1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupé
Registration no. OGC 187D
Chassis no. 194376S124570

'The Sting Ray hit the American sports car market like a thunderclap, reminiscent of the knock-'em-dead debut of the Jaguar E-Type two years previously; comparisons were not slow to materialise. For the first time in history the Corvette was a sell-out success.' – Richard M Langworth, The Complete Book Of The Corvette.

To say that the Sting Ray's arrival caused a sensation would be grossly understating its impact on the North American sports car market. Indeed, such was its runaway success that the St Louis factory hired a second shift but still could not build cars fast enough to meet demand. Styled in General Motors' Art and Colour Studio under Bill Mitchell, the new Corvette featured radical styling pioneered on Mitchell's successful Stingray sports-racer, and for the first time there was a Gran Turismo coupé in the range. Beneath the skin was an all-new ladder-frame chassis with independent rear suspension, the adoption of which enabled the centre of gravity to be significantly lowered, improving both roadholding and ride. This new frame was the work of Corvette Chief Engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov who said: 'For the first time I have a Corvette which I am proud to use in Europe.' Now recognised as representing a 'golden age' for the Corvette, the Sting Ray was manufactured from 1963 to 1967 and has since gone on to become a highly collectible modern classic.

This manual transmission Sting Ray was purchased by the current vendor at a North London auction in 1990. The car had been imported from Hollywood, California circa 1988 and probably had been raced, as it had been stripped of any unnecessary weight. We are advised that it has the optional 427ci (7.0-litre) engine. Over the years, the car had numerous parts replaced until it was decided to commission a complete restoration at Dolphin American Autos in Lymington, which was carried out circa 2007/2008. The cost was in the region of £40,000. All bills with details of the work are available together with old MoT certificates, bills of sale, US registration documents, etc. Since acquisition the Corvette has covered fewer than 5,000 miles, spending most of the time garaged while being kept in running condition. It has been a regular visitor to the Goodwood Revival in recent years. Described as in generally excellent condition, with good chassis and engine, the car is offered with the aforementioned bills, current MoT and V5 registration document. The provision of flared wheelarches is the only notified deviation from factory specification.