“the first modern Prototype shape with unmistakable production-inspired styling”


T


ake one look at the stunning new Corvette Daytona Prototype (DP) body and it’s easy to appreciate the bold new direction the Grand- Am Rolex Series has presented its


manufacturers. In a break from tradition, the series has crafted a new set of Prototype body regulations to give its factory engine providers the option to design DP ‘shells


that mirror the styling language of a road car. And, from a marketing standpoint, the move could help NASCAR’s domestic Sportscar series steal the march from its FIA / ACO-based competition. Dig a bit deeper and we find the roots of the 2012 Corvette DP – created by GM Racing, together with its competition arm, Pratt & Miller – started life in 2007 as a feasibility study for the ACO’s


proposed ‘LMP Evo’ class. ‘You could say a lot of the fundamentals, and pretty much the entire concept, really started back then with the idea that the ACO made some indication regarding rule changes to LMP [Le Mans Prototype]. They wanted to go back to more traditional-looking Sportscars and offer the potential element of product identity for the manufacturers that wanted to include that,’


February 2012 • www.racecar-engineering.com 9


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