Classic DREAMCARS Mount Dora, Fla. (352) 385-1945 www.classicdreamcars.com

 

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JUST SOLD TO "MARK" IN MANKATO, MINNESOTA.

1966 CHEVROLET CORVETTE STING RAY CONVERTIBLE -

A BEAUTIFUL MID-YEAR CORVETTE LOADED WITH ALL THE 'KILLER' OPTIONS. FINISHED IN BRIGHT BLUE WITH MATCHING LEATHER AND WHITE TOP IT IS EQUIPPED WITH : TELESCOPIC STEERING COLUMN (ONLY 13.2% HAD IT THAT YEAR), FACTORY-STYLE SIDE PIPE EXHAUST, LEATHER, AM/FM RADIO AND ALUMINUM KNOCK-OFF WHEELS. IT CARRIES THE MATCHING 327/ 300 H.P. MOTOR W/ 4VCARB AND A 4-SPEED TRANSMISSION, 3:08 POSITRACTION, , B.W. RADIAL TIRES, 4-WHL.DISC BRAKES (STND., ) POWER STEERING AND TINTED GLASS. CHEVROLET ONLY MADE 17,762 CORVETTE CONVERTIBLE'S THAT YEAR AND, 9,755 HAD THIS ENGINE TRANSMISSION COMBINATION.... THIS IS A REAL, 68,000 MILE CALIFORNIA BLACK PLATE CORVETTE WHICH STILL RETAINS IT'S ORIGINAL SMOG EQUIPMENT, COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL PROTECT-O-PLATE (EVERY BIT AS AS GOOD AS A LETTER FROM THE FACTORY) AND OWNER'S MANUAL..ORIGINALLY LAGUNA BLUE...IT WAS RE-RESTORED RECENTLY TO INCLUDE NEW LEATHER, FRONT BRAKES, BATTERY, HARRISON HOLDING TANK, CARPETS, SUN VISORS (& HARDWARE), ENGINE BAY & UNDERCARRIAGE DETAIL AND MORE. IT'S A REALLY GREAT DRIVER AND WE RATE IT A #2. A SUPER COLLECTIBLE PRICED WAY UNDER BOOK VALUE . $59,950.

THE STORY:

As 1966 turned the corner most people thought "turning on" meant something you did with a Television Set (no remote control yet, you had to actually get off the sofa ). "Taking a trip" meant 'vacation time' but, in reality, America's Youth had turned on to the Drug Culture. Dropping LSD and smoking the illicit "weed" was an everyday occurrence. It started with hipster's and intellectuals experimenting with hallucinigenics but, truth was, even the CIA practiced mind control in Project Bluebird, Project Artichoke and Project MK-Ultra. Hippie enclaves all across America were spreading Blotter Acid vibrations. When the rock group The Byrds wrote "Eight Mile High" they insisted it was about a plane trip to England but, hipster's.... knew better.

"The Tube" (television) was a buzz with 'Soaps' like "Peyton Place and "As The World Turns", while popular Cartoons were "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show", "The Flintstones" and "The Jetsons". Western Shows took Prime Time slots in the form of "Bonanza", "Rawhide" and "The Wild, Wild West". While Late Night TV went to "Jack Paar", and "The Tonight Show". You may ( or may not) remember some of the most memorable TV lines that year are " Sock it to me" (Laugh-In), "Sorry about that Chief" (Maxwell Smart), "Yabba, dabba, doo" (Flintstones), "Just the facts, 'M'am" (Dragnet) and "Beam me up Scotty" (Star Trek). The most popular Big Movies that year were "Blow-up" and "Alfie" but, on the street, the popular vernacular was " Far Out", "What's Happenin'", "Right On", "Freak Out" and "Peace Brother'. Most young people had reason to "freak out" and many became "Draft Dodger's" as Lyndon Johnson shipped 400,000 U.S. Troops to Vietnam in 1966. The U.S. was in the middle of bombing Hanoi while the Supreme Court issued "The Miranda Rights". "Love-In's" became popular in 1966 with 20,000 hippies gathering under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge Park . Other peaceful bacchanals popped up in New York's Central Park and, "The City of Angels" : Los Angeles.

By 1965, end-of-year Chevrolet sales figures clearly indicated Big Blocks were outselling Small Blocks, in all divisions, so it was determined Chevy would start adding Big Motor options to the line-up. By 1966, Detroit was no longer content with simple High Performance. A car had to also "look the part" and was also judged on it's "High Performance Image". By now Pete Estes took over, fresh from Pontiac Division, where he and fellow collaborator John DeLorean had literally 'created' the First Muscle Car (GTO). Estes followed the lead of past division Chief Engineers...he boosted motors. The Corvette got a huge bulge in the hood ( on the Big Blocks ) that wrecked Shinoda's streamlined styling but, the Good News is that the Vette also got a plated, cast Ferrari-type egg crate grille ( to replace the extruded alum. ones), Ribbed Rocker Panel Moldings, and Chrome Plated Exhaust Bezels. It lost the Roof Vents on the Coupes but, gained Spoke-Mag-Style Hubcaps, an extra batch of Pleats in the Seats ( to help eliminate problem splitting). It got a Vinyl Headliner and a even bigger motor ( 427, instead of the 396). Options became better known as 'numbers' to performance junkies. Young men who became eligible for the Draft with a "1A" classification soon memorized the factory codes and it became street slang. "L72" was the 427/425 hp engine, "M-22" the Heavy Duty 4-Speed, "C48" Heater Delete, "N14" Side Exhaust, "F41" Special Performance Suspension ( bigger sway bars, 9 leaf spring instead of 7),"N03" 36 Gallon Gas Tank (rare- only 66 built ) etc. etc. This gave them something to think about besides "The NBC Vietnam Weekly Report" or CBS's "Vietnam Prospective". Color choices were up to Ten and Vette's could be ordered in everything from "Sunfire Yellow", "Mossport Green" (1 yr. only), "Trophy Blue" & "Laguna Blue" (also, one-year-only colors), or one could still order the outrageous "Silver Pearl". G.M.'s Bill Mitchell said his favorite color was indeed 'Blue' so, the '66 color roster carried 3 different shades of Blue. In fact, Harley Earl's own personal custom built 375 h.p. fuel injection Stingray Convertible with through-the-sides Chrome Side Exhaust was Nassau Blue ( I had a chance to buy this car, or his wife's Pearlescent Pink '63 Coupe after he sold them both in West Palm Beach in 1968 but, sadly never 'pulled the trigger' because the Soft Top leaked water! ). Thankfully, only 2% of the Corvette production had a 3-speed Transmissions but, 89.3% had a the more desirable Four Speed. 20.2% had Power Steering and 13.2 had a Telescopic Wheel. Most noticeable fact is, starting with 1966, the Corvette Sting Ray's were built better (noticeably tighter)... especially in the Convertible.

Still a throwback from the Stingray Special Racer and XP-720, the 1966 Corvette Sting Ray carried on the Mid-Year Tradition with Quad headlights that rotated closed when not being used. They still retained the doors cut-up into the roof line (on the Coupe), the lack of an actual trunk but, kept the Racy Styling. Corvette fans still scoffed at frills as fewer than 12% of the cars produced came with 'Creature Comforts' like Air Conditioning and Leather Seats. They still carried the revolutionary Independent Rear Suspension with Half-Shafts, Lateral Struts, Radius Rods and a Transverse Leaf Spring. Consequently, they rode 100% better than the old Cove Corvette's and handled like a Modern Car (especially now, with new radial tires added).
If the Sting Ray's are considered the 'Best of the Vintage Corvette's', then the last three years would be considered "The Best of the Mid-Years". They aren't burdened with excess weight, have 4-whl. Disc Brakes and in a word are the Epitome of the word "Classic". Corvette continued as Chevrolet's Prestige Leader and, by 1965, even offered Leather as a regular RPO option in every important color ( 1963 only offered Saddle Leather). You gotta agree, that even today the late Mid-year Vette's offer Timeless Beauty and Design..... whether you choose a Coupe or Convertible. If you want to follow the value on these just go to NADAGuides.com and click on "classic cars- what's it worth" and you'll quickly realize what a bargain this car is. We still maintain they give 'The Most Bang for the Buck' in a Classic Car.

info backup source: "corvette fifty years" by randy leffingwell and "corvette buyers guide" by richard prince