With lightweight Chemcor side windows, this 1968 Barracuda was modified for drag racing by Hurst Performance and was listed at auction for $1.1 million.
A 1962 super-strong glass developed by Corning that languished for decades after a lukewarm reception by industry may be finally getting its due in a whole range of devices from smartphones to a new generation of thin television screens, according to an Associated Press article on the rebranded product, now called Gorilla Glass. When Corning first developed this type of chemically strengthened glass, it was called Chemcor glass. A product ahead of its time, it could withstand strong blows and even bending. However, it was only gingerly embraced by the automotive and aviation industries. In its first decade of existence, it found its way into only a handful of products, such as a 1968 limited-edition Chevy Barracuda (pictured above) designed with Chemcor side windows for lighter weight.
The product found new life in the next century, and has recently taken off as new products such as large-screen smart phones, handheld devices, and super-thin television screens began to be developed. Is the Apple iPhone made with Gorilla Glass? The AP article implies it might be, quoting Jim Steiner, general manager of Corning’s specialty materials division, who says “Not all our customers allow us to say.”
Plenty of other devices do acknowledge they use Gorilla Glass, as will a new generation of super-thin flat-screen television screens that are still in development but are soon to hit the high-end home theater market.
Read the full Associated Press article here.