The 1963- Corvette, known as the Sting Ray, had its roots in a prototype racing car of the late '50s. Arkus-Duntov created a Corvette-based racer he called the Sebring SS in 1957, with a 310bhp engine, magnesium alloy body, steel spaceframe chassis and DeDion rear axle with independent suspension, but due to the AMA competition ban, Chevrolet did not pursue the project for a while. Bill Mitchell revived it a couple of years later to make a single special-order car for Dick Thompson, which performed credibly in the 1959 and 1960 SCCA championships; this car became known as the Stingray. The car came back to Mitchell in 1962, and he used it as his own personal road car, which shaped the development of the C2 production model. Another influence was the Mako Shark I concept car of 1962, which experimented with a coupe body style.
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Corvette C2 did not, of course, feature the same magnesium alloy body and spaceframe chassis as the SS or Stingray, but it did adopt the rear suspension system with transverse semi-elliptic leaf springs, trailing arms and a ladder-frame chassis. This design saved space at the rear end and also corrected the Corvette's unpredictable oversteer. A coupe body style was offered for the first time, with the famous split rear windscreen that marks out an original Sting Ray (note the different phrasing of the name, to differentiate it from the race car). The 'hidden' retractable headlights also made their debut. Slightly more expensive than the convertible ($4,252, compared to $4,037), the coupe was an instant hit, accounting for 10,594 sales in 1963, not far short of the convertible's 10,919.
That year, Arkus-Duntov and his team of petrolheads built some Grand Sports prototypes, with twin spark plugs in each cylinder, fuel injection and a lightweight alloy 377 cubic inch (6.1-litre) V8, capable of 180mph and an output of 550bhp. These beat Carroll Shelby's AC Cobras in a number of events, but GM vetoed a plan to build 125 of them for homologation purposes and to then take a team to Le Mans. However, the speed freaks continued to pursue their dream, and some consolation came in 1967 when a big-block Corvette set a class land speed record at 192.879mph on the salt flats at Bonneville.
In 1964, however, coupe owners had complained of poor visibility to the rear, and the split windscreen design was dropped - much to the disappointment of Mitchell. The faux air intakes were also removed. Cheaper, less powerful versions were introduced, and by 1966, four engine outputs were offered, from a base 300bhp 327 cubic inches (5.3 litres) to the new 'big block' 427 cubic inch (7-litre) unit with Holley carb; delivering 425bhp at 5600 rpm and 465lb ft of torque, it produced 0-60mph acceleration in under five seconds and cost just $312 as an option... Disc brakes on all four wheels were introduced in 1965 for extra stopping power. But the market was getting increasingly competitive, and the lower-slung Mako Shark II concept (1965) signalled the direction for the Corvette C3 - a more versatile GT car.
