Re: C2 shifter short throw Judges???

[Terry M.]

One of the monthly Corvette magazines had a column by the editor to that effect. The column appeared some months after the editor interviewed Zora at Cypress Gardens (that will give you some idea of how long ago it was). Those of us who watched the interview process wondered what the intense conversation, most of it on the editor's part, was about. The other interesting part of the column was that a friend of the editor failed the PV because he had the shifter on short throw.
All in all it was an interesting exercise in the power of the press.

[lyndon sharpton]

Re: C2 shifter short throw Judges???

yeah in was in Vette an that ed was D.Randy Riggs. so that is what Zora told him, so it is not the way it should be? I mean Zora said it should be that way?

[Terry M.]

Re: C2 shifter short throw Judges???

I can't tell you what the conversation was, since I did not hear it. As far as I know, there were two people who knew what took place and one of them is dead. I, and several others, saw the body language of both of them. And considering this took place in the closing year of Zora's life, you will have to draw your own conclusions.

To my knowledge no one has found any evidence to support the assertion that ALL Corvettes were produced with short-throw. On the contrary, the evidence from original owners is just the opposite.

[John H.]

Re: C2 shifter short throw Judges???

Doesn't matter who said what where to whom - the long-throw configuration was the Engineering-released design, as shown in the A.I.M.; the short-throw capability was provided for owners who preferred to change it. If Zora had wanted them built with the short-throw configuration, all he had to do was to tell one of his engineers to write an ECR to change it, but he never did so. The judging standard calls for the car to be as it was delivered without any dealer- or owner-inspired changes, and they were all built with the production-released long-throw configuration, so that's how they're judged.

[Patrick H.]

Re: C2 shifter short throw Judges???

I heard the results of the conversation shortly thereafter from the non-Zora participant. I know him, but that was before I was writing for him in Vette Magazine.

Yes, a car had almost failed a PV having been on short throw instead of long throw on the shifter. It was fixed, and the car passed. But, the owner's brother (the non-Zora participant) thought his own 66 427/425 car had come from the factory in short shift, not long, so he asked Zora what he recalled.

I suspect your comment about the "waning years" (and the fact that Zora did not work in St. Louis) combined with the emotions of almost failing a PV can bring people to draw their own conclusions.

Patrick