A 1957 Corvette Just Sold for $7.7 Million, Making it the Most Expensive of All Time
A new king has risen to the throne.
The stunning 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64 became the most expensive 'Vette of all time after it sold for $7.7 million at RM Sotheby's ModaMiami auction late last week. The one-of-a-kind roadster was the first purpose-built General Motors race car.
More from Robb Report
Why the Original Ford Mustang Has Never Lost Its Swagger
This Bonkers New Tuned Corvette Has Been Transformed Into a Fighter Jet on Wheels
The Fiat 124 Sport Spider's Beautiful Lines and Feisty Engine Make It an Enduring Classic
In becoming the most expensive Corvette, the SS Project XP-64 broke a record that had stood for more than a decade. The record had belonged to a rare L88-powered 1967 C2 Corvette that Barrett-Jackson sold for $3.85 million in August 2024. Yes, the SS Project XP-64 sold for more than double that amount, in addition to beating the auction house's high-end estimate of $7 million.
It's not particularly surprising to see the SS Project XP-64 become the most expensive Corvette of all time. The gorgeous race car was the brainchild of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the 'father of the Corvette.' The engineer also liked to race, so his idea for track-only Corvette involved more than just putting a bigger engine into an otherwise stock vehicle. Arkus-Duntov and his team completely reimagined the C1 Corvette, outfitting it with a lightweight tubular chassis, a streamlined magnesium body, and a 4.6-liter V-8 with Ramjet fuel injection.
The blue-and-white speed machine may look good on paper, but it didn't fare that well on the track. The car was entered in just one race, the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1957, which is failed to finish due to mechanical issues. Soon after, the Automotive Manufacturing Association, of which GM was a member, pulled its support for factory-backed racing, leaving the race car a one-off. A decade later, Arkus-Duntov donated the race car to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it has remained until last week's auction.
The ModaMiami auction was the third and final RM Sotheby's sale to feature cars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway collection. Last year, the museum announced it was parting ways with 11 historic vehicles so it could refocus its collection on vehicles that have a direct connection to the racetrack and its history. The vehicles, which included a $36 million Ferrari 250 LM and a $53 million Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen, sold for a combined $130 million.Best of Robb Report
The 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine Beast
The World's Best Superyacht Shipyards
The ABCs of Chartering a Yacht
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
GM names head of global manufacturing
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. General Motors named Mike Trevorrow SVP of global manufacturing, effective June 6, the automaker announced in a press release. Trevorrow will serve a dual role, retaining his position as VP of global manufacturing engineering but will also oversee the automaker's worldwide manufacturing operations, the company said. The combined units have more than 95,000 employees across 110 sites in 11 countries. Trevorrow will report to GM President Mark Reuss. "Mike's extensive experience in manufacturing operations and engineering, along with his steady leadership, make him the right choice to lead our global manufacturing organization into the future,' Reuss said in the announcement. According to his LinkedIn profile, Trevorrow has served in a variety of management roles in engineering and manufacturing for GM since 2009. He succeeds Jens Peter Clausen who resigned as head of GM's global manufacturing after less than a year in the role. GM said Trevorrow's more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing operations and engineering will help the company 'effectively integrate advanced manufacturing technologies, accelerating our transition to software-defined vehicles while supporting GM's broader innovation strategy.' Trevorrow's GM career began as director, launch and execution for North America Stamping Dies & Body Shop Tooling, per his LinkedIn. He was promoted to executive director, global body, in manufacturing engineering, and later served as plant executive director of the Lansing Region in Michigan. In 2023, Trevorrow became VP of North American manufacturing and by early 2024 transitioned to VP of global manufacturing engineering at GM. Recommended Reading GM names Aurora Innovation co-founder as chief product officer Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Johnson City driver speeds off to Pikes Peak Hill Climb
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – One of America's oldest motorsports traditions is coming up this month, and a Johnson City driver will have the rare opportunity to race. The 103rd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is happening June 22 in Colorado, and Tracy Gaudu of Johnson City will be there with her heavily modified Corvette. Advertisement The iconic race against the clock runs up the winding 12-mile road on the Rocky Mountain peak, with a total of 156 turns and a 5,000-foot elevation gain. It's a course that requires a unique combination of car, skill and outright mettle to be successful. WJHL Photo Gaudu, who runs her one-woman operation Team Tracy Motorsport, has what it takes, but the anticipation ahead of raceday is building. 'I'm super excited,' Gaudu said. 'I can't even really describe it. It's the biggest thing I've ever done with my racing [career] this far.' Making it to the race is an accomplishment in itself. Just 74 drivers from across the world will run this year's hill climb, and only five, Gaudu included, are women. Advertisement As her racing career developed to include hill climbs, Pikes Peak was on her radar, but it was a challenge she did not initially think she was ready for. 'I would watch it online and think, 'Man, one day I think I could see myself there,'' Gaudu said. 'In reality, I thought, 'You're not ready for that.'' On a whim, Gaudu decided to apply for the 2025 race. 'All they can say is no, but they didn't,' Gaudu said. 'So here we are.' Since learning she made the cut, Gaudu has spent much of 2025 preparing both herself and the car for the big race. Gaudu lives life at full speed off the track as well. Advertisement She is an Air Force veteran, but she works her day job at the Johnson City Medical Center as a vascular surgery and trauma physician assistant. She moved to Johnson City from Texas in 2012, starting in neurosurgery. 'I'm not one that just likes to sit around,' Gaudu said. 'I get tired at times, believe me. Since I get older, especially.' Her high-intensity workload is part of what drove her to racing and applying for Pikes Peak. Now, the biggest challenge of Gaudu's racing career is ahead of her. Pikes Peak is a dangerous race. Many of the dozens of curves have no guardrail, surrounded by either trees or a steep drop down the mountain. Advertisement Her car is loaded with safety features, similar to what a NASCAR driver has onboard, like a safety harness, fire suit, roll cage and more. 'If you go off, you're going off a significant amount,' Gaudu said. 'It's a big drop. If you're rolling and spinning in the car, you want as much safety around you as you can have.' Because of the course's length, practice time is very limited. There will be some practice for the race weekend, but the majority of the preparation is done through simulators, watching videotape and an early practice session last weekend. 'I feel ready,' Gaudu said. 'The simulator has helped me tremendously, but a simulator is just that. It's not real life, but it will hopefully help me at least know where I'm going as far as what the next turn is, and not be completely lost.' Advertisement She will not be battling up the mountain against other cars, but rather her elapsed time to cover the 12-mile course. Gaudu will be taking Team Tracy Motorsport against some of the giants of motorsport, many teams running with manufacturer support. She'll have some pit crew members making the trek with her, but the bulk of the foundation was built solely by Gaudu. 'I've been a one-woman race team the whole time,' Gaudu said. 'Rarely do you find someone that's doing it all by themselves. Pikes Peak can be intimidating with that, but then you can watch what they're doing and learn from those teams too.' Advertisement Her years of motorsports experience, much of it in this same Corvette, have prepared her for the moment. She started out in auto-cross, learning how to drive the car at track days. Then, Gaudu graduated to time trials on closed courses through the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). She got her competition license with NASA a couple of years ago to go racing wheel-to-wheel in the Super Unlimited class. It was then that Gaudu first started running hill climbs. Gaudu has plenty of experience in hill climbs, but she has used the Appalachian mountains to hone her skills at courses in Norton, Va., Pineville, Ky., and in North Carolina. Advertisement 'I really love hill climbing,' Gaudu said. 'It's me and the car and the course. There's no other people around. When things happen, it's really on you.' For the big race, Gaudu is going all out. Over her racing career, she has made several modifications to her burnt orange 2007 Chevrolet Corvette C6-Z. Through bumps and scrapes, the car has always come back stronger, but the car is at its peak performance ahead of the hill climb. Not much of the car is still stock from when she bought it. Glass has been replaced with Lexan, accessories that provide driver comfort have been stripped out — all in the name of weight reduction. Advertisement For this race, Gaudu also added an oxygen tank because the race starts at around 9,000 feet in elevation. It finishes well over 14,000 feet. Plus, she's added downforce with a massive rear wing and front splitter. She will be the first woman in the hill climb's history to run in a Corvette. Driving the biggest race of her career in this car clearly means a lot to Gaudu. 'It sounds so terrible, but I love this car more than anything I own,' Gaudu said. 'I wouldn't want to do this race in any other car. I've had the car since late 2007. I learned how to drive manual on this car. We've been through a lot together.' Advertisement As for her goals for the race, there is only one thing in mind. 'You're really not successful there unless you can make it to the top,' Gaudu said. 'If you make it halfway, no one's going to remember that. You spend too much time and money trying to get there, you need to make it there.' Gaudu will make her run in the 103rd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 22. You can read more about her racing career and see where she's racing next on her website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chevy Teases a New Corvette 'X' to Debut Next Week
We only just had our first go at the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, but Chevy is already teasing a new variant today for a debut on June 17. Chevy's Instagram post is explicit, reading: 'The hype is real. A new Corvette is coming.' The video itself displays a date that we presume is the reveal date, just four days from now. Mark your calendars for next Tuesday, June 17, as new Corvette day. What Corvette is being revealed? The only additional visual hint to be found in the teaser is the letter 'X' flashed up on screen right at the end of the graphic. 'X' could mean all sorts of things, but it commonly refers to all-wheel-drive vehicles. Chevy was seen testing a Corvette that looked just like the ZR1 on the Nürburgring only a day ago, but that car featured yellow hybrid stickers on it. The 'Zora' has long been rumored to simply be a ZR1 with the E-Ray's hybrid components worked in to give it AWD and an electric boost. Not as though the ZR1 at 1064 horsepower needs any extra get-up, but adding electric power to the front wheels would undoubtedly aid traction and ultimately lead to better performance on the racetrack. There's still no Grand Sport trim of the C8 Corvette, though we doubt Chevy would opt for AWD in that model given its history as a more puristic and driver-focused variant. Another hint from the Instagram post, though, is the soundtrack played in the background. Comparing it to sound clips of the various engines available in the C8 has us thinking it's the sound of the LT7 found in the ZR1. Chevy doesn't include any spacey hybrid-electric sounds to point us in that direction, but the 'X' in the video is pointed enough. We'll know for sure what Corvette this is next week, so tune back in Tuesday to see what the next step in the ever-climbing C8 ladder is. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
