By the time General Motors launched its Corvette Sting Ray in North America it was okay with the concept of interplanetary travel and probably just as well.
This car with its knife-edged ‘fenders’, split rear window and hidden headlights looked more alien craft than all-American sports car and also had Jaguar’s sleek E-Type firmly in its sights.
The shape was created by GM Head Stylist Bill Mitchell as a Show Car, with fibreglass bodywork around a steel box-section frame. Mitchell had penned the original design during 1959 and two years later it would be produced as a knife-edged racer he named ‘Sting Ray’.
In production form, the second-generation Corvette was spectacular and almost practical. The coupe with its distinctive split rear window paid for this attribute by having no boot-lid and obliging owners to push their luggage down behind the seats. For easier cabin access though, the doors on coupes were cut deep into the roofline.
Strength and rigidity were significant aspects of the Sting Ray design, which was undoubtedly being readied to house big-block power units. Accommodating a conventional coil sprung rear axle was impossible, so the independent rear suspension incorporated a system of control arms and jointed driveshafts that were all kept in check by a simple transverse leaf spring.
Early Sting Rays offered just one engine; Chevrolet’s 5.3-litre, 327 cubic inch V8 with 185kW as standard, but climbing past 270kW when fitted with optional fuel injection.
Cars built in 1963 had all-drum brakes before switching (thankfully) to all-disc. Three-speed manual transmission was standard, with a four-speed manual or two-speed Powerglide automatic optional.
Chevrolet management initially rejected the idea of a big-block Sting Ray, but Ford’s successful Shelby-Cobra changed their mind and 1965 brought a 6.5-litre (396 cubic inch) engine, followed in 1966 by 7.0-litre versions including the 315kW L88.
While unable to match the lighter 427 Cobra in top speed, an L88 would accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96km/h) in 4.8 seconds and reach 160km/h in less than 12 seconds. Very few were sold and surviving cars top the price charts when sold at auction; an outstanding car selling in 2025 for US$2.25m.
More affordable on the Australian market are 5.3-litre cars which have been coming here since they were new. Some will have been RHD converted, but anyone buying C2s as a long-term investment should stick with an original example.
The cheapest cars in our market once were coupes, however, declining prices have pushed excellent Roadsters below $110,000. Big-block cars typically cost $100,000 more than 327s.
