1967 Chevrolet Corvette "Stingray 2 Door Coupe"

Specifications

Configuration: Longitudinal front-engine

Engine: LTI V8

Displacement: 427cid/7.0L

Horsepower: 435hp at 5,800RPM

Torque: 460 ft-lbs at 4,000RPM

Transmission: 4-speed manual

A Little History

The first generation of Corvettes was released in 1953. The car stumbled a bit in the first few years of production before catching its stride and becoming America’s favorite sports car. This 1967 Corvette is from the second generation of Corvettes, or C2, dubbed the “Stingray.”

The design of the C2 was inspired entirely by William Mitchell, the GM Design Chief. As of the late 1950s, GM was not officially racing, so Mitchell took it upon himself to form his own team. He bought and rebodied Zora Duntov’s 1957 Corvette Super Sport from the Sebring 12-hour Grand Prix, then put it on the tracks with SCCA, where it became C-Production champion in 1960.

Interestingly, the C2 wasn’t even supposed to last through 1967, but production issues in Detroit lead to the second generation lasting one more model year. Because of this, the C2 became the first model to house the famous L88 427cid engine, as seen on the photo on the wall behind the car currently on display. Though most of the other cars in the exhibit were sold to meet homologation standards for the SCCA Trans Am series, the L88 participated in the SCCA A-Production circuit. It was designed specifically to be a racecar and could not be sold as a stock car.

1 of the 20 L88s won the 1967 Sebring 12-hour Grand Prix. Another 3 were sent to the Daytona 24 Hour race where they smashed the qualifying rounds. Unfortunately, all three cars suffered mechanical issues during the race and were subsequently disqualified.

Did You Know?

There were 8,504 Stingray coupes built in 1967, 3,754 of which were fitted with the 427cid/435hp engine.