| Corvette Sting Ray racer-concept | |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet Division of General Motors |
|---|---|
| Class | Sports car |
| Body style | 2-door convertible |
| Designer | Pete Brock Bill Mitchell Larry Shinoda |
The Corvette Stingray was a privately funded concept car that formed a basis for the second (C2) generation Corvette Sting Ray. The Stingray racer-concept car was designed by Pete Brock the youngest designer to work at GM at that time, Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President of styling, and Larry Shinoda in 1957. The basis of the Stingray was the 1957 Corvette SS, an engineering test mule chassis for the creation of an official Chevrolet race effort culminating with the 24 Hours of LeMans. Soon after its race debut, the Automobile Manufacturers Association (AMA) banned manufacturer-sponsored racing, and the SS had been relegated to test track duty. The Stingray exists today with a 327-cubic-inch (5.4 L), fuel-injected V-8 of 375 hp (280 kW).
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The Stingray used elements of the still-born Q-Corvette design study as well as the SS underpinnings, featuring a 92-inch (2,337 mm) wheelbase. The new car was exceptionally light, with a dry weight of 2,200 pounds, nearly 1,000 lb (450 kg) lighter than a 1960 production car. Its fuel-injected small-block 283-cubic-inch (4.6 L) V-8 engine produced 315 horsepower (235 kW) at 6,200 rpm. The Stingray body design strongly influenced the styling of the next generation Corvette, which saw production as a 1963 model. It also was a test bed for many technical developments, including the four-speed manual transmission, extensive use of aluminum and a de Dion rear suspension.
Billed as a car "built to test handling ease and performance," Bill Mitchell arranged to race the car quite extensively. In the hands of Dr. Dick Thompson, it made its debut at Maryland's Marlboro Raceway on 18 April 1959, finishing in fourth place. It went on to win an SCCA National Championship in 1960.
The Stingray was then retired from racing and modified by Mitchell with, among other things, a passenger seat added. The modified vehicle was exhibited as an experimental show car even while Mitchell regularly drove it personally on weekends. After its career as a concept car was finished, it was retained by the GM Design Studio as a historically significant vehicle.
1957 Stingray Racer
Also referred to as the Corvette Centennial, the 50th Anniversary Stingray show car debuted at the Chicago Auto Show February 2009. Design and technology came together to celebrate Corvette's past, present and future.
DETROIT – Chevrolet delivers a futuristic vision of technology and design with the 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept. A version of the model was first shown at the 2009 Chicago Auto Show and stars as "Sideswipe" in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Corvette Stingray Concept represents both the iconic legacy and an exciting future for Corvette.
The Corvette Stingray Concept was developed as an internal design challenge to combine classic Corvette cues with surprisingly high-tech features, modern materials, and a striking new appearance. The car is well-appointed with a clamshell hood, scissor-style doors, ergonomic seats, rear-view camera with night vision enhancement, and a high performance hybrid drive. Interactive touch controls allow the driver to customize the power and efficiency of his or her ride and share it with friends via the in-car camera system and advanced telemetrics.[1]It has been rumored to be the basis of the C7 corvette.
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