History Yes Virgina there really is a 1963 steel Corvette

I was doing some research and ran across this as a fluke and thought you guys might enjoy reading this and see the photos.

It was designed by Pininfarina. HRP



If you knew the answer is yes, then you probably know the story behind the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Rondine, a rare prototype that was commissioned by the Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina – and was made of steel!


The unique Corvette Rondine set a record at the Barrett-Jackson Auction in 2008 when it sold for a cool $1.6 million to a Connecticut collector. Pininfarina had held onto the car in its museum for some 40 years and also displayed the Rondine at various events, including the 2005 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d/Este as part of the coachbuilder’s 75th anniversary, before finally deciding to auction it off.

Interestingly, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the first Corvette chief engineer, was a fan of the car and was once quoted as saying: “For the first time I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.”

While crafted in Italy, the Rondine still had its American roots since U.S.-born design legend Tom Tjaarda penned its sleek lines while working in Italy for Pininfarina. Tjaarda also designed the Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, Fiat 124 (which arrived in 1966 and featured many styling cues from the Rondine), and DeTomaso Pantera.

Since it was made of metal, the Rondine was much heavier than the stock Corvette. The front end slopes forward along a smooth curve that ends with a thin, horizontal chrome grille that provides air to the engine. This was an attractive yet practical design element to keep the engine cool. The side panel is accented by a sharp line originating from the grille. The angle runs along the front fender, through the side of the car and ends at the crest of the rear fender, giving the “Rondine” a slender, European look. The rear end features the celebrated “swallow tail” arrangement, which minimizes the visibility of the car’s tail due to projecting rear fenders. Under the hood of the mesmerizing teal sports car lies a 327ci, 4-speed manual, fuel-injected V8 that pumps out 360 horsepower. The interior design remained pretty much like the GM version, though the stock seats were re-covered in sumptuous Italian leather and the floor covered with rich black carpet. The door jams were also chromed and decorated panels were fitted.

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If you’re wondering the reasoning behind making the Rondine in the first place, it was built for the 1963 Paris Auto Show, the result of a long-running relationship between GM and Pininfarina. Corvette enthusiast and historian Tony Thacker once told Corvette Fever magazine: “It was perhaps as a result of the friendship between (Corvette designer Bill) Mitchell and Pinin Farina, the founder of the Italian design house, that a ’63 Sting Ray found its way to Turin’s Valley di Susa for Pininfarina to re-body in any way they wished.”

As a styling exercise, the car has its good points. But based on the lukewarm reception from the public, the Rondine just never caught on as a possible Italian-American collaboration similar to the DeTomaso and was quietly retired to the company’s museum. We’ll stick with Larry Shinoda’s original Sting Ray design, thank you.

 

Hell, I'd drive it!

 

It's cool and all and I'm sure it is worth a fortune wherever it is these days but I wouldn't take it over a split window.

 

Proof that nothing is outside reality if you look long enough. I see many typical Pinin touches. As if you could say "typical" and "Pinin Farina" in the same sentence. I like it. Probably not a fun drive in the Italian sun.

 

That interior shot is a little shocking, I would have expected something a little more....Italian. Not complaining, just saying. Did you notice that it's got the high hp tach? Thanks HRP.

 

Cool, but I'm finding it hard to warm up to the whole front end. Too much snout for me. Gary

 

.....I like it!

 

Cool. Snowman

 

Very Interesting Auto And Story...Thanks..

 

Kinda reminds me of an Avanti from the side view. Front has some resemblance to a Jag. They should have popped a mold off it and offered it as a special edition or something.

 

That is a beautiful car...
r


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I like the split window...

 

Sort of looks like a Studebaker.

 

Pretty styling. The nose is a little long for my eyes. I am not a big fan of the long nose and the foreshortened tail. I didn't even know a concept Corvette like this even existed.
If I was presented with the opportunity of picking between this and the 1964 Coupe I owned back then, I would still pick my coupe. Another car I would have liked back then, was the BMW 507 sports car. They also sell for a ton of cash.
Bob

 

Interesting & beautiful. Thankfully the European tilt didn't take off. Couldn't imagine rows of that edition lined up for M/P in the hay-day...

 

I like wierd cars, and it's done well when compared to other one off cars that I have seen...

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Looks like a cross between a late model Corvair and an Avante.

 

Gorgeous car, still like the styling of the 63 vette better.

 

Obviously GM & the consumers felt the same way. HRP

 

^^^^^ Just thinking the same thing.

 

Found a photo that shows the grille. HRP

 

The Rondine is a beautiful car and I was fortunate to see it in person at several car shows. You might be interested in this aluminum bodied '59 Corvette fuelie, bodied by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Carroll Shelby commissioned this build. Last I heard this is in the Peterson Museum.

 

Not Pininfarina's best effort. The whiff of Fiat 124 convertible with an oddly disproportionate, bulbous nose.

Pininfarina seems to vacillate wildly between beauty and clumsy.

ETA: I prefer the contemporary work of Franco Scaglione

 

The 124 Spider took almost all of the design elements and balanced them nearly perfectly. At least until Fiat had to add rubber bumpers. The coupe version doesn't seem to be the same car at all.

 

From what I have read there were 3 of these built, one was assembled abroad and the other two were shipped to the United States in pieces and assembled here. HRP

 

ass is too pinched-in for me too.

 

I like blue one.

 

Geez Danny, I thought you were talking about this debacle from Monogram Models:

 

Wait there's more. Here's a 1957 Corvette by Giovanni Michellotti. It's a purported one-off aluminium body built on a ‘54 Corvette chassis by Carozzeria Ghia in Switzerland. The Ghia Corvette was powered by a Blue Flame 6 in-line engine with a 4-speed manual gearbox. The white one below sports the same plates however note the small tail fins and side trim (Scallop)







https://carsthatnevermadeitetc.tumblr.com/post/174893518279/willment-cobra-ghia-coupé-csx-3055-1965-an-ac
http://mycarquest.com/2016/03/mystery-corvette-two.html

 

These cars don't seem to look like Corvettes