CERV I

Many different wheel and tire combinations were tested on CERV I. These Halibrand magnesium wheels and Firestone racing tires were installed in 1964.

Though Mackenzie may have told the media wags gathered at Riverside that the acronym CERV stood for Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle, all but the most naïve knew it really meant Chevrolet Experimental Racing Vehicle. For evidence of this, one need only look at the car’s physical dimensions. Its 96-inch wheelbase, 56-inch front and rear track, 52-inch body width, and 172-inch overall length just coincidentally happened to conform to the requirements for competitors in the Indy 500.
The remainder of CERV I’s specifications also stood in testimony to its thinly disguised purpose. Its’ varied diameter chrome-molybdenum alloy steel tubular chassis was strong, light and compact. The car’s independent rear suspension design should sound entirely familiar to vintage Corvette enthusiasts. The wheel hub was anchored to a pivoting radius arm that went forward and bolted to the chassis. This hub and radius arm assembly was stabilized by both the drive axle and a lateral link that extended from below the hub to the chassis. As with the 1963 Sting Ray independent rear suspension, an eccentric at the inner mount point of the lower lateral link allowed for rear wheel camber adjustment while shims at the front of the radius arm permitted toe adjustment.