One of the Corvette hobby’s most noteworthy finds this year has been the discovery of a ‘65 Coupe known as the Suisse Racer. The car is wrapped in the aura of a mysterious past, one linked to Chevrolet’s backdoor support of high-performance and racing activities of the early-to-mid 1960s. Let’s begin with some history most Vette devotees can agree on. General Motors placed a ban on factory-sponsored racing in March of 1963.

This ban forced Corvette Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and his performance-minded colleagues to devise programs that would make Corvettes and related speed parts available to qualified race teams on an unofficial basis. It is well documented that a number of backdoor racers-most notably the ‘63 Grand Sport cars-found their way into racing teams’ hands before GM could recall and destroy them.

Less well known is the story behind the Suisse Racer, a ‘65 Corvette that traveled down a regular production line in the U.S. and was outfitted with the best performance options available at the time. It was then exported to Switzerland and sold privately to a GM salesman and racer. Juerg Koch, president of delivering dealer GM Auto Koch AG Luzern, has been invaluable in documenting this unusual Vette’s history. “I remember this car very well,” Koch tells us.

“My company was the delivering dealership and, within that function, also the car’s owner for a short time. Auto Koch ordered this car from General Motors Suisse SA Bienne, who also delivered it.” Koch was also instrumental in identifying the Vette’s first private owner. “We sold this car to a Mr. Guido Wermelinger, who passed away in 1985.