The Sting Ray became a household name with the popularity of the 1963 Corvette. Although it did have flaws. The designers and engineers at GM took the feedback and coupled it with the momentum that the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray had created and came out with a new and improved version for 1964 and therefore the Sting Ray continued to roll.

While not a re-design by any stretch of the imagination, the 1964 Corvette Sting Ray did have sweeping changes. Some of the more notable changes for the year included.

Back Window, Gone was the cross bar that made the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray a legend. Because of safety issues, the 1964 Corvette did away with the split rear window and left the 1963 as the sole holder of such distinction.

Hood, Gone too were the faux hood cowls from the previous year. Again, GM cited safety as the reason. The indentations however did remain.

Suspension, One of the chief complaints from owners of the 1963 Corvette was that the ride got progressively worse as the miles began to accumulate on the odometer. To combat this, GM switched the front coil springs to progressive rate or variable rate from the constant rate used in 1963. The rear leaf springs were also upgraded. The shocks were modified to include a small bag of Freon within the shock’s fluid which helped fight the heating problems that plagued the previous year.

Body Styling, The 1964 Corvette Sting Ray lost some of its ribs on the rocker panels and the ribs that remained got a coat of black paint in between them. Wheel coverings were made more simplified and the emblem on the deck-lid was revamped to include circles around its crossed flags.

Engine, The 1964 Corvette proved to be a bit more beefy than the 1963 and had peak horse power of 375. This was due to an upgrade that saw the V-8 engine breathe through a Holley four barrel carburetor as opposed to the stock Carter.

The previous year’s selling record was broken with the sale of 22,229 units. This milestone proved the changes that were made in the1964 Corvette were the right call. Sales for the coupe were down but the convertible sales were very high.

The figures were out and so was the jury with its verdict; a smashing success. While the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray started it all, the 1964 Corvette Sting Ray put the Vette on the map for good.

For more information and questions about a 1964 Corvette please see the Smokingvette Group at www.smokinvette.com

For information on Auto Shipping visit MetroGistics.

The most finely tuned Sting Ray to be made was the 1967 Corvette and even though, the changes were not all that impressive they did make for a cleaner looking Corvette. Some of the notable changes to the 1967 Corvette were…

Front Fender Vents: Five front fender vents replaced the three that were on the 1966 Corvette.

Back-up Light, The 1967 Corvette had a newly designed single back-up light which was mounted just above the license plate holder.

Wheel Covers, The 1967 Corvette did away with the older looking wheel coverings and made way for the Rally wheels which featured chrome beauty rings with small chrome center caps to hide the lug nuts.

Handbrake, The handbrake was moved from beneath the dash to between the seats for the 1967 Corvette.

The engine for the 1967 Corvette ended up producing more power, even though, there was little changes made. In the 1967 Corvette the two small block V-8s as too the big block returned. Only this year the big block was hidden under a redesigned hood scoop. The two largest engines were able to put out 400 and 435 bhp because of the switch to triple two barrel carbs.

Speed freaks could also get their fix with the optional L88 engine which featured many lightened parts and other special upgrades that gave the engine an incredible 560-bhp at the end of the day. The biggest problem with this super engine was the fact that it took only 103-octane racing fuel and consequently did not make for a good option to be driven on a daily basis. Still in 1967 20 buyers opted for the package that would add an enormous $1,500 to the base price of just over $4,200.

As time went by the fans and critics looked back and agreed the 1967 Corvette was the best Corvette ever made. However, in 1967, this was not so because everyone was waiting for the now overdue C3 generation to be released. The result was the 1967 Corvette underselling the 1966 Corvette by 5,000 units. The newest Corvette would be a matter of time and when it was released many would be shocked to see the name Sting Ray was taken away. Though added back in 1969 as ‘Stingray’ there would never again be another Sting Ray, especially not like the one that GM put out in 1967.

For more info and questions about a 1967 Corvette please see the Smokinvette Group at www.smokinvette.com

For information on Auto Shipping visit MetroGistics.