Rapide
Rapide
H-BODY PAGE
Original rough sketch for the Mirage, called at first the Rapide
Original Whale-Tail Rapide
Original Whale-Tail Rapide
Original Whale-Tail Rapide
Original clay in progress
Original clay in progress
Original clay in progress
Original clay in progress
Original clay in progress
1st Monza to become clay ptototype unloading at our shop
Original clay in progress
Original clay in progress
These 'thumbnail' pictures were shared by Brian J.
who received them directly from Jack Purcell of BORT
Click for full-sized image
Click for full-sized image
MONZA
  The Monza Mirage started life as the Monza Rapide.  The brainchild of Jack Purcell and Jack Juratovic of BORT (British Overseas Racing Team, an automotive design studio in Michigan), the Rapide was a project they built to 'sell' to General Motors in an effort to assist in Monza sales and compete against the Mustang II and its Cobra II designs.  BORT had already formed a relationship with GM when it brought the L'il Wide Track Astre to Pontiac. 
  BORT was given a Berger Chevrolet-sponsored Monza 2+2 Sport Hatchback owned by racer Pat Wahl, that he had previously used in SSCA racing, as the foundation for the Rapide project.  Using clay, they styled the flares using the IMSA Monza as inspiration for a 'street' version of the highly successful IMSA Monza race cars.  Borrowing a whale-tail design for the rear end and striping similar to that found on Allan Moffat's IMSA Monza, raced in the GT Camel series, the Rapide was taking shape. 
  Using their relationship with various GM designers, they presented the Rapide to Chevrolet Marketing and GM Design.  The Rapide was a hit with various people within GM but needed tweaking to please those who would ultimitely make the final decisions.  The whale-tail was too Porche and had to go, the NASA scoops at the side of the front air dam were something that "Ford would do" and had to go, and 'Rapide' sounded "too foreign" and didn't sound as good as another name offered, the Mirage.  So BORT offered them a compromise, GM could scale down the IMSA design as they wanted, make their own changes and BORT would manufacture the product for them.  Problem solved! 
  The pictures above were taken at a GM Design Photo Studio after BORT's presentation of the car to General Motors.  Apparently the driver's side of the car does say Mirage, not Rapide, so BORT was ready for anything that day. 
  BORT also made a number of design proposals for Buick and Oldsmobile, using the same IMSA-styled flares and tail but they never went beyond the drawing phase. 
  The thumnails below are the actual documents that BORT sent to GM as it tried to 'sell' their project.  Click on each for a full-sized, readable version.
Below are thumbnails of the Rapide as a work-in-progress, from design sketch, to offloading of the Monza used as a design template, to clay work on that car, and a finished, but not-yet-painted Rapide.