Automotive History Corvette Sting Ray
There's the Sting Ray and there's the Stingray. Either or both terms refer to this classic GM concept car. Evolving from first generation Corvettes as the Chevy SS in 1957, the Sting Ray emerged as itself in 1959. Sting Rays saw production from 1963 to 1967, losing the "Sting Ray" emblem with the 1968 models. GM returned the emblem to the 1969 model spelling it "Stingray" as one word, and the last Corvette to carry the Stingray emblem was the 1976 model. However, the name still follows the Corvette line among enthusiasts.
Sting Ray, Stingray, Vet, and Corvette are often used as interchangeable terms referring to the classic, sporty GM speedster. Bill Mitchell, GM chief in the 1960s, was the brain behind the Sting Ray. Its forerunner was the 1957 Corvette SS, which debuted at the Le Mans specifically as a concept race car. Shortly thereafter the Automobile Manufacturing Association banned manufacturing sponsored racing and the SS became a test car, giving birth to the Sting Ray racer in 1959.
After showing its stuff at the Marlboro Raceway in Maryland in 1959, finishing in fourth place and winning an SCCA National Championship in 1960, Mitchell officially retired the Sting Ray as a racer. However, the design and performance of the Sting Ray featuring a lightweight body, a 92 inch wheelbase, a fuel injected 283 cubic inch V 8 engine with four speed manual transmission producing 315 horsepower influenced the next generation of Stingrays.
The Sting Ray is inseparable from the Corvette itself, whether referred to as Sting Ray, Stingray, or Vet. Various production models across the years introduced change, modification, and modernization, but the Vet is still referred to by fans as the Sting Ray. After 1962, influenced by the Sting Ray, the classic style of the first generation Corvettes changed drastically, letting go of the curved windshield, solid rear axle and convertible only body style. In '62 the engine was enlarged from the small block to 5.4 L producing 360 horsepower making it one of the fasted C-1s and the most popular American sports car on the road.
The Sting Ray enjoyed a celebrated career as a concept car and was ultimately retired to the GM Design Studio as a classic car of historical significance. The famous Corvette Sting Ray racing car gave birth to the Corvette-mania that swept the nation in the 1960s, continuing still. Car enthusiasts, still getting their kicks on Route 66, celebrate the famed Sting Ray as the forerunner of present Corvette popularity,.
