The Chevrolet Corvette straddles the first generation of Chevrolet Corvette, named C1, and the second, named C2, for which it was the inspiration. In fact, the GM vicepresident of design, Bill Mitchell said, “when the moment arrives to evolve the C1 design, for the C2 we will directly take the general lines of the Stingray.”
The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was designed by the youngest GM designers at that time, Peter Brock and Chuck Pohlman. With the basic design and with the help of the head designer of Corvette, Larry Shinoda, they made a clay design, and subsequently one of fiberglass. The Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was manufactured in 1959 on a platform that was used to prepare cars that could participate in different competitions, among them the 24h of Le Mans.
It was equipped with a 4600cc motor that had the power of 315 HP at 6200 rpm. In the first tests of various competitions, it quickly demonstrated its ability to win, including a victory in its category in the 1960 SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) national championship.
At this time it was retired from competition and the project manager Bill Mitchell ordered some changes (for example the copilot seat), and it was used as a model to experiment with some of the improvements later incorporated into the C2, including aluminum in many elements, back Dion suspension, etc.
Auto Art’s original scale model offers unending and precise details, including the interior door hinges, 5 gauges on the dashboard (from left to right: oil pressure, oil temperature, water temperature, tachometer, and speedometer), the steering wheel with the emblem in the center, the gearshift, a fire extinguisher next to it, the rearview mirror, and many more elements that together with an extremely exact chassis and a fine paint job, give a very elegant aspect to this miniature.
An interesting note is that our scale model comes in a dark red color that doesn’t correspond exactly with the red color of the actual model during its competition days. Later it was painted in metallic silver, a color that has lasted until now.
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