OVERVIEW
1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Roadster
VIN: 194676S124994
This Sting Ray is reputed to have had only 4 owners. Extensive maintenance records date back to 1977, apparently the year that it was purchased by its second owner, Richard Bonelli of South San Francisco, CA. The last three owners have been Californians. The documentation all supports that the odometer reading of 81021 is the original mileage.
The car was ordered new in the rare color combination of Silver Pearl with a silver vinyl interior. It is powered by its original, number's matching 327/300 V8 engine. It is one of only 564 Corvettes produced in 1966 that have the 3-speed manual transmission. (only 2% of production) Optional equipment includes rare factory headrests, positraction, power steering, and the car's original factory hardtop.
With its sleek, groundbreaking lines, retractable headlights, four wheel disc brakes and fully independent suspension the 1966 C2 Corvette was truly an American automotive tour de force.
Equipment:
A01 - Soft Ray Tinted Glass, all windows
A82 - Headrests (1st year available)
C07 - Auxiliary Hardtop (Silver Pearl)
L75 - 327ci/300hp engine
M12 - 3-Speed Transmission (only 2% of production)
N40 - Power Steering
V74 - Traffic Hazard Lamp Switch
About the Second Generation Corvette - C2
The second generation Corvette referred to as "mid-years" was designed by Larry Shinoda with major inspiration from a previous concept design called the "Q Corvette" by Peter Brock and Chuck Pohlmann under the styling direction of Bill Mitchell. The design had several inspirations. The first was the contemporary Jaguar E-Type, one of which Bill Mitchell owned and enjoyed driving frequently. Mitchell also sponsored a car known as the "Mitchell Sting Ray" in 1959 because Chevrolet no longer participated in factory racing. This vehicle had the largest impact on the styling of this generation, although it had no top and did not give away what the coupe would look like. The third inspiration was a Mako Shark Mitchell had caught while deep-sea fishing.
Production started for the 1963 model year and ended in 1967. Introducing a new name, "Sting Ray", the 1963 model was the first year for a Corvette coupe and it featured a distinctive tapering rear deck with, for 1963 only, a split rear window. The Sting Ray featured hidden headlamps, non-functional hood vents, and an independent rear suspension. Duntov never liked the split rear window because it blocked rear vision, but Mitchell thought it to be a key part of the entire design. On 1964 models the decorative hood vents were eliminated and Duntov got his way with the split rear window changed to a full width window.
