I did was suggest a "body double" to Autoweek's BWTM. Everybody agreed. See below. The new version is much more attractive... at least this one is. Hopefully teams will cloth theirs to mimic the make providing the engine. I don't care if they DO get more fans, I prefer ALMS.

[carreragt10]

Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype #4

[carreragt10]

Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype #5