A handful of extraordinarily rare mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette prototypes will be displayed during the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance on March 8. The headline act will be the one-and-only 1964 GS IIB, a vehicle that has never been shown outside of its original display at the Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas.
Unlike some other mid-engined Corvette prototypes, the GS IIB wasn’t crafted by engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov. Instead, it came to life thanks to engineer Frank Winchell and featured a sleek exterior designed by Larry Shinoda. Thanks to the use of thin aluminum, the car weighs just 657 kg and has a design inspired by the 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT concept. Sitting behind the passenger and driver seats is an all-aluminum 327 cubic-inch V8 engine delivering over 400 hp and driving the rear wheels through a single-speed automatic transmission.
Much like some of the other mid-engined Corvette prototypes built over the decades, the GS IIB failed to convince General Motors executives that it was a good idea to make a mid-ship sports car, particularly due to a ban against factory-sanctioned American racing teams. It remains part of the collection of American racer and engineer Jim Hall.
Featured alongside the GS IIB at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance will be other Corvette Experimental Research Vehicles including the CERV I, CERV II, and Corvette XP-819.
