During World War II, US servicemen stationed in Europe found themselves attracted to MG’s two-seater sports cars even though ownership of these cars was limited to a small, elite group. Nothing evokes the period better than the image of a Spitfire pilot zipping across the airfield in a low-slung MG J2.

Once the war was over, General Motors — no doubt influenced by the overseas experiences of returning servicemen — worked on the idea of a bespoke sports car that would be suitable for American driving conditions, and with features that an affluent US population sought in their cars. Such a car would also boost Chevrolet’s image which, at the time, was less than exciting.

Impressed by the innovative sports car designs he had observed in Europe after World War II, Harley J Earl was determined to bring the sports car to America, and was hired in 1952 to design cars for GM.

America’s sports car

In 1953, General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Corvette, the first modern American sports car and probably the first US car to feature overt sporting features since the heady days of the Stutz Bearcat, supercharged Duesenbergs and the Mercer Raceabout. Available in any colour combination providing it was white with red interior, the first Corvettes were manufactured in GM’s assembly plant at Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Zora Arkus-Duntov was also hired in 1953 as assistant staff engineer, and would later became Corvette’s chief engineer. Without his support and determination Corvette production would probably have ceased in 1955, but instead, changes were made in 1956 and 1957 to develop the Corvette into a genuine sports car

Incidentally, the name for Chevrolet’s entry-level sports car, ‘Corvette’, came from a highly manoeuvrable frigate class war­ship of the same name, and the person responsible for choosing it was Myron E Scott, who happened also to be the creator of the Soap Box Derby.

Due to the steel quotas left over from the war years early Corvettes used fibreglass for their outer bodies, while power was supplied by ‘Blue Flame’ in-line six-cylinder truck engines. These motors were mated with a two-speed Powerglide auto­matic transmission and, like all other Chevrolet models of the day, braking was achieved by drum brakes all round.

Compared with its European counterparts, the Corvette was an underpowered vehicle. It wasn’t until 1954 that Paxton super­chargers became available as a dealer-installed option, which significantly improved the Corvette’s performance, but these cars were still a long way behind their European counterparts.

Sting Ray

Harley Earl retired in the early ’60s, and through new GM chief of design, Bill Mitchell, the exceptionally popular Sting Ray was born. The totally redesigned Corvette was offered to the public in either coupe or convertible configuration, complete with four V8 engine options. These Corvettes were slick in appearance, and boasted much improved passenger comfort.

Americans loved the 1963-1967 Sting Rays immediately, because they were fast, powerful machines that looked super­sonic even when sitting at a standstill.

The Corvette had undergone major changes by 1963, which marked the start of the sec­ond, the C2 generation, with several body designs from 1963 to 1967. The Corvette Sting Ray was among them, sporting split-rear windows and fake hood vents. A 6.5-litre big-block V8 engine option also became available, and an even larger 7.0-litre big-block arrived by 1966.

In today’s classic car market, C2 Corvettes are amongst the most desirable and collectable cars available. Corvettes have maintained their reputation as very powerful yet affordable cars for more than half a century now. Emphasis on simplicity is what sets Corvettes apart from their European counterparts. Nearly all opposing brands rely on more complex, smaller displacement engines while the Corvette stuck to simpler overhead valve engines, and relied on larger capacities — a combination which often resulted in a lighter, cheaper and physically smaller engine. This same ‘keep it simple’ philosophy is also reflected in the type of suspension used by the Corvette, GM opting to use transverse leaf springs.

Mako Shark

The Third generation (C3) Corvette, designed by Larry Shinoda, was inspired by the Mako Shark and was introduced in 1968, remaining in production until 1982.

Various improvements were added to the Corvette every year, especially to its engine, and in 1974 urethane-compound bumpers replaced the chrome items though the basic body shape remained virtually untouched.

Chevrolet also included many new features, such as a fibre-optic system linked to the centre console that made it possible for the driver to observe headlight function. Unfortunately, this feature only lasted a few years.

In November 1969, the 250,000th Corvette was built. Since the new 1968 Corvette Sting Ray had received severe criticism, Chevrolet endeavoured to improve the 1969 version. A strict regime was quickly established to track down, investigate and resolve any ongoing problems.

The 1968 model had been criticised for having a cramped and uncomfortable interior; subsequently the door panels were reshaped to make the interior space larger in the 1969 Sting Ray. The diameter of the steering wheel was also decreased by 25mm, from 406 to 381. As an added security precaution, the ignition key was moved from the upper corner of the tachometer on the dash to the steering column.

Another difference between the 1968 model and the new 1969 Corvette Sting Ray was the availability of the optional side mounted exhaust system. Side exhaust pipes had long been one of the signature features of a Corvette Sting Ray, but were not available on the 1968 model.

Corvette enthusiasts worldwide were happy to see their return on the 1969 model.

In 1969, the 5359cc (327ci) engine was dropped in favour of the 5735cc (350ci) V8 engine as standard with either 224kW or 261kW (300bhp or 350bhp). There were also four 7.0-litre (427ci) V8 engine alternatives. The two most expensive 7.0-litre engine variants, L71 and L88, were racing engines and not really a good choice for street cars. The L88 321kW (430bhp) engine cost a staggering US$1032 and was only installed in 0.3 per cent of the cars. The L71 324kW (435bhp) engine for US$437 was a more popular alternative, but was still only chosen by seven per cent of buyers.

For those wanting the 7.0-litre engine but planning to drive their cars in the street rather than on the race track, the L36 and L68 engines were better options. The L36 291kW (390bhp) engine cost US$221 and was installed in over 27 per cent of all 1969 Corvette Sting Rays. The 298kW (400hp) alternative was more expensive, at US$327, and was chosen by less than six per cent of all buyers.

Oddly, the 1968 Corvette Sting Ray had no ‘Sting Ray’ badges on its exterior. In 1969, this was remedied and the name was proudly displayed — now spelled ‘Stingray.’ Optional louvre trim was also available to dress up car’s the Mako-style gills, an option dropped for the 1970 Stingray. Inside the car, below the shifter, you could find a small plate identifying particular information relating to power, torque, displacement and compression ratio of each car.

Big-Block

Graham McDonald grew up in Dunedin, and remembers the local baker’s bright red 1964 Corvette coupe well. It was a car which he admired as a youngster, unaware that it would be the catalyst for his life-long passion for Corvettes.

It wasn’t until Graham was a young adult working in American Samoa in 1976 that he had his next real encounter with a Corvette. His boss knew he liked to tinker with cars and asked Graham if he could have a look at his Corvette, as it required some TLC. He agreed, and a 1969 L88 Corvette appeared on the scene.

Apart from an obviously cracked windscreen and other cosmetic defects, the sad-looking Corvette also had some fairly bad rust in the frame as it had been on the island for some time, and had obviously seen its share of salt water. Graham remembers driving it and thinking why on earth would anyone want such a ‘pig’ of a car. The massive 7.0-litre big-block V8 engine was lumpy and rough, and he can even remember seeing the 103 octane decal on the console and thinking why would you bother, as you couldn’t even buy 103 octane!

But things have changed over the years when it comes to classic cars, as we all know, especially when it comes to today’s values, and the 1969 L88 321kW Corvette is no exception.

With only 116 built, basically as street legal race-cars in 1969, they are an extremely rare find today, fetching hundreds of thousands of US dollars.

Graham even travelled back to American Samoa last year in an attempt to find the rare and extremely desirable L88 but, unfortunately, it had long since gone — or so he says. I might have to double check what’s down at the back of his garage next time I’m passing!

Rare Corvette

In 1978 Graham moved to Hawaii, where he became interested in AC Cobras after seeing many of them in Ford dealerships and cruising the sunny Honolulu boulevards. When he retuned to New Zealand in 1982 one of the first things on the agenda was to purchase an Almac AC Cobra which was highly modified and produced huge amounts of power. This fad would not last long, as Graham soon heard through a friend of a silver blue 1963 Corvette split window coupe tucked away in Nelson. The Cobra was subsequently sold, and the ’63 Corvette soon found its way into Graham’s possession.

“It was a great, original car,” Graham told me, and it had some interesting history, including competing in Targa Tasmania where it had a slight altercation with a ditch, causing some minor frontal suspension damage. Graham was very fond of this car with its remarkable body shape and unique (to 1963 only) split rear window.

It wasn’t long before he got wind of another rare Corvette with an interesting story — a 1968 L89 7.0-litre, tri-power, aluminium head, Corvette coupe which was missing its original motor, and needed to be completely restored. Once Graham found the car he was able to determine that it was in fact a genuine L89, the identification aided by help from his friend, Roy Sinor, judging chairman of the National Corvette Restorers’ Society (NCRS). Graham also knew the original engine had been tracked down back in 1996, and after some intense investigating through the DMV in the US, he was able to eventually reunite the Corvette with its original powerplant. After a few years of extreme restoration work Graham received an offer he couldn’t refuse, by which time he admits he was starting to get a bit sick of the whole process. The car was sold about 75 per cent finished to another Corvette Club member, and its restoration is still ongoing.

Daytona Yellow

It was about this time that Graham heard of another Corvette through a different NCRS friend in the US. Graham’s friend had been approached by the Corvette’s original owner to determine its value for a neighbour, who had always admired the car, and was interested in making an offer. Once the car had been valued, the neighbour decided it was way out of his price range and chose not to proceed any further.

The Corvette’s original owner had purchased it after returning home injured from Vietnam and, with a pile of cash in his back pocket to spend, decided to buy the Daytona Yellow 7.0-litre, L71 tri-power Corvette Roadster which you see here.

In its first year the car travelled only 16,000 miles (25,750km), and it was used very little until 1994, when it was last registered, accumulating a total of 50,000 miles (80,467km) since new. The car was complete, including the build sheet, protecto-plate and all the original documentation and registration details back to day one. Because of this history and documentation Graham decided to buy the Corvette sight unseen, and had it shipped back to New Zealand with another Corvette he had sourced for Corvette Club member.

The Corvette’s original triple carburettors were missing. The owner had lent them to a friend for his boat, but Graham was fortunate enough to track them down and have them reconditioned and fitted back onto the car. Apart from some small replacement parts and detailing work, this Corvette is in completely original condition, and Graham enjoys driving it whenever possible.

His Corvette not only boasts a rare factory side-mount exhaust system unique to C3 1969 Corvettes, but it’s also equipped with the four-speed manual gearbox, 3.70 diff ratio and with 324kW (435hp) on tap, why wouldn’t you want to drive it?

Things are bit tough for Graham at times though, because he has to choose between this Corvette and a black 1999 Corvette roadster for his Sunday drive. At some Corvette Club functions it’s not uncommon for both his cars to turn up, with Graham at the wheel of one and his wife Veronica at the wheel of the other.

But things have changed again, and the 1999 Corvette has just been sold, so by the time this issue hits the stands Graham and Veronica will have picked up an Atomic Orange 2007 Corvette ZO6 in the States. They plan to travel around for the required 90 days before shipping it back home. As I said before, it’s tough for some.

Words: Ashley Webb Photos: Adam Croy

Be Sociable, Share!

•