In 1956 Chevrolet was officially in racing, and the carmaker was openly crowing about its success. Check out this awesome Chevy PR film from ’56 detailing the exploits.
When the Small-Block Chevy V8 was introduced in 1955, GM’s most popular division was reborn—from a conservative producer of six-cylinder, Powerglide auntie cars to America’s youth and performance leader. Under the leadership of general manager Ed Cole and with the guidance of engineers Mauri Rose, Zora Arkus-Duntov, and others, the brand jumped into auto racing with both feet. Chevrolet soon dominated motorsports in America, from the grass roots to the major leagues.
The factory-sponsored program wouldn’t last, of course. On June 6, 1957, the Automobile Manufacturers Association (AMA) voted to prohibit automaker participation in auto racing, and General Motors joined the ban. From that point on, Chevy’s official role in motorsports would be sub rosa for many years—strictly back-door. But for 1956 at least, it was game on.
This wonderful Jam Handy film focuses mainly on NASCAR events on both the East and West Coasts, but there’s also some footage from the 12 Hours of Sebring, where the Corvette was making its first wobbly steps in American road racing. Enjoy the video.
This was a perfect storm the way things happened with the small block V/8 coming on the scene.I had been into 39 and 40 Fords with the flatheads up until that time of 1955 when I traded up to a new 55 Chev with this new V/8 power. The real fun began after returning back home from the service in early 59 with a very nice 40 Ford Coupe which soon had a Chev V/8 under the hood. What a huge difference having overhead valves and that fast reving short stroke Chev engine.This was a real turning point in the racing world for sure.
Great find, never saw this before. I see Betty Skelton, Herb Thomas, and Smokey Yunick in the lead photo.