Rare 1950s supercar with blistering V8 engine and first-of-its-kind futuristic magnesium bodywork to sell for £5.5m

A RARE 1950s supercar complete with a blistering V8 engine and futuristic magnesium bodywork has been listed on auction for £5.5million.

Images show the aerodynamic 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Super Sport or SS, in a stunning blue and white livery in pristine condition.

The lightweight car boasts a low toothed grille at front as a nod to the Corvette lineage.

The first ever purpose-built General Motors racecar has a V-8 engine with Ramjet fuel injection which is backed by a four-speed manual gearbox.

And it also comes with specially designed low-cut plastic windshield extended into the doors.

Interior shots reveal two sport seats and a wood-rimmed steering wheel.

This stunning racer was the personal project of the legendary engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and remains the only Chevrolet Corvette SS completed and campaigned by General Motors.

Inside the motor, there is also a competition instrumentation layout including a tachometer, oil and water temp gauges, oil pressure gauge, and clock.

A streamlined rollbar/headrest was beautifully integrated into the design of the bodywork.

The car rides on quick-change cast magnesium knockoff wheels with special tires.

A finishing touch to the SS was a unique airplane-style canopy.

The SS is powered by a standard 283-cubic-inch V-8 block with a bore and stroke of 3.875 inches by 3.0 inches.

It features a high-performance camshaft and incorporated a number of experimental aluminium parts including cylinder heads with solid lifters, water pump, radiator core, and clutch housing, as well as an oil pan cast from magnesium.

The Ramjet system is fed by two electric fuel pumps pulling from the car’s 43-gallon plastic fuel tank with a shape contoured to fit below the car’s aero body behind the driver.

The engine weighs in at just 450 pounds – 80 pounds less than the engine in a production Corvette.

With an output of over 300 horsepower, it was designed as a power plant poised to put up a fight with the European sports car competition.

The powerful engine is backed by an aluminium four-speed close-ratio gearbox, with synchro-mesh in all forward gears.

The aerodynamic, lightweight design of the SS had an impressive power-to-weight ratio the likes of which Detroit had never seen.

The SS weighed in at 1,850 pounds dry, nearly 1,000 pounds less than a production Corvette.

With it’s lightweight magnesium body, the iconic motor is one of the first Corvettes to bear the “Super Sport” moniker.

The motor is so stylish it even appeared on the cover of Sports Cars Illustrated magazine.

The Corvette is listed for sale with RM Sotheby’s as part of their Miami sale taking place February 27 and 28 2025.

The listing states: “Harley Earl, the legendary designer and creator of the Corvette, was one of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s supporters within the upper echelons of GM.

“He respected Arkus-Duntov’s aptitude for engineering and acknowledging the public appeal of competition racing, recognised Arkus-Duntov’s vision of the Corvette as a true performance car.

“In early October 1956, following approvals from GM’s top brass, Ed Cole, then General Manager of the Chevrolet Motor Division, assigned Zora Arkus-Duntov with the task of building a Chevrolet racecar that would be known internally as Project XP-64, later officially named the Corvette SS (Super Sport).

“In total, two cars were produced: one fully finished example for competition and display, and a test car/prototype with minimal bodywork affectionately referred to as “The Mule.”

“Zora Arkus-Duntov hand-picked a talented team of draftsmen, stylists, mechanics, and electricians who worked around the clock to complete the new car, with the lofty goal of campaigning a finished car in 1957.

“The team operated in a skunkworks-type environment, in a cordoned-off section of the Chevrolet Engineering Center. The new purpose-built racecar was to be an exercise in lightweight construction and aerodynamics with a state-of-the-art powertrain, and to accomplish this, GM studied the successes of similar cars they were trying to emulate from the period.

“The body was built by General Motors Styling department, in an agreement by Ed Cole and Harley Earl. In a true test of modern coachbuilding, the body was constructed in lightweight magnesium.

“Equally remarkable was Project XP-64’s incredibly short timetable: Going from drawing board to test track in just five months, the Corvette SS was an unbelievable accomplishment for Chevrolet.”