This is a remarkably well-built replica of the 1959 Chevrolet CERV I, it was made by Tony Briski whose father worked at Chevrolet Engineering alongside Zora Arkus-Duntov in the 1950s on the original CERV I.
While this car looks just like the early version of the CERV I there are a number of changes under the skin to make it stronger, faster, and to give it better braking and improved handling. That said, Briski was careful to keep it close to the original and to respect the original work that went into the design by his father, Duntov, and the rest of the team.
Fast Facts – A Chevrolet CERV I Replica
- This Chevrolet CERV I replica, built by Tony Briski, honors the original 1959 prototype designed by Zora Arkus-Duntov to test mid-engine layouts for future performance vehicles, including the Corvette. It features significant updates for improved speed, braking, and handling while preserving the spirit of the original design.
- The original Chevrolet CERV I was a groundbreaking mid-engine prototype powered by a lightweight 283 cubic inch V8, producing 350 bhp. Weighing just 1,600 lbs, it achieved an average speed of 206.1 mph and demonstrated advanced aerodynamics and performance at events like the 1960 US Formula 1 Grand Prix.
- Zora Arkus-Duntov spearheaded the CERV I project to explore mid-engine performance potential for Chevrolet. While mid-engine Corvettes didn’t emerge in his era, the lessons learned influenced the C8 Corvette’s 2020 debut. The CERV I also featured advanced suspension, lightweight construction, and innovations that were ahead of its time.
- Tony Briski’s replica incorporates modern engineering, including a tubular steel chassis, upgraded suspension, GM disc brakes, and a 388 cubic inch V8 engine with EFI. It combines period-correct aesthetics with contemporary performance, making it both a tribute and an evolution of the CERV I. The car will be auctioned by Mecum.
Origins Of The CERV I
In the late 1950s mid-engined cars were rapidly rising to prominence in Formula 1, largely thanks to the Cooper Car Company and their Cooper T43 which became the first mid-engined car to win a Grand Prix in 1957 thanks to British driver Stirling Moss. By 1959 the Cooper Car Company had perfected their design with the Cooper T51 when Australian driver Jack Brabham won the World Championship of Drivers.
Above Video: This vintage footage shows Zora Arkus-Duntov piloting the CERV I up Pikes Peak. He’s also shown driving the later CERV II car at various circuits and test tracks.
It was clear that mid-engined race cars were here to stay, and General Motors engineers set to work developing a prototype to test the engine layout with a view to potentially using it in a future production car.
The Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) project would be led by Zora Arkus-Duntov, a successful racing driver in his own right, a talented engineer, and the Director of High Performance Vehicles at Chevrolet. Duntov had become the godfather of the Corvette and he’s the man responsible for the high-performance V8 sports car it would become.
Duntov was ahead of the engineering curve and would lead the project to have the production Corvette built with independent four-wheel suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes. Along with his engineering team pioneered the Corvette’s fuel-injection system, and he ran the projects to develop high-performance racing Corvettes like the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP-64.
With the Chevrolet CERV I project, Duntov and his engineers wanted to develop a true mid-engined race car, and learn as much as they could about the mid-engined layout with the hopes of using it on a future version of the Corvette.
Ultimately this wouldn’t happen in period as approval from the General Motors brass wasn’t forthcoming, however Duntov would be vindicated decades later with the release of the mid-engined C8 Corvette in 2020, a model that would quickly become a best-seller.
The 1959 Chevrolet CERV I
The Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle I , usually called the CERV I for the sake of brevity, was based around an advanced chrome-molybdenum steel tube chassis that weighed just 125 lbs (57 kgs). Power was provided by an all-alloy Chevrolet 283 cubic inch V8 that produced 350 bhp and weighed just 350 lbs (160 kgs).
With the body removed you can see just how compact and tightly packaged the CERV I is.
The suspension was independent front and rear and the brakes were sourced from the Chevrolet Corvette, with cast aluminum fin-cooled drums front and back offering respectable performance by the standards of the 1950s.
The car was given a lightweight fiberglass body that tipped the scales at just 80 lbs (36 kgs) and fully enveloped the underside of the car for optimum aerodynamics. The CERV I had a curb weight of just 1,600 lbs (730 kgs).
It was publicly demonstrated there by Dan Gurney and Stirling Moss at the US Formula 1 Grand Prix at Riverside in California in late 1960 where it wowed the crowds and attracted significant attention from the F1 engineers in attendance.
Zora Arkus-Duntov would test later versions of the car fitted with a more powerful engine at Pikes Peak, Daytona, and Sebring. At General Motors’ Milford proving ground, a wide 5 mile long circular track, he would achieve an average speed of 206.1 mph – an astonishing figure for the era.
The CERV I would be followed by other Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicles including the CERV II, CERV III, CERV IV, and CERV IV-B. The last was released in 1997, and rumors that a new electric CERV is currently under development have been circulating recently.
From a distance the dashboard looks largely original but as you get closer to notice that the gauges are all digital, offering far more reliable information than the originals.
The Chevrolet CERV I Replica Shown Here
The vehicle you see here is a replica of the 1959 CERV I built by Tony Briski, the son of one of Zora Arkus-Duntov’s engineers. As a boy, Tony visited the engineering department and sat in the original CERV I, he later said this was the moment he became a car guy.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Tony grew up to be a General Motors engineer himself. A few years ago he embarked on an ambitious personal project to build his own replica of the CERV I, but to make his version quicker.
He developed a new tubular steel chassis and fitted it with modified Corvair front suspension and Corvair steering. He then rebuilt and modified suspension from a Corvette to replicate the system used on the original CERV 1.
Unlike the drums used in 1959, Tony opted for General Motors disc brakes front and back – just as Duntov would have done if he had the option back in the late 1950s. The car was then fitted with a 388 cubic inch V8 with aluminum heads, a Comp roller cam, 4340 connecting rods, forged pistons, a steel crank, a 12.5:1 compression ratio, and a Holley Sniper EFI system.
That little duck-tail-like spoiler was prescient of the downforce-inducing wings in Formula 1 which wouldn’t see widespread adoption until over a decade after the CERV I debuted.
Power is sent back through a Saginaw 4-speed transmission to a narrowed Champ IRS quick-change rear end. Tony created a body buck and laid a new fiberglass body for the car, closely following the design of the earlier versions of the CERV I.
The car is now being offered for sale and will cross the auction block with Mecum in March. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
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