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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 327 - addictive eight-cylinder beat

Name: Chevrolet Corvette 1964
Brand: Chevrolet

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Created on April 15, 2011

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Balz Schreier

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

Archivbild

Archiv

Balz Schreier

Bruno von Rotz

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

Archivbild

Archiv

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - the elegant body line was designed by Bill Michell

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - the powerful shape looks bigger than the vehicle is

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - beguiling openness

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - this dashboard leaves nothing to be desired in terms of information

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - the headlights can be folded up

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - only the cat is not interested in the beautiful American

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG Mai Foto-Galerie 2026

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - beautiful lines in the rear area

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Details at the rear - lots of chrome

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Taillights of the stingray

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - beautifully designed and integrated gas cap

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - here the hot air can escape from the engine compartment

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Stingray means stingray

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - beautifully designed wheels

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Chevrolet Corvette C2 (1962) - Road & Track October 1962 - Cover page

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Chevrolet Corvette C2 (1962) - Advertising in the USA in 1962

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the Stingray Coupé presented in 1962

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the '63 convertible seen from the side

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the '63 convertible from diagonally behind

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - elegant convertible version of the Stingray

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the chassis structures, which also extend into the roof area of the Coupé, are clearly visible

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Discussion of the engineers refining the clay model

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Wind tunnel tests on the model

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Mockup of the instrument panel with a clay model

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Preparation for production with body bucks

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the first step in the production of a 1963 coupe - assembly of the fiberglass parts

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Assembly (so-called marriage) of chassis and body of the Corvette

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - paint job of the Corvette Sting Ray - the vehicle moves on a small vehicle

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Final inspection at the factory before handover to the customer

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1962) - the first presentation in Europe at the Turin Motor Show in October 1962

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the convertible in its first year of production - presented in 1962

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - peacefully united - Coupé and Convertible of the 1963 vintage

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - early clay model in the design process of the new sports car - the split rear window was already planned here

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - front view - the indicated radiator grilles on the top of the hood disappeared in later years

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Seats of the new Corvette - shown here at the Paris Motor Show in 1963

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - convincing handling

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - driving through snow-covered serpentines

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - flat front

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - tasteful cockpit

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - fully informed

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - the powerful V8 engine

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - Closed headlights

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - Folding headlights open

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - Folding headlights on the Corvette presented in 1962

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the dashboard of the Corvette presented in Paris in 1963

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Chevrolet Corvette Coupé Speciale (1964) - Pininfarina designed an elegant version of the Corvette in 1964

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the Stingray-based show car shown at the 1963 New York Auto Show, built at the General Motors Design Center for Harley Earl

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Sport Coupe and Convertible in comparison

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - 63 sports coupé in wild and romantic surroundings

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible (1964) - in a contemporary advertising photograph

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Details of the model year

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Engine of the 64-Corvette - Illustration from sales brochure

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - Injection engine with 375 hp of the 64-Corvette - Illustration from sales brochure

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Sport Coupe (1966) - Silhouette of the '66 Corvette

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1965) - 1965 convertible with hardtop

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the stiffness of the frame is tested here

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1965) - sectional drawing of the 65 model - the disc brakes are clearly visible

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1966) - the impressive 427 engine in the 390 HP version

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1966) - the 66-series Corvette

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1966) - the rear view of the 66-series sports coupé

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - The 64-series sports coupé shown in Paris in 1963 did away with the division of the rear window

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - the '64 sports coupé seen from different perspectives

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - the 1964 sports coupé seen from behind

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - the 1964 sports coupé seen from the front

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - the 63 Corvette as a spot coupé somewhere in the rough west of the USA

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1964) - this convertible was offered at an auction in Interlaken in 1990

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Sport Coupe (1967) - in a contemporary advertising photo

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1965) - the 65-series model presented in September 1964 was fitted with disc brakes

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1965) - the 1965 open-top model with disc brakes

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1965) - the open version of the 1965 model year here with hardtop

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Sport Coupe (1966) - seen from the front at an angle

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1967) - the 1967 Sport Coupé from different perspectives

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Chevrolet Mako Shark II (1965) - In 1965, this prototype already gave a preview of the successor to the second Corvette generation

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Chevrolet Corvette (1968) - the replacement took place in 1967 with the 1968 model in a new design

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Corvette Stingray 1971: Joe Kretschi at the Marchairuz hill climb

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Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (1963) - in the RAC TT Celebration race at the Goodwood Revival 2012

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Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (1963) - at the start of the 2012 GP Suisse in the 1963 - 1971 sports and touring car category

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Chevrolet Corvette Stringray C2 (1965) - at the 22nd AvD Historic Marathon 2012

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Summary

With the second Corvette, called the Sting Ray, Chevrolet eliminated many of the weak points that had stood in the way of its predecessor's success. The result convinced the trade press and the market. Waiting lists and purchases at list prices were the result. Almost twice the number of vehicles were built in half the time of its predecessor, until the C3 was launched as an even more successful successor.

This article contains the following chapters

Still made of plastic
Stunning design
Advanced technology under the skin
Further development and improvements
Pleasant to drive
The eight-cylinder beat
A real sports car at last, and a successful one at that
Affordable maintenance
Now highly sought after
Article and further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The first Corvette, which is now called the C1 and was built from 1953 to 1963, rightly had the reputation of a "boulevard sports car", i.e. it had the appearance of a sports car, but suffered from sub-optimal handling due to the mass-produced parts used. For the successor, therefore, all the stops were pulled out and the experience gained with the motorsport use of the first Corvette was used to build a "real" sports car from the Corvette. With success! The basic principles of the first Corvette - front engine, rear-wheel drive, polyester bodywork and, in particular, the box frame - were retained for production reasons, even though vehicles with a tubular frame had already been successfully used in racing. To improve weight distribution, however, the wheelbase of the new Corvette was shortened by 10 cm, which meant that 51 to 52% of the weight now fell on the rear axle, depending on the engine. The length was now 445 cm, and the vehicle was 5 cm lower and 10 cm shorter than its predecessor. With a width of 177 cm, the Sting Ray was a wide vehicle for the 1960s, but was still two centimeters wider than the 300 SL at the time. Today, when almost every mid-size car is 1.8 meters wide, the dimensions of the second Corvette seem almost compact. However, at around 1,400 kg, the Corvette was not particularly light, despite the plastic body.

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