The Le Mans-Winning Chevrolets: Corvette C1 Coupe and C6.R
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ม.ค. 2018
- For the first Made to Drive installment in 2018, we got back together with our good friend and all-around good guy Bruce Meyer and a pair of American heroes from his impressive collection. We met up with him and his ‘Vettes at Thermal Club for some track time in these iconic endurance racers-specifically, the Briggs-Cunningham-prepared C1 that brought the Corvette name to Le Mans for the first time in 1960, along with the indomitable force of red-blooded horsepower that won its class in 2009, known simply as the C6.R.
See the on-track photoshoot of both cars here: petro.li/LeMansCorvettes
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The fact that it's a proper manual and not paddle shift makes it that much more badass.
You gotta love Bruce Meyer, truly a car guy's car guy.
Yup. I've always liked him but this made me like him even more.
him and jay leno are the best examples of a rich but down to earth guy
I've shared the track with another C6R and C5R at a Road America event in my 69 A production Corvette Racecar with abundant history. The sound of the 7 liter GT1 cars up close is WHOA badass. It's my dream to own one of the Pratt cars in the near future. I've seen a couple go at auction in the 200-400k range depending on history. Like he said, ridiculous that GM didn't retain the cars for their own archive. Gm, as a corporate entity, just doesn't get it sometimes I feel. The team within Corvette and in certain parts of the building get it, but as a corporate entity GM never built the legacy it could have, in racing. The white C1 was an all privateer effort. The funny part of that story is the cars were shipped by ocean liner, to Lemans, as "luggage"...lol. Briggs Cunningham booked his ticket and brought the cars as his baggage...haha. When they returned from Lemans, the cars were repainted and sold to the public off the dealer lot. They were missing for many years. If anyone is interested, there is a documentary called "The Quest" which shows how the last car was found. I know many of the people involved in the film, it's a good one. There are great stories behind the C1's and how they were discovered.
Unlike the Europeans, GM didn't care about its past. The CERV cars weren't kept, the 1957 Corvette SS ended up at the Indianapolis Speedway Museum basement, none of the three Briggs Cunningham C1s came to GM, and now the Pratt & Miller cars go into private (although appreciative) hands.
You don't need to speak for a car the car speaks for itself. Good or bad.
WOW I remember the 2009 Le mans. They showed on board footage of the entire 24hr race of the Vettes. I watched it to Sleep.
Having seen Bruce Meyer on Jay Leno's Garage a few time over the past couple of years, I've come to see how much he loves cars. Great video, great interview. Keep it up.
Ah that's where ive seen him before was doing my head in trying to remember hehe cheers Charles :)
Amazing! I remember hearing them race at Road Atlanta against the Aston 's. Epic battles and sounds. Thanks for sharing the car again.
Love the Norton in the background.
That was my first thought: "Holy shit, a Manx!"
1. All cars from all parts of the world are awesome in their own ways, stop hating on things that are different than what you like.
2. Since Chevrolet formed Corvette Racing as an official team in 1999, they have won more races than any other team in racing including winning Le Mans 8 times, more than any one else. Whether or not you like American cars, you have to respect what they do in motor racing. Corvette Racing has been completely dominant. Plus, just listen to it. What a noise
Your 11 titles behind Porsche, and you have only won in one class. Good car though..
@@emerckx53 porsche NEVER in history won the drivers manufacturer and teams championship in gt ever good try
@@emerckx53 porsches are GARBAGE they are doing bad at imsa and they had to get out of lmp1 lmao!!!
@@xj_220 Porsches is the most race successful manufacture in motorsports period...... They wooped greenwood corvette though out the 70s/80s group 5 in IMSA and Trans Am first with the 911 RSR with half the horsepower and then with the dominating Porsche 935........ They whooped the Can Am Chevy McLarens into extinction...... It wasn't until Pratt and miller that the Corvette became competitive.... Porsche was the most race successful in ALMS..... And P.S. Porsche left lmp1 Because there was no competition..... The year they left, they won le mans and the championship sooo...............
@@emerckx53 Chevy has never won le mans overall.... So it's 18 still to go.........
That c1 is gorgeous!
Really love Meyer’s philosophy of taking these wonderful machines out to share, where they can be run and enjoyed.
The 7-liter C6.R is one of very few modern-era cars I lust after. The sound is mesmerizing, I could listen to that car all day. I’d end up deaf... but what a way to lose your hearing. And there is something irrationally attractive about the 7-liter, 427-cubic-inch, pushrod V8. I cannot explain it, but I have an irrational attachment to this engine and the LS7 in the street cars. And of course who can argue with the race results. These cars did very well.
Great film. 👍
I was at a few races where the C6R competed. The sound that car generates is truly amazing, like nothing else on the track.
This is the first petrolicious video in awhile where I wanted more when it was finished. More of this, please!
We of the Dutch Z06 Siciety love our C6 Z06.
We have been at the pit of Le Mans to see its last race.
The sound the C6.R makes is out of this world, i was at the 2010 le mans race and can tell you that the Corvette is match by no other car when it comes to the sound, it will make the hair on your arm stand :)
Can’t get enough of Meyer’s cars, he drives them and goes after the best stuff! He tells you the history on every car that enhances the viewing and knows when to let the car talk! And check out that Norton over his shoulder. He is a guy you’d like to have a beer with.
Left out the C5-R Corvette. The most Le Mans wins of any Corvette.
Wow!! Super awesome!!! I have seen the c6 race at the Long Beach Grand Prix back in the day! That sound and speed of that Vette is astounding!! Never forget!! Truly a legendary car!
Bruce Meyer has Always Been The True Enthusiast's Car Guy,ALWAYS.
Over the many years he has been a Car Guy of Car Guy's.
Recently, American cars have caught a lot of my interest the reason being their back to basics approach. Everything is simple and ludicrously powerful. Still sticking to conventional engineering rather than going full 'Back To The Future' with it like Europeans. And the fact that their quality is getting better each day, makes it a jackpot. Americans, you now have my respect when it comes to cars.
Absolutely.
Especially given that a V8 Ford Mustang costs 45000€, and a 4 cyl BMW 4 series easily costs 65000€.
X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X And also with a lot more character
Absolutely. Even though the facelifted Mustang looks generic now.
Pramaap Singh Teotia I have a '15 911 Turbo S. Even with all of the driver assists off (or as off as I can get them) the car is still doing most of the work. Wonderful car but sometimes it's like playing a video game. When I wan to have fun I'll pull out my '73 911 or '69 Z28. If I fit in a current Corvette/Camaro/Mustang I'd be at the dealer today. But at 6'7" it's either 911's or American Muscle Cars.
I love american sport cars as well. What sucks is, to me, that most of them are automatic. IIRC 97% of the cars sold on the US market last year were AT.
Every time I see a video like this or hear stories about it, I get more and more envious of the people who live at Thermal. Who would live at a golf course when you can live at a race track?
Eric Hakanson The initial membership at Thermal is 100k. Annual dues after that are an additional 20k. Of course to become a member at Thermal there is a stipulation that you must also be a property owner. Custom built villas at Thermal start at 2 million and go up from there. Looks sweet though.
I take my hat off to Bruce Meyer! Thank you for doing this, sharing with us!
This video gives me goosebumps, about 11 years ago my dad took me to Le Mans for the first time as a 12 year old boy. On the Saturday evening of the race I got taken out to Mulsanne corner to get my first experience of night racing. To this day I will never forget the first time I heard the raucous bark of the C6.R arriving at the corner before blasting off into the darkness. Every lap after I knew exactly what was coming, that noise or experience will never leave me. Fortunately I've since had the pleasure of going back to Le Mans numerous times since watching Corvette's highs and lows over the subsequent years. I've been a fan ever since and still aspire to one day to own a C6 or C7 in yellow of course. Great owner and story :-D
Saw this C1 at the Lime Rock Historics. Truly a special car.
i've seen this car perform for a number of years at Le Mans, not knowing it was the exact same car, which i enjoyed more than any other car on the grid. This clip gives me goosebumps.
Bruce fascinates us everytime! Another feast for the soul as we watch the C6 lap Thermal!
No replacement for displacement.
You can keep your batteries thank you.
until we run out of oil in 50 years, because of this attitude...
Jérôme B, we won't run out of oil because of race cars.
Jérôme B we won't run out of oil, period.
STFU. What do you do, troll car channels so you can post inane comments?
Jérôme B Race cars such as the C6.R run on natural (renewable) fuels (ethanol/methanol) so what's your point?
Very awesome cars and a great video! Thank you!!!!!
Absolutely awesome video
Thanks for sharing such a cool car with us 😀
Kudos to Bruce Meyer, for his nice collection and his views on sharing the love of motorsports!
Amazing Video. Thanks for sharing!
The C6.R was a thrill to watch at VIR, ATL, and Mid-OH. But, boy-o-boy it was pure fury coming of the banks at Daytona! Nothing else ran like it and nothing else came close to sounded like it! Awesome purchase Dan!
The 1/18 scale is also worth having on the shelf.
AWESOME video! This guy is my hero.
Awesomeness.
Top-notch stuff!
Happy New Year Petrolicious :D
Your stories and the way you shoot the video is simply the best!!
That engine noise is so rich, brutal and dirty, it's like a guilty pleasure listening to it :)
Awesome video! What better way to ring in the new year than with an American Corvette Le Mans race car.
Thanks for sharing Bruce! Cars were meant to be driven!
Nothing on the race track gives you that bone crushing “deep tone” sound, like the Corvette.
In my humble opinion, Corvette is the Coolest sports car ever.
I'm not much of a hot rod, muscle car or even American sports car fan. Personally I prefer European sports coupes and sedans. However the upcoming 2018 Corvette ZR1 looks fantastic and has piqued my interest in all things Corvette. I've always had a tremendous appreciation for all things Le Mans so this video is great for me because it covers my newfound curiosity in Corvette and my love of the great French endurance race. Having a real "car guy's" guy like Bruce Meyer in it just makes it all the better. Great job Petrolicious!
The history of the Corvette--a car that was not always very encouraged by GM--is quite interesting and I would highly recommend Ludvigsen's "Corvette: America's Star-Spangled Sports Car", which is a gorgeous book that is ridiculously cheap for what you are getting. For more on the very successful Corvette Racing team, which has won something like 11 Manufacturers' and Team Championships, and 10 Drivers' ones in the IMSA GTLM class (in competition with European makes and now the Ford GT as well), here is a nice summary: www.corvetteonline.com/features/endurance-dominance-getting-to-know-corvette-racing
Leslie Reissner Thanks for info. I'll definitely check those out. I'm still far away from considering owning a Corvette (there's a few other things I'd want in the garage before I made that move) but as I said I'm still up for learning about (thus learning to appreciate) Corvette's and their place in not just Le Mans but all race history. I only became interested in modern Corvette's after the redesign a few years ago. But the 2018 models and the upcoming mid-engine Corvette do have a presence that I feel Corvette's have been lacking. And I've always been a fan of the first two generations (63-67 Corvette's will always have great aesthetic appeal) but iterations after 1967 I've never been attracted to, performance or lack thereof notwithstanding. Anyway again I appreciate the tips. Sorry for the ramble.
Although I was infatuated with the C2s, which came out in my childhood, I never thought much about Corvettes until the C6 came out in 2005; in 2015 I bought a low-mileage used one. The current C7 is clearly a better car (as it should be given the design is 9 years newer) but the C6 is a bargain given its performance and reliability and (although it is always subjective) looks. There is a very active community and a wonderful museum and we have met the Corvette Racing crew, who are very approachable, at the track and special events. As a BMW owner I like European cars but would not denigrate others that have earned a place at the table.
Awesome
Can't drive the C6 on the street? What are they gonna do, stop you?
"It wasn't touched" Next clip is him touching it. Haha. This was great! One of my favorite Petrolicious vids.
That C1 though .... What a beauty .
God that sound
American auto industry went through some bad times, but now you guys are truly back on track. The thing that I respect the most is that you keep your cars true to their roots, perfecting the working formula, instead of trying to put electric motors, complicated engine cycles and unreliable compound forced induction all over the place. Oh yeah, and you also build Teslas, just to compliment for all of the gas guzzling v8s you built
Thanks for sharing these mini documentaries. It takes time and effort to make this happen and while most enthusiasts seem to appreciate the results, the sad, inappropriate, out of context comments from the unhappy, angry followers is why I seldom post a comment. Now watch them attack me :) Thanks Bruce for opening your collection and sharing your knowledge with the world!
Also check out Adam Carolla's series on Bruce Myers, his collection is astounding in its quality. All have Incredible history! Leno, btw, has a street model C6-R!
Fun story, thanks for the vid
I think the C6 Z06 & ZR1 will become collectibles one day, as they’re the last gen Corvettes with a raw driving feel. The new C7’s IMO, looks a bit overdone to resemble a supercar.
i didn't care for the c6 vett at first, i looked at pic's and vids and they just looked boring and slightly off until a ruby red Z06 c6 pulled up next to me. You just can't appreciated the body lines and how low and wide it is through a picture plus that rumble can never be replicated by speakers its so prolific it shakes your brain stem. I still think the base model with the 3 gills on the side looks off but with the right trim package and paint color the flowing body lines stand out and changed my perception.
I'll be Frank I'm Leary about using my name agreed looks so much better in person
I'm curious to see what you think of the C8
What's your opinion of the c8??? Lmao 🤣😆
Bruce is a proper curator
That is one cool dude ! Total class Act
Even if these would never have been compatible at the Cirque de la Sarte, the emotion these C7s transported to the audience at the one and only 24h race is unmatchable for all time.
The audiovisual experience delivered cannot be explained to one not being spectator of the live event, and here, even the indirect experience, for example, watching it live on tv, is taken into countability.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, comes even close to watch and hear them soar through the moonless night of Le Mans. Nothing...
just WoW!!!
Dang I want to drive it now
Vicious! 🇺🇸
Maybe we'll see a feature on the c1soon?
7L of just let me go , racing horse power
Was this the C5R Oliver Gavin had that epic battle with AF Corsa F430 ? Went on for hours great battle
This guy gets it
you are the Bizzarini guy too ,-)
Thermal Club does live up to its name in the summer.
I want a video on that C1...
I want to be like you when I grow up!
The american v8 has such a distinctive sound.
I'm wondering if he's selling some of what he's showcasing in these Petrolicious episodes...
Ok..but...can we talk about that freaking NORTON MANX on the wall, there?!
Bruce Meyer is the man! And that C6r is some kind of God Bless America goodness! Great video! Thank you for the amazing content as usual.
awesome like always, but how about a better drone pilot, i may could help you with that
People always say that American cars "are less of a car" than european ones. But when americans want to win, you better bet they will
no comment
at 7:47 it looks like hes shifting via a sequential shifter in the "console" was the 09 C6R not paddle shifted?
STANGKILLASS it was sequential stick
Sandbagging around the Balance of Performance is certainly something Corvette excels at before the 24h.
slaWterCH That’s what ford did you salty fuck not Chevy
Go back to attempting to pick up girls in your underpowered fuck boy machine
PanadaTM Ford did it too in their first year back. Corvette does it for years.
Well, I do love old muscle car and some new ones, and the C1 is one of them. However, I don't like the C6 for some reasons, and I prefer Astons or Jaguar of the same gen. I didn't know that you could buy a Le Mans's car after its last race.
At least, I drove on the track a few times, because it's a open road lol.
Anyone know how much this corvet costs?
Awesome car......Cars. Is it me or if you close your eyes when the C6R is being spanked........ Bizzarrini A3/c anyone ???? Give or take 40 or 50 years or so on the same basic engine block. V8 cubes and noise!!! Bruce is whom all schoolboys want to be when they don`t grow up :-) A true Legend.
Bruce Meyer's Garage, formerly known as Petrolicous. :)
in 1939 a English Gent named John Rhodes Cobb built a Car and went 368 mph
Can, here, someone, who really know what’s talking about, explain to me why this C6.R make that sound ? It’s terrific !
It's got a 7.0L pushrod V8 with massive side pipes. It's always going to be pretty loud!
the 60 is very Boss
6000 plus ram of Bonham kick drum
But he is correct GM should have it at the corvette museum
American dominance of Le Mans? Loooool
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_24_Hours_of_Le_Mans_winners
Really great video, but I'm quite sad for the C6R race car. It belongs to race tracks and driven like beast, not rolling around off throttle and driving like a sedan.
Anyone, great that some people care about those rare and legendary race cars.
Decimated the Class? What are you talking about chap? Corvettes involvement since the late 90’s has been fabulous - but they’ve never decimated anything at Le Mans.
Besides being claimed by the entire series as one of the most dominate teams in the history. Even the fia recognizes how Corvette is
I had no clue the C6R was a true manual transmission. I thought it had a sequential?!
djjmann all of the other C6.R's have an xtrac sequential i believe, but this one being chassis #7, i think it was built directly on the C5.R chassis in which the C5 used and h pattern, and has C6 bodywork. Funny how some the sound clips of this video are a sequential car though.
Ohhhh, man, so apologizing here...
'C6'....
But truly does not matter, since the point I want to deliver speaks for all Cs from this C6 on.
...
How do you make the logos on your thumbnails? Please reply.
Wonder if he cleaned the seats I heard that the LM racers would pee in the seat because theycouldn't just get out of the car to use the bathrooms lol/ what a car tho
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The
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Corvette really has 8 Le Mans wins?
I remember when the C7.R *almost* won Le Mans. That was funny
Last lap! Woot!
C7.R scored its first Le Mans win at the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, and Jordan Taylor driving the #64 Corvette to victory in the GTE-Pro class.
Klas Kitsune Almost won? What happened? o.o
Also, nice Shädbase pic 😂
Gabriel Lobo You missed the funny bit when the Corvette went straight through a chicane.
It made me wonder when was the tire going down as it seems as if the driver didn't have as much grip as he was expecting.
To decimate means to reduce by one-tenth.
Not so literal, I'm thinking.
This put Ford vs Ferrari to shame. BowTIe till I die.
Ford has won it four times and ferrari nine times chevrolet bla bla has yet to win
@@peterschoen7409 Did you even watch the video?
@@drinkmdeveryday1836 nope because chevy has only had class win never like Ford, Mazda, ferrari, Porsche, Toyota etc won first over all.
@@peterschoen7409 LOL Chevy has 8 wins and for has 5... th-cam.com/video/PhACfJZhIMg/w-d-xo.html
Man that car sounds mean
Nice car but that track!
When there is too much displacement? Corvette: never enough
see. Viper lol
"There's no replacement for displacement."
W. O. Bentley
J.A.R.A