The Corvette Sting Ray
1953 saw the muscle car sector of America tremble as one of the greatest muscle cars of all time was born, the Corvette Sting Ray. At that time it was simply known as the Corvette, with the words Sting Ray not being added to the name until 1963. However, from the moment you set eyes upon the unique shape of this beautiful car you could feel the sting under the hood. The roar of the engine of the Corvette has always been able to turn heads and, once turned the eyes were captivated by the sleek and unusual, although definitely muscle sports car looks.
There have been several generations of the Corvette to date, but those built between 1953 and 1976 are regarded by the connoisseur as the real muscle cars. Indeed the name Sting Ray was dropped altogether after this year. So let us take a look at this dream car's history
Enter the C1's, revolutionary for their time because of the fibreglass body, but strong nevertheless. The original models did not have quite the same power as some of the European sports models, such as the jaguars, but they could move. Furthermore, stopping from speed was a little problematic, unless you had a reasonably clear road and gave plenty of warning. Nevertheless the Corvette Sting Ray soon became a favourite with the muscle car enthusiast. This pleasure was deepened even further when the performance was considerably enhanced in 1953, the year they introduced the new V8 engine, which turned the rocket into a super rocket.
Most of the problems with the earlier models were resolved when the C2 version arrived in 1963 and this model was to grace the roads for four years. This version stepped the Corvette Sting Ray up to the top of its class, not least because of the unique look of the rear split screen 1963 model. Unfortunately this unique style had to be withdrawn after twelve months for safety reasons. In 1967 one of the engine choices could be the L88, which some said could develop 550 hp, making it one of the fastest muscle cars of its day. Watch the girls' hair dance in the wind as their heads turned at speed, eyes fixed on the Sting Ray that was disappearing into the distance. Disc brakes and independent rear suspension also made this generation a much more comfortable and safer car, but it gave up none of its performance to achieve these improvements.
1968 saw the introduction of the C3 version of the Sting Ray which, as was mentioned earlier, was the last of these proud muscle cars to bear this unique name. Improvements with this version were subtle but important. Chrome bumpers gave way to urethane compounds which were merged into the car's body paint. The graceful curves remained, if anything becoming more sensuous. Larger engines continued to enhance the performance. A dream car for the muscle car era took a bow, smiled, roared and said goodbye as the "Sting Ray" took its proud place in history, although the Corvette upon which it was labelled remains to this day.
Whilst each generation of Corvettes has had its differences from the one before, they are all instantly recognisable as the Sting Ray and the look and power of these machines have just become synonymous over the years with boy-power. Despite its early faults the Corvette Sting Ray is a real boy's toy to be proud of.
