BAWC Forums

Just copying. But, then, the GS stripes are not really what they seem to be. I don't remember the entire story but a team raced three identical 1963 Corvette Grand Sports and, to tell them apart approaching the pit, they taped a stripe on the nose to the right of center...one white, one red, and (I think) one black. In 1996 the grand sport name was resurrected with 2 hash marks on the fender. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Grand Sport stripe is actually called a HASH MARK and it was USED ONE TIME AND ONLY ONE TIME on a racing original Grand Sport. That one time started a legend and history.
The hash mark was NOT on the fender- didn't show up on the fender until the NON RACING 1996 tribute edition.
In 1963 John Mecom took 3 Grand Sports to the Bahamas for Speed Week. All three Mecom Grand Sports were painted the same color of blue. A single HASH MARK (red, white and black was placed on the nose of each car allowing the car to be identified as it came down pit lane. This is 1963, no cell phones, no laptop computers, no in-car radios...just a sign board telling a car to come into the pit...can't see the "side' of a car coming at you down pit lane thus the hash mark to id the car.
The HASH Marks were done with TAPE NOT PAINT. The 3 Grand Sports never raced like that again...just that single week frozen in time....thus no more hash marks.....until 1996 and later during the C5R and C6R programs. Also understand the history or racing and 'safety--in 1963 pit lanes were not 40 mph safe zones of today...they were just part of the main straight...you worked on the car while racers blew past 20 ft away at 120mph. You didn't step into pit lane unless you had to and for your car, thus car id was critical.