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The XP-755 concept car, also known as the Mako Shark, was designed by Larry Shinoda under the direction of General Motors Styling and Design head Bill Mitchell. With the 1963 Corvette C2 design locked down in 1961 as a concept for future Chevrolet Corvette, the groundwork for the XP-755 was laid. Building on the 1958 XP-700 "double bubble design," the XP-755 added design elements to the soon-to-be-released C2 Corvette. In keeping with the name, the streamlining pointed snout and other detailing were partly inspired by the sleek, fast-moving short-fin mako shark. The '61 Corvette tail was given two additional tail lights (six total) for the concept car. The concept was also inspired by Bill Mitchell's 1959 Stingray racer XP-87 which also influenced the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray.
The Mako Shark debuted at the New York Coliseum at the 1962 6th International Auto Show, and the car was a success on the auto show circuit. With many of Mako's design elements making it into production on future Corvettes, it successfully built hype for the forthcoming generation of Corvette.
Like many show cars, the Mako Shark underwent styling and detail changes over time. The hood and front end were modified, and the interior was updated. The vehicle also lost the distinctive "double-bubble" canopy. The car was retroactively dubbed the Mako Shark I when the Mako Shark II debuted. The car now resides in the GM Heritage Collection.
Charles M. Jordan's son, Mark, reports that the XP-755 was built out of the 1958 XP-700 Corvette show car. An apocryphal story has it that Mitchell had an actual mako shark mounted on the wall in his office and ordered his team to paint the car to match the distinctive blue-gray upper surface blending into the white underside of the fish. After numerous attempts to match the shark's color scheme failed, the team hit upon the idea of kidnapping the fish one night, painting it to match their best efforts on the car, and returning it to the office. Mitchell never realized the difference and pronounced himself pleased with the team's duplication of nature's handiwork on the vehicle.
1961 XP-755 Shark: Larry Shinoda restyled the XP-700, retaining its bubble roof and reshaping the nose to resemble the Sting Ray's. The paint job was inspired by a shark Bill Mitchell caught in Bimini, and the engine was supercharged.
1962 Mako Shark: Yet another redo on the XP-700/755 removed the bubble roof, updated the interior, and freshened up the nose to include a bumper bar.
Source: Wikipedia
Images: GM; www.jameshaefner.com
