You’re Looking at the Car That Mothered Every Mid-’60s Chevy Stingray

She looks pretty good for her age

January 10, 2017 9:00 am

You know when you meet a woman’s mother for the first time, and even though the forces of nature and nurture almost certainly preclude the ridiculous notion that said woman will look like her mother someday, you size Mom up anyway?

Well this is like that, except you’re looking at the museum-worthy matron of the mid-’60s Chevy Stingray family.

And she’s a looker.

Up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, the one-off, mid-engine 1960 Chevrolet CERV 1 is regarded as a landmark in automotive history. Developed as a research vehicle and built by racing driver Zora Arkus-Duntov, the CERV 1 was meant to help GM improve the handling of their sport coupes; they would later apply what they learned to the Stingray.

The R&D ride only saw a bit of track time: in the U.S. Grand Prix in 1960, when Duntov took ‘er for a couple of demo laps. The ride would have made for an interesting contender though, with its low weight and 350 ponies allowing for a top speed of about 206 mph.

And when we say museum quality, we mean it. The CERV 1 was a white-glove show dog up until ‘86, and has since changed private owners twice. But come January 14th, she’ll find a new home again.

It coudl be yours if you’ve got about $2m in coin to spare.

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