The American iconic Corvette Sting Ray, as it was originally known, has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953. It’s original shape, although impressive isn’t the one that stood out in the seventies on London’s streets.
The genesis of the Sting Ray was in 1963 with the second generation (C2) Corvette. This gorgeous vehicle is still considered one of the most thrilling and captivating designs of all time. The C2 Stingray was produced through 1967.The 1963 model was outrageously popular with its attractive and aggressive body style; the public bought 10,594 coupes and 10,919 convertibles.
This Corvette was the direct inspiration of a Q-Model concept ‘Vette that was smaller and quicker than previous models mixed with a concept CERV I, a rear-engine single-seat Corvette. The mix of these concepts created the C2 Corvette Sting Ray, a car that boasts a futuristic, aggressive-themed body with the guts to back up its looks.
This Corvette was the first American car to sport an independent rear suspension that used a single transverse nine-leaf spring and half-shafts attached to the linkage. This addition provided superior riding and handling. The C2 still sported the base 327 V8 from its 1962 predecessor and was rated at 250 hp.
Still, it could reach 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and did a quarter-mile at 14.5 seconds reaching 102 mph.
The 1964 Sting Ray carried over most of the ‘63s styling, but removed the hood vents, restyled the roof vents, and took out the split-window. Consequently, split-window Stingrays are something of a novelty and are avidly collected and ogled by Corvette enthusiasts.
The 1965 is only different from the ’64 because of the three functional vertical louvers in the front fenders. The biggest news concerning the ’65 was its capability to have a “L78” 396 V8 that could pump out 425 hp. The 1966 replaced the 396 with the 427-cubic-inch block V8, which sported less horsepower unless it was upgraded to the “L72” 427. It had the same horsepower as the ’65, but was less erratic.
The 1967 C2 upgraded the front fender louver count to five and moved the parking brake to between the two bucket seats. The ’67 showed the real horsepower upgrade with a “L88” 427 that boasted 500 hp due to the 12:5:1 compression ratio and the massive 850-cfm four-barrel carburetor. However, the “L88” option was so expensive that only 20 were built. They are a huge prize for a car collector.
The next generation of C3 Corvettes first boasted the Stingray name in 1969 (though the ’68 was still advertised as a Stingray) ‘Vette. “Stingray” (now written in one word) was put in chrome script on the fenders. There were few changes from the previous models, bigger engine blocks, the 427s, and the ignition key was moved.
The Corvette is super lightweight due to its fiberglass construction and features a more aerodynamic body than muscle cars. Apart from having the power of a muscle car, it’s a great American classic.
Have a great day!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Source: automoblog.com
Vocabulary builder:
Genesis (n) = origins, beginning, start, birth, creation, dawn
Boasted (v) = to boast means to brag, show off, blow your own trumpet. “The man boasted about his son for winning the race.”
Guts (n) = bravery, willpower, courage, strength of character, (ant) cowardice. Guts is often used metaphorically to mean “bravery” so in the case of a car which people say has guts, in means the ‘power’.
Spring (n) = coil, mechanism, spiral, helix, mainspring, springtime (season)
Half-shafts (n) = A half shaft is essentially a drive axle, and it's so named because it does half of the job, extending from a transaxle or differential to one of the wheels. Its twin on the other side completes the set.
Linkage (n) = connection, relation, association, relationship, link, bond tie
Ogled (v) = scrutinize, eyed, stared, gazed. Goggled, gawked, look at, keep an eye on
Louvers (n) = louvres, fins