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The Chevrolet Corvette C2 is a sports car designed by
Larry Shinoda under the styling direction of Bill Mitchell, and was
produced between 1963 and 1967 at the St. Louis assembly plant. It is
commonly referred to as the second generation or mid-year Chevrolet
Corvette built and marketed by Chevrolet.
1963 would see the introduction of the new Corvette Sting Ray coupé with
its distinctive split rear window and fake hood vents as well as an
independent rear suspension. The split rear window was discontinued in
1964 due to safety concerns. Because they made the design too busy, the
hood vents were also cut. Power for 1963 was at 360 hp (272 kW) hitting
375 hp (280 kW) in 1964.
Four-wheel disc brakes were introduced in 1965, as well as a "Big Block"
engine option: the 396 in³ (6.5 L) V8. Side exhaust pipes appeared on
the 1965 Sting Ray. Chevrolet would up the ante in 1966 with the
introduction of an even larger 427 in³ (7 L) V8 version of the "Big
Block," creating what would be one of the most collectible Corvettes
ever. 1967 saw an L88 version of the 427 introduced, which was rated at
430 hp (321 kW), although unofficial estimates [citation needed] place
the actual output at 550 hp (410 kW) or more. Only twenty such engines
were placed in the 1967 Corvette, and the cars can fetch US$600,000 or
more at auction today. From 1967-1969, the 1282 ft³/min (605 L/s) Holley
triple two-barrel carburetor, or Tri-Power, was available on the 427.
The 1967 model was originally intended to debut the C3 generation
Corvette, however due to engineering delays and possibly to avoid
internal competition with the new Camaro pony car, the C3 was pushed
back a year until 1968; as such, the C2 carried over for an additional
model year. Other early options available on the C2 included AM-FM radio
(mid 1963), air conditioning (1963), leather upholstery (1963),
telescopic wheel (1965), head rests, presumably to prevent whiplash
(1966).
The 1965 introduction of the 425 hp 396 c.i. "Big Block" was ultimately
the harbinger of doom for the Rochester fuel injection system. The
396/425 hp option cost $292.70 whereas the 327/375 hp "fuelie" option
cost $538.00; few people could find a way to justify spending $245 more
and receiving 50 hp (37 kW) less. When only 771 "fuelie" cars were built
in 1965, Chevrolet discontinued offering fuel injection on the Corvette.
It was 18 years until fuel injection returned.
In 2004, Sports Car International named the Sting Ray number five on the
list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.
The design of this generation had several inspirations. The first was
the contemporary Jaguar E-Type, one of which Mitchell owned and enjoyed
driving frequently. Bill Mitchell also sponsored a car known as the
"Mitchell Stingray" in 1959, because Chevrolet no longer participated in
factory racing. This vehicle had the largest impact on the styling of
this generation, although it had no top and didn't give away what the
coupe would look like. The third inspiration came from nature: a mako
shark that Mitchell caught while deep-sea fishing.
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