Hello again: I am seeking verification of a special program concerning 1962 Chevrolet Corvettes entitled "Admirals & Generals". Anyone out there have knowledge of such a program and what it involved? Or could you lead me to a source who might be able to either verify or refute such a claim? Already on the key Corvette sites but thought with the breadth and depth of the H.A.M.B. someone here could provide direction. Thank you!
I have never heard of it and I have been around 62s for a few years. Some of the Corvette only sites may have some info on obscure Vette lore. There are some knowledgeable people on here so they may chime in. If you find something on it feel free to fill in the blanks.
Yes, PLEASE if you find anything report back. I have been dreaming of Corvettes ever since my cousin took me a ride in his '61 when I was 12. And I have never heard of it.
Many Apollo astronauts drove vettes and GM gave Allen Shepard a special 62. Maybe it's related to that. Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
1960 Indy winner Jim Rathmann owned a Chevrolet dealership near Cape Canaveral, and was involved in the astronaut/ Corvette deal if my memory is correct. It also sticks in my brain that a couple of those astronauts also owned at least part of one the roadsters he drove, maybe the Ken-Paul Special.
http://www.foxnews.com/auto/2011/05/07/nasas-corvette-connection.html When you are shot into outer space strapped to a rocket for a living, you have a slightly different threshold for excitement than most people. So what kind of car do you drive when you come back down to Earth? For Alan Shepard, who was the first American to break free of the planet’s atmosphere on May 5th, 1961 the choice was almost obvious: a Chevrolet Corvette. The Navy test pilot owned a 1957 ‘Vette when he was chosen for the space program in 1959, one of 10 he would own over the course of his lifetime. After returning from his successful mission, General Motors President Ed Cole presented the national hero with a brand new 1962 Corvette, helping to kick off a relationship between astronauts and Corvettes that has lasted ever since. All told, six of the 7 Mercury astronauts would drive Corvettes during their time in the program, thanks in part to a special lease deal offered to them by Chevrolet dealer and Indy 500 winner, Jim Rathman. According to General Motors, only John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, chose a Chevy station wagon over the sports car. Over the years others would follow, including the entire crew of Apollo 12, who had their matching 1969 Corvette Stingrays painted gold. The Apollo 15 crew would do them one better on the patriotism front, with red, white and blue cars between them. In fact, they liked them so much that they brought a GM product to the moon with them, in the form of the Lunar Roving Vehicle. To celebrate this ongoing connection, the Cape Kennedy Corvette Club is bringing together 30 surviving astronauts and a collection of Corvettes from the past five decades on Saturday, May 7th to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Shepard’s flight with a parade near the Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa Beach, Florida.-Fox News Copy and pasted the article because of all the pop ups that appeared. Pretty interesting, at least to me anyway.
Jon, without divulging too much info what color and engine is in the car you are looking at? Maybe you could match it up with old pictures? I knew astronauts drove mid year Corvettes but never knew they started back this far.
You might try to email Lance Miller of Corvettes at Carlisle/Carlisle fair grounds fame The Miller family are Corvette experts with a premiere collection or even the contact the NCRS itself. Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
There were stories of the astronauts receiving brake scoop equipped fuelie vettes, and racing them, however I do not know if that would have been in competition. It may also be the case that Rathmann supplied the group with a couple or so of them. This is all from memory, and as such I would have seen it in print, since I was only just borned in 1961. However, I recall reading that one of them crashed, and that was the end of the playtime (might have been Gordon Cooper), per NASA higher-ups. The later Corvettes that they received, I am pretty sure, while provided by GM, also came through Rathmann Chevrolet.
Anything is possible, but after 50 years in the Corvette hobby, this is the first that I have heard of this. It may be creative selling or perhaps it was a very very low key program that most have never heard of. I will continue to pay attention and maybe I will learn something.
I have no knowledge of that program, but I can guarantee there was nothing similar for the enlisted ranks.
Ok, guys. I'm gonna explore the Corvettes and Astronauts line. It is entirely possible that Jim Rathman dubbed his program "Admirals and Generals". I can't follow this much further until he commission comes n bit I will report back on what I am able to find out. Thanks for all your input. I knew this was the right place to come. THANK YOU!
Jon, one more thing I was wondering about, and that is the possibility that the program would have accompanied the introduction of the Corvette. I have read somewhere that it was difficult, if not impossible, to acquire a '53, unless you were a celebrity of some sort, like a John Wayne or an Otto Graham.
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