The evolution of the 1959 Sting Ray Racer to the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (below) is evident. The insignia, the same as used on 1963 Corvettes, was added in 1961. Here is a very nice and drivable 1959 Corvette in sought after colors. The suspension featured coil springs on all four corners. Photo: GM Archives A small crew of designers that was part of Research Studio B which was under the radar of the higher level GM executives was responsible for transforming Mitchell's ideas into reality. An avid deep-sea fisherman, Mitchell chose the name of the When GM bought the car from Mitchell, they added the same badging that would appear on the 1963 C2 Corvette, and so the car officially became the "Sting Ray". The new rule was strictly enforced, with punishment possibilities including losing your job. Chevrolet Corvette (C2), the second generation of the Corvette, introduced in 1963, referred to as the Corvette Sting Ray. The design was based on a sketch by designer Pete Brock, and was further developed by Larry Shinoda. Mitchell showed pictures of cars seen on his Italian trip to his design team headed by The 1957 Corvette SS racing sports car was created by a team of engineers headed by The AMA racing ban notwithstanding, Mitchell was interested in building a new racing car, and used a Corvette SS chassis as its base. 1959 CHEVROLET CORVETTE GASSER Car History Everyone always gives a 1959 Corvette a second glance. Some of the changes requested by Mitchell included a full-width windshield and a passenger seat, making the car legal for use on public roads.Another change reported to have been made to the vehicle was a conversion to Dunlop disc brakes.The Stingray's body design influenced the style of the 1960 XP-720 prototype for the next generation The Stingray Racer has appeared in two movies; the 1967 The car was restored by GM Design Staff at the direction of There is an ongoing discussion about whether the car's name is "Stingray", or "Sting Ray".While under construction, the car was officially the XP-87, or was simply referred to as "Mitchell's racer". The wheelbase for the Sting Ray Racer was 92 inches, 10 inches shorter than the standard 1959 Corvette. In 1957 the AMA (Automobile Manufacturer's Association) instituted a ban on everything related to "performance" which included all competition activities and extended to advertising in which all references to power or speed were forbidden. Originally the braking was via finned drums which proved themselves a serious competition disadvantage. The car was developed in the styling studios at General Motors (GM) at the behest of Bill Mitchell, GM Vice President of styling. Notice the belt line around the entire car separating the lower and upper halfs which would become an important styling element of the 1959 Sting Ray Racer and the C2 Corvette. It is just that beautiful a car. It had a very low wind cheating shape known as the "streamliner" theme with four distinctive blips above each wheel which allowed the rest of the body surface to be very low. He eventually acquiesced, and the Stingray was retired from racing. 1959 Corvette Convertible, 283-290 hp, fuelie, 4 speed, numbers match. Weight was around 2,100 lbs., about 1,000 lbs.
The body skin was made of comparatively thin fiberglass backed up with aluminum reinforcement which was eventually replaced with balsa wood. less than the 1959 Corvette. The Corvette Stingray Racer is a sports racing car and concept car that debuted in 1959. Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was the name for several model years of Chevrolet Corvettes : Corvette Stingray (concept car), concept cars from 1959 and 2009. The front suspension was a short / long arm and the rear was a deDion design, which can be thought of as halfway between a straight axle (as seen on 1953 to '62 Corvettes) and an independent arrangement, as on 1963 and later 'vettes. The frame was not related to the stock Corvette and consisted of steel tubing. It was a Fiat, heavily worked on by famed tuner Abarth and styled by coachbuilder Pininfarina. Some references report that he bought the complete Corvette SS development mule for Inherited from the Corvette SS were the earlier car's tubular steel space frame chassis, 92 in (2,337 mm) wheelbase and 51.5 in (1,308 mm) front and rear track, front Construction of the Stingray racer started in a small space at GM informally called the "Hammer Room".The body was based on the Q-Corvette XP-96 convertible. As originally built by Bill Mitchell, the 1959 Sting Ray Racer did not carry any GM, Chevrolet or Corvette identification. Four wheel disk brakes were eventually fitted. Wheelbase, inches. 177.0. By posting, you are declaring that you understand this policy:This policy is subject to change at any time and without notice.These terms and conditions contain rules about posting comments. The wheelbase for the Sting Ray Racer was 92 inches, 10 inches shorter than the standard 1959 Corvette. This policy contains information about your privacy.