This One-of-a-Kind Chevy Corvette Race Car Could Fetch $7 Million Next Month

Here’s your chance to own a piece of American sports car history.

The 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64 will be auctioned off by RM Sotheby’s next month in Miami. The one-off build is the first purpose-built race car built by parent company General Motors.

The SS Project XP-64 was the brainchild of none other than Zora Arkus-Duntov, who is better known as the “father of the Corvette.” The engineer was an experienced racer—he appeared in the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times—so when it came time to design the vehicle, he wasn’t content to just stick a bigger engine in an otherwise stock car. Instead, Arkus-Duntov’s team, which was working in a special cordoned-off section of the Chevrolet Engineering Center, completely reimagined the first-generation ‘Vette with a lightweight tubular chassis, state-of-the-art powertrain, and a heavily streamlined magnesium body.

The race car is one of the first Corvettes to wear the now-famous SS, or Super Sport, moniker. Its body is longer and cleaner than that of the standard version of the car, shorn of all but the most necessary of details. It is finished in a rather fetching metallic blue and white paint and features a white no. 1 racing gumball on the hood and fenders. The C1 is one of the more beautiful American cars ever built, but its racing version might be even better looking.

Just as attractive, though, is the engine underneath the vehicle’s extended hood. The SS Project XP-64 is powered by a unique 283-cubic-inch V-8 with a high-performance camshaft, aluminum cylinder heads, and Ramjet fuel injection. Connected to a four-speed manual the mill is capable of producing 300 hp. Add that to its 1,850-pound curb weight—close to a thousand less than the stock version of the vehicle—and you have yourself a car that can really move.

The SS Project XP-64 would actually be entered in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1957. The car put in a respectful showing, but had to be retired due to mechanical issues. Shortly after the race, the Automotive Manufacturing Association, of which GM was a part, pulled its support for factory-backed racing leaving the race car a one-off. A decade later, Arkus-Duntov donated the vehicle to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, where it has remained ever since.

We imagine any ‘Vette lover out there will be salivating at the chance to get their hands on the SS Project XP-64. It’s going up for bid as part of RM Sotheby’s ModaMiami sale, which will be held at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami on March 1 and 2. The auction house has high hopes for the one-off, expecting it to sell for between $5 million and $7 million.

Click here for more photos of the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64.