To Be OFFERED AT AUCTIONEstimate:
$110,000 - $120,000
- The first year of potent big-block 427 V-8 power
- Milano Maroon over black; black convertible top
- Odometer displays fewer than 150 miles since frame-off
restoration
- Subtly upgraded with power steering and power brakes
- Equipped with side exhausts; knock-off wheels are fitted with
sporty Goldline tires
- Offered with owner's guide, color-matched hardtop
The Corvette's fuel-injected small-block V-8 option may have been
discontinued after the 1965 model year, but Chevrolet had something
else to offer prospective Sting Ray owners seeking high-output
thrills: Displacement, in the form of the 427-cubic-inch big-block
V-8.
Developed from a series of special Mark IV engines and field-tested
by Zora Arkus-Duntov and his team, this motor would go on to power
Don Yenko's famed Super Camaros and Super Chevelles, and it formed
the basis of the GM-built COPO Camaro in 1969. But when it rolled
out in 1966, you could get this powerplant in a full-size Chevy
car-and, of course, the Corvette Sting Ray.
Rated (or, as the story goes, under-rated, perhaps in part to
placate insurance companies) at 425 hp, this new engine served up
more than enough power and torque to motivate the relatively small
and lightweight sports car. A $312.85 option, the 427 V-8 found
5,116 takers in its first year. This car, chassis 194676S119994, is
one of them.
Finished in Milano Maroon with a black vinyl interior and black
convertible top, this Sting Ray has seen fewer than 150 miles since
its frame-off restoration. Fittingly, it presents very nicely
inside and out, and its convertible top remains in as-new
condition. It is equipped with side exhausts and knock-off wheels
wrapped in Firestone Goldline tires, a suitably sporty combination;
the signature bulge of its big-block hood, meanwhile, telegraphs
this car's potent powerplant to onlookers even before the gleaming
"427" badges come into view.
To improve the driving experience, power steering and power brakes
were fitted to the car while it was overhauled. Its owner also
sourced and color-matched an appropriate hard top, further
increasing this Sting Ray's versatility.
With few discernible flaws on its low-mileage restoration, this
1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 427/425 convertible is an
irresistible snapshot of mid-century America in all its thundering,
torquey, V-8-powered glory-an era when no one knew better than the
Chevrolet top brass that there truly was no replacement for
displacement. The car is offered with photographic documentation of
its complete restoration, an owner's guide, and hard top.To view
this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please
visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/0520.