1957 Airbox Corvettette
All fuel injected 57 Vettes have an air cleaner attached directly to the air meter. Fuel injection units do not like heat, and all of the 57 FI engines (except 43) drew in hot air coming directly from the HOT engine compartment. The 43 Fuel Injected cars which were built with an "Airbox" in 1957 had a somewhat crude, practically hand laid up, fiberglass duct work attached to the left inner fender and a hole was cut into the left side of the radiator support to allow air into the duct work. All of these 43 cars were built with heavy duty everything (translate factory built race car), brakes, suspension, special steering, NO radio, NO heater, wide wheels, tachometer mounted (clamped) on the steering column, fuel injection, HD shocks and that about covers it. Somewhere along the line, the term "Airbox" was tagged to these 43 cars, and it stuck.
These cars were equipped with both (Regular Production Option) RPO684 which included the heavy duty brakes and suspension, and RPO579E, which included an airbox which increased horsepower by capturing cooler, higher density air, forcing it to the fuel injectors; and additional hosing ducts to cool the rear brakes to restrain the performance when necessary.
The Airbox
The heavy duty brakes and suspension
