French registration papers

- Competition history
- Dutch championship winner in 1976
- Rare Group 4/5 configuration
At the end of the 1960s, motor racing was at its height and the best-known car makers of the day fought a never-ending battle to rack up wins. Porsche, Ferrari, Ford, Lola, Alfa Romeo and Chevrolet: all the key players of the time were represented in races across the world. Throughout the year, the prototypes and GT cars came together at Spa, Monza, Sebring and, of course, Le Mans, to compete in the World Sportscar Championship. Although the press concentrated on the rivalry between Ford, Porsche and Ferrari in the Sports and Prototype categories, battles raged in the GT category too, notably between Porsche and Chevrolet in 1968, and again in 1970 and 1971, when Chevrolet finished 4th in the International Championship for Manufacturers, thanks to the excellent performance of its Corvettes.
The model presented here began its career with the privateer Belgian driver Chris Tuerlinx, who was at the time a GM dealer. As soon as he had prepared the Corvette for competition, he entered it in the 1000km race at Monza in 1971 with the Trans-Europe Gulf Racing Team, finishing 15th, before competing in the 1000km race at Spa the following month. During the 1972 season, the Belgian driver again entered the car at Spa with the Euroil Racing Team but failed to finish due to a mechanical problem. A seasoned competitor, Tuerlinx started in a total of nearly 30 races. He finished the 1972 season driving his Opel Commodore at the Spa 24 Hours race but sadly he was killed in a road accident in 1973.
The Corvette was then sold to Hans Deen, a Dutch racing driver, who developed the car to a specification midway between Groups 4 and 5 with its enormous 7.5-litre V8 engine. The spectacular Corvette made its return to the track in 1975 in the Nederlands Toerwagen Kampioenschap (the Dutch national championship), all the rounds of which were held on the circuit at Zandvoort. At this time, it wore the colours of its main sponsor, the Atlantic Paper Company (ATCO). Deen needed just one season to master the Corvette’s ferocious handling, as he finished the 1976 season in first place and often appeared on the cover of the official programme. The next season, he was less successful and in 1978 the Dutch driver ended his career. The Corvette then became the property of his countryman Bas van Vliet, who entered it in two rounds of the Benelux championship.
1978 saw the car retire for the first time from its official motorsport career, which had lasted nearly ten years. During the 1980s, the former icon of the Zandvoort circuit was stored away by a collector, before coming to France in 1996 to join another private collection. In 2003, it was acquired by the renowned race car preparation specialist, Yvan Mahé (Equipe Europe); by now it needed a restoration before going back on track. In the end, it would be its current owner who carried out the refurbishment work when he bought the car in 2007. In 2010, nearly 30 years after its last official race, the Corvette took to the track once again in the top-level CER (Classic Endurance Racing) historic championship, competing at Le Castellet among its erstwhile rivals. It raced again at the Paul Ricard track in 2011, still in the CER championship, before being overhauled once again by the Still Racing team run by Eric Hélary. From 2012 – 2015, its owner spent nearly 50,000 € on a complete mechanical overhaul. With a passion for motorsport and high-performance American cars, he then kept the Corvette in his collection and is now selling it in order to move on to fresh projects. The car is in perfect running order and comes with a remarkable history; it promises exceptional performance on track, thanks to its 6998cc V8. It will be supplied with its original BBS wheels, an FIA HTP (which will need to be renewed) and numerous period documents and photographs.

This car will be sold by auction by AGUTTES Auction House, in Paris, at the Espace Champerret, France, on June the 23th, 2019.
The digital catalog will be available soon on our website
https://www.aguttes.com/en/sale/96063
Please contact us for any further details.
Phones numbers:
+ 33 616 914 228
+33 147 459 301