Story and photos courtesy Allen R. Kuhn
The yearlong tribute to the Corvette that was at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles came to an end in September, 2024. It was in 2023 that Jonathan Eisen, an Associate Curator at the Petersen Automotive Museum, contacted me to see what I had in the way of vintage Corvette photographs. Here is what he wrote:
“I discovered you from a photo spread in Hemmings Sports & Exotic Cars that was about women drivers. You had photos of Ruth Levy and Betty Shutes and I tracked you down and inquired about the pictures. Then when I was putting together the Corvette exhibit months later which was all about Corvette race cars, I contacted you again to see if you had any old Corvette photos that would be appropriate and you sent a selection. I picked this one because I liked how evocative of the era it was and the fact that it showed early Corvettes. Having a lineup of cars waiting at the start line was different. So many racing photos are of the cars in motion, obviously, and this was a quiet moment before the action. Plus, it has a multitude of Corvettes which illustrates the impact they had on sports car racing at the time.”
This is the photograph he chose, which was taken at Riverside Raceway on November 17, 1957, the second race held there. The first row includes #90 Cal Bailey, #8 Jerry Austin, and #18 Bob Byrd all in C1 Corvettes. Austin would win with Bailey second and Byrd fourth.
This print was produced from a black and white negative that was 1 and 1/16 inches high by 1 and 7/16 inches wide. The final print measured 8’ 6” by 9’ 3”. The process of creating such a large image is interesting. I created a very high resolution scan on my Epson scanner from a very sharp 35mm negative taken with my Canon IVS2 camera. I then sent the scan to FGPG printing in Huntington Beach CA. They use an industrial size printer with a Backlit (SEG) Silicone Edge Graphics fabric, a type of fabric print with a thin silicone beading sewn around the edges. The silicone beading fits into a groove around the outside edge of the SEG frames to stretch the fabric completely smooth.
Now if you put on your spectacles and maybe get a magnifying glass, you may note a slight difference in the sizes of the first three Corvettes. This phenomenon, called the Hyperbolic Distortion Factor, happened when the photographer taking this photograph, on his telephone, of a digitally enhanced print while he stood slightly askew to the print on the wall, thus causing the distortion of the cars seeming to be of different sizes.
I am standing with my back to the camera talking with Jonathan Eisen while we take a tour of the Corvette exhibit. My photograph was located at the main entrance to the exhibit. In the foreground is the famous Corvette C3, “Spirit of Le Mans 1976,” built by John Greenwood. He was a successful driver and engineer who developed widebody Corvettes in the 1970s. They qualified 9th overall, but alas a fuel leak ‘done em in’.
I thought that some of the ‘youngens’ out there who might not know what those three white with blue striped Corvettes are doing there. Well, I’ll tell you. A gentleman who loved racing cars as well as America’s Cup racing decided he wanted to race Le Mans again. With the help of Zora Arkus-Duntov, they entered three 1960 Corvettes. Quick history #1 crashed out, #2 went out with engine failure, BUT #3 brought home the gold with a 1st in class and 8th overall. What a story! Oh, his name is, all at once now, Briggs Cunningham! The Vette next to the wall is a 1953 model and the one next to it is a 1956, but the #2 Corvette is one of the actual cars that ran at Le Mans in 1960. It is now under the care of one of the Petersen’s Founding Chairman Bruce Meyer.
I’m with my daughter Lisa and her husband Justen getting ready to say farewell to the “BIG PIX.” Lisa is also a web designer who created our website. She will be taking over the website when I take that last ‘Red Flag.’ She has also worked with us at our booths at Automobilia Monterey and Porsche Lit Fair located in Los Angeles CA. Justen is also a qualified Car Guy.
This one probably won’t make the cut, but it makes me happy. Things are starting to fall on the floor now, so it looks like it is time to get the shovel and do some office cleaning. As always, I would like to hear from you on all things Sports Cars, so check out our website:
https://vintage-sportscar-photos.com or email me at allen.kuhn@verizon.net.
P.S. What happened to the “BIG PIX” you ask? It is now in the care of yours truly, Allen R. Kuhn. It was graciously given to me by Jonathan Eisen of the Petersen Museum to have and to hold. Now what do I do with this monstrous 8 X 9-feet phenomenal print? What else, I lovingly will hang it in our living room and get rid of some furniture. Thank you again, Jonathan.
Historically yours, Allen R. Kuhn
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