There have been several men associated with establishing the early foundation of the Chevrolet Corvette. Harley Earl, Zora Arkus-Duntov. Larry Shinoda and later Bill Mitchell were among the figures associated with making a sports car dream become a reality. However, such is the case with any incredible creation, the Corvette’s path towards becoming a proud and beautiful sports car required the touch of a woman. Chevrolet’s enduring performance automobile received the influence from a high-flying superstar of speed.
Born in 1926, Betty Skelton was immediately drawn to testing the limits of machine first falling for aviation. Growing up near a United States naval air training field in Florida, she clamoured for the pilot seat flying her first solo flight at the age of twelve. When Skelton turned 20 years old, she began her professional aerobatics career and rapidly rose to prominence. Learning championships in female aerobatic competitions, Betty Shelton’s talent in the air, charisma and a sensation of adventure symbolized by her fiery red hair earned her celebrity status. She was featured in magazines advertisements for Camel cigarettes by the late 1940s and would be recognized with her Curtis Pitts Special aircraft called “Little Stinker”. In the late 1950s, Skelton made headlines as the first woman to be selected to undergo NASA training though she would never be part of an actual space mission.
Achieving many accolades in the air, Betty Skelton’s choice to draw attention to earning new acclaim on the ground is what would lead to her connection to the Chevrolet Corvette. In 1954, she contracted with Chrysler Corporation as a test driver and promotional figure for the auto company. On Chrysler’s new proving ground test track, Skelton was entrusted with a Dodge Firearrow concept car that featured styling from Italian design house Ghia and a potent 150-horsepower V8 engine. She drove the show car to a 143.44-mile per hour speed on the car manufacturer’s track. Perhaps the most publicity stunt pulled off by Skelton during her time with Chrysler was ramp jumping a hydroplane over top of a Dodge convertible at Florida recreational park Cypress Gardens in 1955 flying up to 65 feet before landing back in the water. Skelton’s relationship with Chrysler Corporation concluded after 1955 when she signed with advertising agency Campbell-Ewald that handled Chevrolet’s marketing.
Although Betty Skelton’s involvement with Chevrolet would relate to the entire vehicle lineup, the Corvette was a car that quickly captured her affection. Establishing a magazine published for Chevrolet employees called Corvette News, she personally owned a number of Corvettes over her life including one personalized example finished in a pearlescent metallic gold with white interior.
Having already earned credibility behind the wheel with Chrysler, she was selected to drive a Chevrolet Corvette at the 1956 Daytona Beach Speed Week trials. An event occurring prior to the construction of today’s Daytona International Speedway, racing activities were held on the actual sands of the beach. Skelton as well as John Fitch showed up with mostly showroom accurate Corvettes while Zora Arkus-Duntov (eager to prove the performance possibilities of the refreshed sports car’s 1956 model) personally drove a modified vehicle. By 1956, the Chevrolet Corvette’s performance pedigree only began to rise to its potential with the model’s first V8 engine combining with its lightweight fiberglass body just one year earlier. The car’s entry into motorsports was still relatively new making Betty Skelton among one of the first racers to compete with a Corvette.
Duntov’s car recorded a two-way flying mile speed run of 147.3 miles per hour. A stock 1956 Chevrolet Corvette featuring a few minor tweaks including aluminum trim and brake-cooling duct (the latter modification was eventually offered as a factory option to customers), Betty Skelton’s Corvette set the second-fastest speed in the United States Production Car Class with a 137.773-mile per hour effort. Skelton earned top honours in the Ladies’ Sports Car Class at Daytona in 1956.
Along with returning to Daytona Beach in 1957 with a Corvette where she secured second in the C Production category, Betty Skelton would participate in a number of real-world endurance demonstrations with other Chevrolet products. Skelton partnered with Caroline Russ to set a record for a transcontinental trip from New York to Los Angeles sharing a Chevrolet four-door hardtop for a 3,008-mile excursion passing through 13 states. The following year, she joined Vince Piggins for a 1,900-mile trip in Argentina in a Chevrolet Nomad station wagon. Both of those runs were undertaken with the engine continuously operating. In 1960, she returned to Daytona Beach winning her class in the Pure Oil Economy Trials driving a Chevrolet Biscayne. Separate from her involvement with Chevrolet, the adventure-seeking Skelton would also briefly hold the land speed record for a woman in the 1960s.
Although Betty Skelton retired from competitive endeavours during her later years, she remained an avid fan of aviation and automobiles throughout her life. When she passed away in 2011 at the age of 85, Skelton (going by Frankman after marrying in 1965 and Erde later on in life) left a fast impression on the Chevrolet Corvette with an essence found in every triumph in racing.
