The late sixties and early seventies were fertile times for General Motors. Japan Inc., emission standards and the gas crisis hadn’t hit shore yet and the biggest corporation in the world was still mostly unfettered by competition. The technology “du jour” was the novel rotary engine invented by German Felix Wankel, and manufactured first by NSU and then by popularized by Mazda. GM decided it was going to get in on the action and set out to explore the idea.

Chevrolet was chosen to create a high image concept for GM’s funky new motor and the the multi-syllable, “Two-Rotor 1973 XP-897GT Corvette, ” concept was born.

The car was developed in Detroit but built by Pinnifarina in Italy.  It was a tick smaller than production Corvettes of the day and with it’s mid-ship mounted, 266 cid, 180 horsepower, 2-rotor motor, it was decidedly European in scale and spirit. The car was penned by Kip Wasenko who later would gain fame as the author of Cadillac’s “Art and Science” design language.

The 2-rotor Corvette debuted on the auto show circuit in Frankfurt, Germany. It later made the rounds to all the major auto shows. Rumor had it that GM design czar Bill Mitchell didn’t like the 2-Rotor concept because he thought it too small.  He countered with his equally famous 4-Rotor concept that sadly, never saw the light of day.

Then the tricksters over in the middle east shut off the gas spigot and the thirsty Wankel was suddenly deemed a unnecessary dalliance. After the plug was pulled, the 4-Rotor Concept got a 400 ci small-block V8 transplant and was squirreled away in a GM museum. The 2-Rotor met a fate that reads like a foreign espionage movie.

After touring the car show circuit in Europe, it was banished to a warehouse at one of GM’s UK factories. The engine and mechanicals were gutted and like the grim reaper, the crusher loomed.

Somehow, British Corvette guy Tom Falconer stuck a deal with GM styling chief Chuck Jordon and snatched if from the jaws of oblivion. He then fitted it with a Mazda rotary motor and showed up at a stateside NCRS meet and watched the heads twirl. You can imagine what our fellow countrymen thought when one of the crown jewels of GM concepts showed up alive and well.

According to long time car scribe Wallace Wyss, the real kicker was just around the corner. Rumor had it that the real reason the 2-Rotor was disowned by GM was the car was based on a Porsche 914 chassis and it was none other than Zora Arkus-Duntov who spilled the beans!  He got a little tipsy at a fancy cocktail party and revealed the decidedly un-American foundation of this Corvette concept.

No!  The horror.

The thought of any cross pollination of our hallowed ‘Vette with ANYTHING Porsche is frightening for not only Chevy guys but for German car guys as well. An unholy union best left forgotten. At least the styling was cool. Check out these old pics and a nice original sketch by Kip Wasenko.