Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Launched for 1963, the second-generation Corvette Sting Ray remains a landmark development in the Corvette's rise into a world-beating sports car. Sleek, aggressive, and otherworldly in appearance, the production Sting Ray's design was rooted in sketches by Peter Brock, the XP-75 "Q-Corvette" concept, and GM Styling chief Bill Mitchell's self-funded, 1960 SCCA champion XP-87 Sting Ray. Not only did GM stylist Larry Shinoda collaborate with Mitchell on the Sting Ray racer's design, he would also guide the new Corvette's refinement into production reality. Underneath that gorgeous new bodywork lurked a serious sports car riding on a shorter-wheelbase chassis mounting a new front suspension and independent rear setup. The Corvette's many engineering advances came, of course, from Zora Arkus-Duntov and his Corvette engineering team, tested and proven with a succession of racing Corvettes, test "mules," and the CERV I and CERV II Corvette Engineering Research Vehicles.
A big but often unheralded part of the new Corvette's virtually race-ready, high-performance persona must also be credited to Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, the 1961-1965 Chevrolet Division president who understood the importance of racing success to showroom sales. To that end, Knudsen tasked Zora Arkus-Duntov to develop the Corvette into an FIA-compliant, GT-class racecar for American SCCA and international competition. Success was immediate with a Sting Ray, prepared by Mickey Thompson and driven by Doug Hooper, winning its first race - the October 1962 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside. The new Sting Ray was wildly successful when released for sale and total production for 1963 hit a new record with intense demand forcing Chevrolet to add another shift at the St. Louis Corvette assembly plant.
This 1964 Corvette Sting Ray convertible is a wonderful survivor and a truly one of a kind opportunity. It was purchased new by the original owners on October 28, 1963 and titled by them on November 6, 1963. They retained the Corvette for nearly the next 53 years until selling it to the Consignor on September 21, 2016. Incredible documentation accompanies the sale of this virtual time capsule, beginning with the original title. A notarized and signed affidavit from the Corvette's original husband and wife owners, dated September 21, 2016, attests to the authenticity of the car including the original motor, carburetor, paint, transmission, rear axle, interior, floor mats, convertible top, hardtop, and hub caps.
Original documentation includes the original selling dealer's copy of the Corvette's build sheet showing the expected date of production, specifications and option numbers, and importantly, the vehicle's assigned serial number, key number, and date produced. The original sales invoice dated October 28, 1963 from Beaty Chevrolet Company, Knoxville, Tennessee is also included, as is the Corvette's original 1964 Chevrolet Owner Protection Plan book showing the car's stock number, key number, and serial number listed on the outside cover. Inside the booklet is found the dealer's typewritten owner's information, the dealer's information, and the signature of the salesperson, all dated October 28, 1963. The original Chevrolet-issued book pouch resides inside the glove box, including the original owner's manual. Other items include the original 1964 Corvette sales brochure from the dealer and the original Chevrolet Corvette AM-FM Radio operating instruction pamphlet. Photographs taken of the car when it was new provide an excellent link between the car and the wealth of original documents and paperwork that accompany it at auction.
