This '69 C3 Corvette Showed Europe that Detroit Knew How To Make Champion Race Cars

The Corvette was the American comeback to the increasingly annoying wave of immigrants from Europe. No, not the kind of immigrants that built the Colonies and then the United States, but the crankshaft-wielding ones.

Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Pegaso are just a few of the names that invaded the land of the free. For good reasons – young, energetic Americans didn’t have sportscar options from the domestic manufacturers.

General Motors made the opening move – and it was a winner. The ‘Vette became a legend of the motoring realm. One that would not be fully entitled to raise its heraldic shield if it wasn’t entirely meritorious. After all, sportscar means, first and foremost, racing tenure.

And Corvette fully provided – with a vengeance. The car didn’t settle to races on American ground, in American competitions. The young racer had to prove itself in Europe to be admitted without reserves in the gasoline-perfumed club of demigods.

And it did – one example became the national touring champion of the Netherlands in 1976. This car has a fascinating history. American cars weren’t particularly well seen across the pond, at least not in large enough volumes to make a difference. But Detroit dealerships were established in the Old World.

One General Motors dealer was a certain Belgian, Chris Tuerlinx, an avid gearhead, and private racer. In 1969, he entered a brand-new Corvette at Spa and finished 23rd. In ’71, the car saw action in the 1,000 kilometers of Monza with the Trans-Europe Gulf Racing Team. Play the video to see it in action at that race.

Tuerlinx finished 15th – a performance that encouraged him to repeat the deed in the 1,000 kilometers of Spa, a month after Monza. The car was raced again during the 1972 season, and a blown engine put it out for the rest of the year.

After the timely passing of Tuerlinx in May 1973, the Corvette was forgotten in storage. Fatefully, the Corvette had its fate sealed for the better when it was acquired by a Dutch racing driver, Hans Deen.

Intuitively, the flying Dutchman upgraded his newly acquired American muscle with a hefty 454 big-block V8. Factory-rated at 390 hp, the massive 7.4-liter monster was tuned to a fearsome 500 hp, pushing the mighty ‘Vette through the Nederlands Toerwagen Kampioenschap (Dutch national championship) at Zandvoort.

To achieve race-level power, extensive modifications were made to the V8. Two wild cylinder heads were mounted, housing 2.5-inch intake valves (63 mm) and 2.0-inch exhausts. Four twin 48 mm Weber carburetors, two racing exhaust manifolds, and a unique semi-dry-sump lubrication system were fitted to serve the insatiable ogre.

The pair of oil coolers needed 17 liters of lubricant fluid. For perspective, the standard engine required just 4.5 liters of oil. However, under intense load, at over 5,400 RPM for extended periods, the oil temperature gauge would rise above 150°C / 302°F).

The conversion was completed with custom Koni shocks, a 160-liter (42-gallon) fuel tank, and vented racing brakes - to pull the reins of the 1,380 kg (3,042 lbs) American savagery. Also, a widebody kit was installed to keep the air flowing around the car without hindering handling and top speed.

It took Deen an entire season to grasp the bestial behavior of the Corvette. When he finally got the knack, he and his car became unstoppable. In 1976, the Corvette took the championship title with Hans Deen in the driver’s seat.

Out of the season’s seven races, the Corvette won four and finished on the podium on two more occasions. A remarkable consistency that secured the overall top spot for that year. America had once again proven its automotive worth to the world.

The following two seasons were less spectacular, and in ’78, Deen retired from professional racing. His car changed hands several times between refined connoisseurs who appreciated it to its full value. During the 1980s, the former Zandvoort icon was in the custody of a collector. In 1996, it was sold again and arrived in France in 1996 in a new private collection.

Amazingly, following another sale, the '69 Corvette returned to racing eleven years later after a complete and extensive restoration. This time, however, it wasn’t a touring championship but the tough CER historic championship (Classic Endurance Racing) on the Castellet circuit amid its rivals of yesteryear.

In the same endurance competition, it raced on the Paul Ricard track in 2011 before being overhauled again by the Still Racing team. Between 2012 and 2015, its owner spent nearly €50,000 to rebuild the car’s mechanicals completely. The second video offers a sound bite of the car's current 427 CID (7.0-liter) V8.

Today, the car is again offered for sale – for a not-so-extravagant estimated $150,000. Considering the car’s past, legacy, and merits, the asking price isn’t out of the automotive world. After all, far lesser automobiles have been sold for astronomical amounts solely because someone was willing to pay through their nose for a piece of metal. On rare occasions – like this – that piece of metal is also a piece of American history.