1957 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

King of the Road

   The 1966 Chevrolet Corvette “Sting Ray” was part of the second generation (C2) design of the venerable sports car which lasted from 1963-1967. The exterior was designed by Bill Mitchell’s design team and evolved from the 1957 Q-Corvette concept car, Mitchell’s own racing Sting Ray, the Jaguar E-Type and a Mako shark. The final fiberglass exterior was designed by Larry Shinoda under the direction of Mitchell. Side pipes and a convertible top were options. 1966 saw the introduction of the “big block” 427 cubic inch engine with 430 horsepower and 460 pound feet of torque although the real output was probably as much as 450 horsepower. This was done to make insurance companies less nervous about insuring the vehicle and to allow the Corvette to qualify for lower horsepower and weight brackets in the NHRA drag racing series. The combination of a lightweight design, an independent rear suspension among other suspension components, along with four wheel disk brakes, made the 1966 Corvette 427 Sting Ray a formidable machine.