Two Rotor Corvette--any GM styling insiders out there? | FerrariChat
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Two Rotor Corvette--any GM styling insiders out there?

Discussion in 'American Muscle' started by HistoryBuff, Jul 24, 2013.

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  1. HistoryBuff

    HistoryBuff Karting
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    #1 HistoryBuff, Jul 24, 2013
    I put this in the American Muscle category though in two paragraphs you'll find why it should be in German muscle.
    Back in the early '70s I drove , for 10 minutes, a rotary powered prototype called the Two Rotor. Build in Italy with steel body by Pininfarina.
    You don't see the car displayed at the National Corvette Museum and I think that's because, decades later, it came out that it was a German rival's car underneath.
    I was wondering if that was commonly known in the '0s and what GM stylists thought about it,i.e. would they get caught if they took the shortcut of using a rival's chassis?

    I knew the designer Kip Waskenko but can't remember the other young staffer who participated in the car's design.

    Also what was the transmission? I remember a three speed TBH but what was it actually?
    Finally the one I drove was red with tan leather but I have seen pictures of a silver one with silver leather (not the XP-895) which was yet another mid-engined Corvette prototype.
     
  2. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    #2 jm2, Jul 24, 2013
    was just talking to Kip the other day about this very car.
    The reason it's not in the Corvette museum is a collector in England owns the car today. it was supposed to have been scrapped at the time,but the decision was made to sell the car to the Englishman sans engine. Big brother didn't have to know,evidently....
    The silver one was built by/for Alcoa Aluminum.

    calling it German muscle is really a stretch IMHO
    IIRC,there were components from a Porsche 914 underneath,but the driveline & the body were GM of course. The wheelbases were supposed to be the same,hence the use of the 914. No one cared.
    Kip Wasenko was the sole designer on that project. don't know who else you might be referring to.
     
  3. XR4Tim

    XR4Tim Formula 3

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    #3 XR4Tim, Jul 24, 2013
    Is the silver one in the Heritage collection, still owned by Alcoa, or did it get scrapped?
     
  4. HistoryBuff

    HistoryBuff Karting
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    #4 HistoryBuff, Jul 24, 2013
    Man I don't know how you load this request into a URL locater:

    Google Image Result for http://deansgarage.com/wp-content/gallery/2rotor/008-2rotor.jpg

    The wierd thing is that it refers you to an article on a website called Dean's Garage which then doesn't have the picture of the silver one. I know the differance, the Alcoa car had a different rear roof. But speaking of the Alcoa car, what was the enigne in that?
    Also the Dean's Garage story they mention designer Tom Covert and Hank Haga in charge of it, working under Mitchell, which is odd because the story starts out saying how much Mitchell hated the Two Rotor (feeling it wasn't big enough to be a Corvette).
    Say hello to Kip for me, I still remember the lunch he bought me on GM's nickel at George's on the Cove in La Jolla.(Us historians gotta eat too..)
     
  5. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    #5 jm2, Jul 24, 2013
    Hank was the Chief Designer IIRC. I will ask Kip about Tom Covert's involvement,but I'm positive it was all Kip's design. Kip got the design patent for the 2 Rotor.
    The Alcoa car was a pushmobile.
    As I said the original Pininfarina built showcar was the one that wound up in England.
    And yes Mr. Mitchell wasn't crazy about the 2 Rotor......that's why they did the 4 Roor shortly thereafter. And THAT car was ALL Mitchell's. I liked the size/packaging and the basic look of the 2 Rotor but the overall design drama of the 4 Rotor/Aerovette.
     
  6. jm2

    jm2 F1 World Champ
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    #6 jm2, Jul 25, 2013
    I got it wrong.
    The showcar was painted silver at first but was changed to red shortly thereafter.
    The Alcoa car was also a runner,but not sure of the power train.
    Tom Covert was indeed involved and he did the wheel design......which was later copied by American Racing's Vector wheel.
    The Chief Designer was not Hank Haga,but Dick Finnegan
    The car was never intended to be a Corvette,that decision was made shortly before the Frankfurt show. Mitchell said "that's NOT a Corvette"
    And he did the 4 Rotor to prove his point
    Hopefully that clears up my initial errors
     
  7. Scott85

    Scott85 Formula 3

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    #7 Scott85, Jul 25, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017

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