If there’s ever been a priceless GM prototype, this 1960 Chevrolet CERV 1 (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle,) may be it. Scheduled to cross the auction block at RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey on August 13-15. To appreciate how advanced the car was 55 years ago, compare this racer to a production 1960 Corvette.

In fact, Sotheby’s says: “One must consider the importance of this car. It was a pioneer in the use of aluminum, and its transverse leaf-spring independent rear suspension is the predecessor of the same basic design that Corvette is still using today, 55 years after this car was built. For four years, it ran at Riverside and on the test track at Milford, tested numerous engines being developed for possible use in the Corvette, pioneered new methods and features that would influence America’s sport car for decades. To sum it all up, this vehicle was Zora Arkus-Duntov’s personal pet project, test bed, and dream factory.”

In its current trim, it has a one-off, 377 ci OHV aluminum V8 engine, four-speed manual transmission, independent front and rear suspension with variable-rate coil springs in front, shock absorbers, and front stabilizer bar, and four-wheel heavy-duty, iron-lined, cast aluminum, finned drum brakes.

The current engine powering the car was specially cast by Alcoa at a reported cost of $284,000 and produces an ample yet unknown amount of horsepower. In this configuration, Zora himself took the CERV 1 to a whopping 206 mph at the GM Milford Proving Grounds, a record held for 22 years until Bobby Rahal beat it at the 1986 Indianapolis 500.

Rarely has a piece of GM’s golden era been available and it’s without a doubt the most important Chevrolet engineering vehicle ever offered to the public. It will be interesting to see what it brings.