2006 Chevrolet Corvette Preview

Chevy Outdoes Itself

The Z06 variant of the all-new 2006 Chevrolet Corvette is the most potent production car GM has ever produced. It promises to shame exotic cars costing much more.

Did You Know?

Betty Skelton Frankman was setting land-speed records in a mildly modified 1956 Chevrolet Corvette at a time when most women were relegated to menial jobs or worked at home as housewives and moms.

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This remarkable Floridian, who was taking solo flights in biplanes at the age of 12, is an integral part of Corvette lore. After winning three consecutive aerobatic championships (between 1948 and 1950) in her Pitts Special experimental biplane — "Little Stinker" — and establishing herself in the pantheon of the world's most famous aviatrixes with numerous speed and altitude records, Skelton found her way into the automotive world.

In the early '50s, Skelton set land-speed records in Chryslers — driving a stock Red Ram V8 sedan to a NASCAR class record of 105.88 mph at Daytona Speed Weeks, and later setting a world closed-course record for women of 143.44 mph behind the wheel of a Dodge Firearrow III concept car on Chrysler's proving grounds.

She started working for Chevrolet in 1956 as General Motor's first technical narrator and as a test driver, promptly setting new speed records.

See our slideshow to find out more about the "First Lady of Firsts" and her prominent role in aviation, automotive and Corvette history.

Image copyright 2005 GM Corp. Used with permission, GM Media Archive. Historical information taken from www.corvettemuseum.com and www.corvettemagazine.com.