Chevrolet Corvette C2 Sting Ray Convertible 427

After World War II, American manufacturers needed more powerful, large-displacement engines for their trucks and sports cars. This gave rise to the big blocks, eight-cylinder engines with larger cylinder diameters, which of course the Chevrolet Corvette C2 was not deprived of. In the 1950s, GM had conceived of the sports car exclusively as a convertible. Thus the available body versions were already one of the differences with the second generation, because the C2 offered the customers as well known the choice between the open variant and on the other hand for the first time a Coupé, which became very successful.

This time, however, we present here a beautiful example of the convertible, whose sheet metal dress is wrapped in the magnificent light blue shade « Marina Blue ». The open version undoubtedly offers the occupants the advantage of an even more exciting and vivid experience: driving and the stimuli and experiences usually associated with it are enhanced by the wind blowing around the nose, smells from the environment and sunrays penetrating unhindered into the car’s interior to create an incomparable overall package.

V8 with beautiful sound

When you drive a convertible with a V8, you also get the unfiltered sound, which is one of the greatest pleasures you can experience behind the wheel of a car. This is all the more true of our Corvette C2 convertible shown here, which not only has one of the V8s so typical of US manufacturers, but even one of the big blocks mentioned at the beginning. In other words, this power unit rents more torque and power as well as impressive forward momentum with its large cylinders. Just imagining the acceleration possible in this way, which makes your hair blow wildly in the wind, combined with the wonderfully husky eight-cylinder sound is a true dream for US car and sports car fans.

No less than 7 liters of displacement

In concrete numbers, our convertible is powered by a V8 with 427 cubic inches of displacement – which, when converted to the displacement commonly used in Europe, equates to seven liters! So it’s plain to see: We are dealing here with a really very voluminous, American aggretate. Of course, the number 427 is one that people like to proudly display on the hood of their powerful sports car from the other side of the Atlantic – so it’s no surprise that our photo vehicle wears corresponding lettering on the large air intake of the long front hood. The Corvette even goes one step further in terms of unique indications of its big block, which distinguish it from its brothers with smaller units: after all, the very inlet for fresh air supply to the engine compartment is complemented with black trim strips, which perfectly underline its beautiful design.

From the last year of manufacture

The Corvette is from 1967, the last year in which the second generation of the legendary US sports car was built. It stands on its original rally wheels in 7×15 inches, decorated with large chrome hubcaps. Incidentally, the most striking visual differences from the popular coupe are, of course, to be found at the rear of the car. For one thing, this serves exclusively as a storage space for the soft top when it is open, and not incidentally as a trunk, so that – also compared with the predecessor C1 – it is significantly flatter as well as slimmer and thus more stylish. On the other hand, the design naturally does not feature the roof that tapers towards the rear, giving the coupe the look of a stingray – which is why the C2 was also given the surname Sting Ray, as is well known. Nevertheless, the convertible also retains the crease running down the center of the body at the rear, which transfers the reminiscence of the ray’s tail to the open version. Thus, the wonderful open-air version of the C2 also does full justice to the animal surname, which has become an essential part of the Corvette legend.

Color-coordinated interior

In the interior, the first thing that stands out is the good impression of quality, especially compared to the C1, whose cockpit sometimes seemed a bit carelessly finished. The two comfortable seats have chic blue upholstery. The same hue is found on the dashboard with its two symmetrical arcs, with the instruments underneath on the driver’s side and a glove compartment on the passenger side. Between them is a center console, dominated in particular by a large analog clock. In addition, a car radio can be found here, which – since the Corvette doesn’t do anything like the others – is arranged vertically given the narrow design of the console. The small gearshift lever of the four-speed manual transmission is in the driver’s hand as a matter of course. The large cupped steering wheel has a wooden rim that also feels really nice to the touch.

So all that remains is to turn the ignition key and make the L36 eight-cylinder roar. Then just engage first gear and the big block’s 388 horsepower takes care of the rest. This Corvette C2 simply offers a unique driving pleasure that leaves no one cold …