Chassis No. J58S104241

"Absolutely fantastic!" That was the reaction of Swiss sports car racer Gaston Andrey upon driving the 1957 fuel-injected Corvette for the first time. He had been hired to drive this car in the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring, with the hope his years of racing Ferraris would benefit the inexperienced factory Corvette team. "It was handling as well as a Ferrari and a Maserati at that time," he reported.

Andrey was pared with "The Flying Dentist," Dr. Dick Thompson, and after 12 hours of competition on the brutally rough Sebring pavement, the team finished first in the GT class, 12th overall. This was no fluke, their sister Corvette finished second in class. "We had excellent competition in the Mercedes 300 SL, and we surprised them, and we surprised ourselves," said Andrey. The closest 300 SL? 20 laps behind.

The components that made the Sebring cars victorious became Regular Production Order (RPO) options available to the general public. For 1958 that included RPO 579D, the 283 cu-in V8 equipped with Rochester "Ram Jet" mechanical fuel injection, now rated at 290 horsepower, seven more than in 1957. RPO 684 added heavy-duty suspension, quick steering, and giant finned drum brakes with metallic linings and special ducting developed for the Sebring racers. The brakes necessitated larger 15x5.5 inch wheels and "dog dish" truck hub caps, while the smooth-shifting Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear differential were also required. All 1958 Corvettes also received a facelift, with quad headlights finally legal in all 48 states, plus a broad chrome grille, twin chrome bars on the deck, and fake louvers on the hood.

Now victorious on the world racing stage, Corvette sales hit record numbers in 1958, 9,168 units. Among those were 1,007 equipped with the $484.40 RPO 579D fuel-injected engine, and of those, 144 were ordered with the $780.00 RPO 684 performance suspension and brake option. Some were raced very successfully in national, local and regional events. But most, like this Panama Yellow Corvette, were simply equipped as the most extreme of street sports cars. After a full nut-and-bolt restoration by Campbell Auto Restoration of Campbell, California, this "Big Brake" Corvette is again absolutely fantastic.