VETTE magazine – Pulpaddict

Prepped for the 2026 Mille Miglia in Italy, Team Zora USA’s SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE rocks at Corvettes on the Circle!

SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE

Competitive Historic racer Michael Moss – Lola T70 & Gurney Eagle – wins Class and Favorite Car “gold” with his SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE at the 26^th Annual Skyway Corvette Club’s Corvettes on the Circle show on May 3^rd. Held at St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, FL, this year’s show hosted more than 175 Corvettes spanning eight generations of America’s sports cars.

Team Zora USA and the SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE celebrate the Corvette’s legacy of excelling on the world stage of racing for decades. The team’s mission is to honor the legacy of Zora Arkus-Duntov by competing in 1000 Miglia events, including the 2026 Mille Miglia in Italy.

Mike Moss conceived Team Zora USA with friend and teammate Martyn Schorr – author, founding editor of VETTE Magazine, and a friend of Zora during the 1960s-1970s. Its mission: Competing in 1000 Miglia events and paying tribute to the Godfather of the Corvette. Even though a Corvette did not participate in the original Mille Miglia between 1953 and 1957, Corvette is on the 1000 Miglia Guest List of Approved Cars because of its historical significance. Team Zora USA’s ’57 FI Corvette has been issued a FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens) ID Card, issued for historically-correct vehicles competing in international events like those sanctioned by 1000 MIGLIA S.R.L.

A longtime competitor in HSR & SVRA Historic road racing, Moss has driven a variety of vehicles, from a B/SP Corvette Sting Ray to a Lola T70 Mark IIIB (432 cubic-inch Dart/Chevy) and the ex-Peter Revson Can-Am Lola T163 (513 cubic-inch fuel-injected Dart aluminum engine).

He also owns and races a trio of important, vintage Indy 500 racecars. Two are powered by Ford quad-cam V-8s: 1966 Gerhardt 66, naturally-aspirated Ford, driven by Gordon Johncock, and a 1969 Dan Gurney Santa Ana Eagle, turbocharged Ford, driven by Denny Hulme and Swede Savage. A turbocharged Offy powers the third, a 1969 Mongoose driven by Bill Vukovich. RM Motorsports, Wixom, MI supports his racing efforts.

The Venetian Red with Shoreline Beige coves, dashboard, and interior trim, with red upholstery, SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE is powered by the highest performance engine – RPO-579C, 283 cubic inches, 283 horsepower – available in 1957. It’s fitted with Rochester Ramjet Fuel-Injection, Sebring dual filter-element air cleaner, and Duntov solid-lifter .393/.399-inch-lift, 287/287 degree-duration camshaft, and lightweight valve train. An RPO-685 B-W close-ratio four-speed and RPO-677 Positraction 3:70:1 rear complete the powertrain.

SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE Its original chassis sports RPO-684 HD suspension, brakes, and fast 16.4:1 steering. Steel wheels are RPO-276 15×5.5-inch-wide, fitted with Dunlop CR65 Vintage Racing #204 compound 600L-15 tires. A column-mounted 8,000-rpm (RPO-579D engine option) AC mechanical tach and Radio Delete Block-Off plate distinguish it from typical street-driven Corvettes. Mechanical race-prep was executed by Tony Pardo and his team at RM Motorsports. Local Corvette specialist, Bo Martin at Martin Autobody, Bradenton, FL, detailed and buffed out the Venetian Red paint and painted the Shoreline Beige coves and interior panels.

SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE In addition to Moss, a longtime supporter of the National Corvette Museum, and Schorr, Team Zora USA includes John Cutrone and Kenneth W. “Ken” Kayser, above, Bob Elkins photo. Cutrone is the Team Manager as well as a Cultural Attaché to Italian Food & Wine Festivals. He will be handling hospitality and logistics support for the Mille Miglia and other events in Italy. Kayser is the team’s Corvette Racing Historian. He’s a retired career GM and Chevrolet engineer, Rochester Fuel Injection expert, author, and President of Tachometer Publishing. He’s written and published The History of GM’s Ramjet Fuel Injection on Chevrolet’s V-8 Engine and its Corvette Racing Pedigree, and several books on the Corvette and Zora Arkus-Duntov. Team members are also members of Sarasota Café Racers.

The next event for the SPIRIT OF ZORA ’57 CORVETTE FUELIE will be The Corvette Story, Speed-Style-Legacy Show at the Saratoga Automobile Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY. It will share space with historic high-performance Corvettes, racecars, one of the five Grand Sports, and iconic Corvette Concept Cars from GM’s Heritage Collection, including the legendary Mako Shark and Manta Ray. For more information, please visit https://www.saratogaautomuseum.org/current-exhibitions

Check out the hosts of the 26^th Annual Corvettes on the Circle Show, the Skyway Corvette Club, @ https://skywaycorvetteclub.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=0&club_id=475459

Ken Kayser’s books on Corvette history, Ramjet Fuel Injection, and Zora Arkus-Duntov are available @ https://www.tachometerpublishing.com/

For the ’67 CORVETTE STING RAY, Chevrolet saved the last of the C2 Series for the best, especially regarding power options! OVER-DRIVE Magazine covers the last Sting Ray.

’67 CORVETTE STING RAY The ‘67 CORVETTE STING RAY was the last C2 Corvette. It is said that the ’67 was meant to be the first of the new-design cars, but the C3 Stingray was found to have aerodynamic inconsistencies. GM decided that more time in the wind tunnel would be required before it went into production. Thus, while the 1967 was a carryover, it became the most refined C2 produced.

As a carryover, changes were small. with 5 smaller front fender vents replacing the previous three rather large ones, and a flat-finished rocker panel without the previous ribbing that gave the busy a lower look. A single backup light, mounted above the license plate allowed for two tail lights per side and wheel covers were replaced by six-inch wide Rally wheels with chrome beauty rings. Interior alterations included revised upholstery, and the hand brake moved from beneath the dash to between the seats. The convertible’s optional hardtop was offered with a black vinyl cover, emulating what was seen on larger cars.

The 427 CID V-8 was available with Rochester three two-barrel carburetors, called RPO L71, producing 435 horsepower at 5,800 RPM with 460 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. It replaced the L72 425 horsepower version of 1966 albeit with a different mechanical camshaft. Another three two-barrel engine was released to fit between the L71 and the L36, the RPO L68. It featured the L36 hydraulic camshaft but had the multiple carburetors. As stated, the L36 remained. The two 327 CID V-8 were retained: the L79 350 and the standard 300 horsepower units. With potential buyers anticipating the car’s overdue redesign, sales for the ’67 CORVETTE STING RAY final year totaled 22,940, down over 5,000 units from 1966. Of note was that 88 percent of 1967 Corvettes were fitted with 4-speed manual transmission and only 10.1 percent had the Powerglide automatic transmission. The remaining 1.9 percent were equipped with the standard 3-speed manual transmission and the mandatory 300 horsepower 327 CID V-8.

’67 CORVETTE STING RAY

Later in the year, the ultimate Corvette engine was added, the RPO L88. Fitted with aluminum heads with bigger ports, it came with an even more aggressive camshaft and a 12.5:1 compression ratio. The option also required an aluminum radiator, a small-diameter flywheel, and a single Holley 850 cfm race-bred four-barrel carburetor. The factory rated the L88 at 430 horsepower at 4,600 rpm, less than the L89, but the true rating was estimated to be about 560 horsepower at 6,400 rpm. Given the ultra-high compression ratio and the camshaft fitted, it is clear that this was not an engine for the street.

Chevrolet made several individual options mandatory on the L88, including Positraction, transistorized ignition, heavy-duty suspension, and power brakes, as well as RPO C48, which deleted the heater and defroster. This option was an additional $1,500. Given the price and lack of street manners, the L88 reached only 20 buyers that year.

For the full story on the ’67 CORVETTE STING RAY, factory sales brochure, print advertisements, specification sheets, magazine road tests and production numbers, please visit OVER-DRIVE Magazine @ https://over-drive-magazine.com/2024/12/30/1967-corvette-fact-sheet/