Chevrolet Corvette (C2)

Chevrolet Corvette (C2)
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 427 Convertible
Overview
Manufacturer	Chevrolet (General Motors)
Also called	Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
Production	1962–1967
Model years	1963–1967
Assembly	United States: St. Louis, Missouri
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	2-door convertible 2-door coupé
Layout	FR layout
Related	Duntov LightWeight Superformance Corvette Grand Sport
Powertrain
Engine	327 cu in (5.4 L) Small-Block V8 327 cu in (5.4 L) L75 Small-Block V8 327 cu in (5.4 L) L76 Small-Block V8 327 cu in (5.4 L) L79 Small-Block V8 327 cu in (5.4 L) L84 Small-Block V8 396 cu in (6.5 L) L78 Big-Block V8 427 cu in (7.0 L) L36 Big-Block V8 427 cu in (7.0 L) L68 Big-Block V8 427 cu in (7.0 L) L71 Big-Block V8 427 cu in (7.0 L) L72 Big-Block V8 427 cu in (7.0 L) L88 Big-Block V8 427 cu in (7.0 L) L89 Big-Block V8
Transmission	3-speed manual 4-speed manual 2-speed Powerglide automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	98.0 in (2,489 mm) (MY1963)
Length	179.3 in (4,554 mm)
Width	69.6 in (1,768 mm)
Height	69 ft49.8 in (1,265 mm) Coupe, convertible with hardtop
Curb weight	3,362 lb (1,525 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	Chevrolet Corvette (C1)
Successor	Chevrolet Corvette (C3)

The Chevrolet Corvette (C2) (also known as the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray) is the second generation of the Chevrolet Corvette sports car, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1963 to 1967 model years.

The 1963 Sting Ray production car's lineage can be traced to two separate GM projects: the Q-Corvette, and perhaps more directly, Mitchell's racing Sting Ray. The Q-Corvette, initiated in 1957, envisioned a smaller, more advanced Corvette as a coupe-only model, boasting a rear transaxle, independent rear suspension, and four-wheel disc brakes, with the rear brakes mounted inboard. Exterior styling was purposeful, with peaked fenders, a long nose, and a short, bobbed tail.

Meanwhile, Zora Arkus-Duntov and other GM engineers had become fascinated with mid and rear-engine designs. It was during the Corvair's development that Duntov took the mid/rear-engine layout to its limits in the CERV I concept. The Chevrolet Experimental Research Vehicle was a lightweight, open-wheel single-seat racer. A rear-engined Corvette was briefly considered during 1958-60, progressing as far as a full-scale mock-up designed around the Corvair's entire rear-mounted power package, including its complicated air-cooled flat-six as an alternative to the Corvette's usual water-cooled V-8. By the fall of 1959, elements of the Q-Corvette and the Sting Ray Special racer would be incorporated into experimental project XP-720, which was the design program that led directly to the production 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. The XP-720 sought to deliver improved passenger accommodation, more luggage space, and superior ride and handling over previous Corvettes.

While Duntov was developing an innovative new chassis for the 1963 Corvette, designers were adapting and refining the basic look of the racing Sting Ray for the production model. A fully functional space buck (a wooden mock-up created to work out interior dimensions) was completed by early 1960, production coupe styling was locked up for the most part by April, and the interior, instrument panel included was in place by November. Only in the fall of 1960 did the designers turn their creative attention to a new version of the traditional Corvette convertible and, still later, its detachable hardtop. For the first time in the Corvette's history, wind tunnel testing helped refine the final shape, as did practical matters like interior space, windshield curvatures, and tooling limitations. Both body styles were extensively evaluated as production-ready 3/8-scale models at the Caltech wind tunnel.