On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Corvette’s introduction to the world in 1953, the faithful gathered once again under sunny Peninsula skies for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to honor “America’s Sports Car.” Of the 550 cars participating in this year’s event, nearly 50 were examples of competition Corvettes, and they were complemented by a well-conceived Heritage Display in the paddock that featured both race and road models of each generation of Corvette from the original C1 to the brand-new C7. Centerpiece of the display was a “cutaway” C7 that let observers see how the car is assembled, and a special treat for all was the public debut of the very first C7R racecar, which made a couple of quick, stealthy laps in a novel camouflage livery on Saturday afternoon.
Among the Corvettes on hand was one of the rarest of all, the fourth of five “Grand Sports” built by Chevrolet in 1963. Chassis 004, race-numbered 3, appeared at Laguna Seca thanks to the Revs Institute for Automotive Research in Naples, Florida. It carried instrumentation installed by students from the Institute’s Revs Program at nearby Stanford University that captured specific information on driver/car interactions in real-life situations. The car raced at both the Pre-Reunion and the Reunion, driven in the former by John Morton and the latter by Bruce Canepa.
Outside the paddock, a Corvette Corral in the infield hosted 350 Corvettes of all variations, alongside “Stingray Island” where eight rarely seen concept Corvettes—including the Sebring Racer, Stingray, Mako Shark and Manta Ray—were available for ogling. Saturday’s traditional “Picnic in the Park” was conducted by Murray Smith and featured current Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner, who shared his Corvette adventures, and three-time World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart who told of his Le Mans experiences with the Rover-BRM turbine car in 1965. “Mr. Corvette,” Dick Guldstrand, and early Corvette designer Pete Brock were also featured in autograph sessions, as was reigning IndyCar National Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Also on the schedule was a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Porsche’s 911 model, and the German company showcased a number of significant 911-derived cars from its museum in Stuttgart. Included among them were the Martini-liveried 2.1-liter 935 Jr. called “Baby,” the 935/78 better known as “Moby Dick” and the sleek 911 GT1 from 1998.
Among the many Rolex Awards of Excellence handed out at Laguna Seca were: the John Fitch Corvette Excellence Award, presented to the Revs Institute at the Collier Collection for its 1963 Corvette Grand Sport; The Spirit of Monterey Award, presented to 81-year-old Oklahoman John Harden who was celebrating his 60th anniversary of racing on the Monterey Peninsula behind the wheel of his 1963 Genie MK VIII Comet; the Founders Trophy which is annually awarded to the person who best personifies historic racing and which this year went to Vic Edelbrock; and the SCRAMP President’s Cup, which recognized the 1972 Jensen-Healey entered by Patrick Lind and driven by Joe Huffaker Jr.
