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72 BARRETT-JACKSON EXPERIENCE WINTER 20241970 CHEVELLE LS6 WITH COMPLETE ORIGINAL DRIVETRAIN HEADING TO THE SCOTTSDALE AUCTIONICONICMUSCLEAs the maker of some of the most exciting American automobiles of the 1950s and early 1960s, Chevrolet was a constant in high-profile motorsports during that glorious era, setting new records at Daytona Beach and Pikes Peak and scoring wins on NASCAR ovals and the nation’s dragstrips. In a classic case of “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday,” buyers flocked to Chevy dealer showrooms to bask in that hard-won racing glory, with rising sales triggered by the brilliant new small-block V8 engines powering Chevrolet passenger cars and the sporty Corvette. Rising power and speed potential helped bring about the short-lived AMA (American Manufacturers’ Association) ban on direct factory-backed racing involvement of 1957. However, GM and Chevrolet engineers quietly continued their work in the background and returned to a somewhat quieter (yet very productive) role supporting their various racing teams with a steady pipeline of new racing parts and the expertise to maximize their effectiveness. Chevrolet led the performance charge once again following the AMA ban with the introduction of Chevrolet’s new fuel-injected Corvette in 1957, the big block “W” motor for 1958 and a growing array of factory-available racing options. Relentless development of the Corvette by Zora Arkus-Duntov and his engineers included CERV (Corvette Engineering Research Vehicles) I and II and the promising CROSSING THE BLOCKSCAN TO WATCH THE FIRST LOOK VIDEO