Corvette Model Gallery

1969 ZL1

The media continued their attack. Road & Track referred to the car as "lacking finesse; like using a five-pound axe when a rapier, properly designed, could do as well." Car & Driver tempered their attack with an explanation. "It being a mass-class sports car, the Corvettes excellent engineering tends to be obscured by some rather garish styling gimmicks." Chevy could be forgiven for not being able to fix every problem the media could find to criticize. They were too busy just trying to keep up with the demand for the car which exceeded 1968 sales numbers by ten thousand. Some of this increase is explainable because the production year lasted two months longer then usual. While it takes a keen eye to tell the difference between a ‘68 and a ‘69 changes were being made, most of them designed to fix the niggling problems of the previous year. Inside, the steering wheel diameter was reduced by an inch to fifteen and made tilt and telescopic to ease driver entry. Inner door panels were also revised to provide marginally more shoulder room. All knobs were rubberized and inner door handles made more safe as well as head rests being added to the options list. The dash mounted ignition was moved to the steering column and made locking, an admission that Corvettes were high on the theft list. Within a few years an alarm system would also become standard. To alleviate the lack of storage room three map pockets were added to the passenger side of the dash but it wouldn’t be till 1978 that this was changed to a proper glove box. External changes would include the moving of the back-up lights from beneath each bumper to the center of each inboard tail light. The grill which had been chrome in ‘68 was now painted black. The true nit picker of detail would also note the change in the door handle. In 1968 a finger hold was mounted on the top of the door but the push button to open it was located below, for ‘69 the finger hole was also the opener and only the key hole was on the side of the door. The most noticeable change was that Corvette would again be given the Stingray name and a name plate would be added above the fender louvers. While Chevy claimed that work had been done on the frame to increase structural stiffness, that a change from 7 inch wheels to 8 inch ones had improved handling and that body panel tolerances had been improved, work in these areas would have to continue. A barely noticed milestone occurred on Nov. 19. With little fanfare a Riverside Gold convertible rolled out of the St Louis. It was the 250,000 Corvette built. This was also the year of the absolutely amazing ZL-1, An all aluminum 427 producing well over 500 hp!! Final word on the inaugural years of the C3 should be left to Zora Arkus Duntov. When asked to comment on the bad press the car was receiving he commented that "the Corvette was a well-balanced Sports Car while its rivals see it as a Flash Gordon Thunderbird for the Hugh Hefner school of mass cult glamour."

The model:

Russell sent these pictures of his award winning rendition of the ZL-1, based on the Revell #7149.

"This car has a special place in my heart as this very car was restored by a close family friend in the early 1980's named Wayne Walker. I'm sure you can imagine what kind of impact a 530hp, one of two built, super-corvette like this could make on a 15 year-old!! This car probably delayed my discovering of women!! Wayne had many Vettes over the years, L-88's, tri-power 427's, LT-1's, etc... But the ZL-1 was so rare and unique it had become my favorite by far."

"I used the hood and air filter base from the '68 L-88 convertible, the side pipes from the Baldwin-Motion Corvette."

Correct "Daytona Yellow" paint color, scratchbuilt taillamps and bezels.

The model features a Model Car Garage detail set (incredible), complete plumbing and wiring, a complete scratchbuilt smog-pump system , and a Detail Master distributor with shielding left off as per prototype (radio delete car).    

This model won 1st place in it's first showing, placed in many contests, and won a "best engine" award.

Comments:

This is an outstanding model of a legendary car, but the inspiration behind it is just incredible!!!!

If you would like to contact Russell on this model his e-mail address is: murco1965@email.msn.com

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Page updated  09/16/00