In September of 1961 MacDonald and sponsor, Jim Simpson, got together with famed “Old Yeller” builder and racer, Max Balchowsky.
They set out to build a lightweight custom one-off Corvette. They started with one of Max’s 95-pound tube frame chassis, then made a mold of a stock ’61 Corvette body to use as a template. Then they poured a lightweight razor thin 1/16” fiberglass shell.
After cutting the shell in two they went to work shaving and shaping until it was seventeen inches shorter, five inches narrower and four inches shorter in height than a stock Corvette. The entire headlight assembly was also molded into the fiberglass shell for additional weight savings.
The finished car weighed just 1750 pounds — 1,200 pounds lighter than a stock Corvette
MacDonald entered 20 races in '61, taking 13 victories and three Second Place finishes. His last win of the year was in his lightweight, tube-frame Corvette Special. But 1962 was the year the spotlight really shined on MacDonald. While he didn't dominate the season, he did finish on the podium in 16 races, including 10 victories.
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