The Corvette Sting Ray hit the American sports car market in 1963 like a bolt of lightning, reminiscent of the unveiling of the ‘ knock’em out of their socks’ debut of the Jaguar E-Type two years earlier; comparisons were not slow to materialize. For the first time in its history, the Corvette was a sellout success – so much so that the St. Louis factory had to hire a second shift, and it still couldn’t begin to supply cars rapidly enough for the demand being generated by the buying public. So began the acknowledged “golden age” of 1963-1967 Corvette design and popularity.

The attractive roadster design, for the first time, had been joined by a coupe for the first time. Both exhibited magnificent looks, and their distinctive styling was matched by the Corvette’s speed and agility. The design had come from the Bill Mitchell-led Art and Color Studio with flair that typified his department in this era.

When Larry Shinoda and his Corvette design team began work on the new-for-1963 Stingray, it is unlikely that they understood the impact that this design would have on the car world. Long considered a modern classic, the car’s aggressive lines and sleek profile were perfectly suited to its role as GM’s image leader. As well, a broad range of powertrain options and countless racing victories helped the Corvette earn the title of “America’s sports car.” In addition, a long-awaited set of four-wheel disc brakes became available in 1965 and finally provided stopping power to match the car’s acceleration and top speed potential.

This fine road machine was, and still is, America’s only true sports car. With only subtle refinements from the 1963 introduction of the C2 platform, the style and performance of the 1966 Corvette continued to gain in popularity and stature. A Corvette script was now found on the hood, while the roof vents on the coupe, previously both functional and non-functional, were deleted completely. A total of 27,720 Corvettes were built in the 1966 model year. Of this figure, 17,762 were the convertible version, and only 2,339 examples (in both body styles) came finished in Code 984 Sunfire Yellow, such as this exciting car.

The accompanying trim tag confirms this as the cars original color, which is beautifully complemented by its white convertible top and black interior. The car is reported to have its “complete history from new,” and is a factory ordered car. The car possesses a great deal of originality according to the consignor; other than one repaint, convertible top and carpet. This Corvette also comes with the factory accessory, removable hardtop, also finished in Sunfire Yellow. This example is driven by the always reliable and desirable 327-cid, 300-hp V-8 engine – in this case, backed by the coveted four-speed manual transmission and a 3.08:1 rear end. This Corvette also features factory wheel covers with spinners, tastefully-sized whitewall tires, AM/FM radio and power four-wheel disc brakes.

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