EX122 the First Vette to do a real burn out

[Geoff C.]

Red V8 EX122

[Rob M.]

Re: EX122 the First Vette to do a real burn out

Geoffrey,

What a beautifull baby ! A priceless piece of car history. You are doing a great job with your website. I'm looking forward to more of these additions. I've got your site linked as well now from mine...

greetings,
Rob.




The C1 1959 Corvette Restoration Project

[Loren L.]

Is the V8 still in the car or is the

driveline it had in April of 1956 available for sale???

[Art A.]

Re: EX122 the First Vette to do a real burn out

Geoffrey, It is very refershing to see someone with your extensive knowledge of Corvettes put into print the FACT that EX122 was/is NOT the Motorama Corvette as you point out so well on your website---------"When GM finally sold it, they freshened it up and kept the updated parts. It was Red with a V-8 and was purported to be the actual Motorama car. Subsequent well documented research using original GM papers shows that this was actually a very early production VIN in 1953 that was used by engineering as a test development vehicle. It was not the actual Motorama car. Nevertheless it is still historically significant since it was used by GM in the continuing development of the Corvette and was the very first Corvette ever built with a V-8."

Bravo!!

Art

[Richard P.]

Re: EX122 the First Vette to do a real burn out

Where is the Motorama car?

[Loren L.]

DEAD. Body burned in fire test, frame

under '54 Motorama Nomad and then crushed.

[Gene M.]

Re: EX122 the First Vette to do a real burn out

Back when we had our regional at AC Rochester Tech Center I picked up Jack Ingle's EX122 in my trailer to have it displayed at our regional. This car was always in the Rochester NY area at local shows. As I picked up the EX122 to take to our show I was talking to the guy that prepared Jack's car. He stated at the time that this was the third time the car was gone thru that he knew of, since he did all three restorations. At the time the topside looked freshly done but the chassis had seen usage. I don't recall his name but he was very intimate in the cars history. And he took great pains to preserve the EX122 as the way GM sold it to Jack. The car as it is today is a freak, nothing like it was sold to Jack by GM. Again, what was a real car is destroyed.

[Kent K.]

Last remaining piece of Motorama Corvette?

Art,
Did you know Steve Koss either at or after GM Tech Center? He bequethed the false vent to me that he cut from one of the Motorama car catwalks as instructed by a superior. It should probably go to the National Corvette Museum as Ginny suggested. This piece may be the last remaining part from the '53 Motorama Corvette.
Kent #6201

[Tom D.]

Re: EX122 - Blanchette is the name...

Gene:
That man would be Jon Blanchette, of WNY area. I worked with him and Frank S. at RPD before we all retired. Last I heard Mr. Blanchette was down in Geneseo a lot, doing restos on WWII airplanes. (He won a Fisher Body design contest as a kid and I am currently looking for books that cover that annual(?) contest.)




Michigan Chapter Site

[Art A.]

Re: Last remaining piece of Motorama Corvette?

Kent, The name sounds familiar, but I can't place him. Sounds like a neat treasure. I don't know if the NCM would know what to do with it, they would probably throw it out---sad but true. They really messed up when they didn't offer John Amgwert the job to keep track of such items,OUR loss!

Art

[Art A.]

Re: EX122 - Blanchette is the name...

Tom, I may have something along that line. I have some "stuff" on Fisher Body, but I don't recall exactly what. I probably won't have time to look for it until the end of March as we will be on a winter sojurn in the Motor Home until then. E-mail me then and I will look it up for you.

Art

[Gene M.]

Re: EX122 - Blanchette is the name...

Thanks Tom,
Your correct, Jon Blanchette is the name. Frank Sciabica, was a good friend of mine and was also there with me at the time we picked up the EX122. I have in stowage some where old literature on Fisher Body design contest. Would be a major task to uncover it someday.

[Geoff C.]

How about a picture?

I don't know what part you are referring too. Catwalk?

Geoffrey Coenen

[Kent K.]

Re: How about a picture?

Hey Geoffrey,

The part is a false vent like on the '56-7 Corvettes and the "catwalk" is the top of fender line that carries back from headlight to blend into the body. Steve Koss thught me the term. Look at the earliest pictures of the '53 Motorama Corvette as shown at the Waldorf in NY. They show it; later pictures do not.

I wonder if the Tampa, Florida resident still has the well documented frame from EX122? Does anyone know?

Best,
Kent #6201

[Loren L.]

One of the Motorama cars had the phony fender

vents - the other did not. Steve Koss worked in Parts Fabrication and may have used some initiative in cutting it away before the FIRE TEST - unlike most of Chevrolet, Steve had a sense of history.