There were many options to end this little two-week drop-top stint in style. Lots of worthy British roadsters, some tasty Italian spyders and other options aplenty, but none felt appropriate. Then, I remembered I had a fine red in the cellar that had been staying cool for about a year and a half. Something full-bodied and powerful, but also elegant and crowd-pleasing like no other. It had to be the Corvette’s turn to shine.
We’ve dumped a fair amount of manure on GM on this website over the years, and with good cause. But it’s evident that there were quite a number of times when they knocked it out of the park, and the second generation Corvette is one of those unanimously celebrated triumphs of automotive designs.
This car is just gorgeous. But it’s also fairly sophisticated, powerful and you don’t see one around every corner, because they didn’t build all that many. For 1964, Chevrolet sold just over 22k units, of which the majority (almost 14k) were convertibles. That’s not Mustang or Camaro numbers, by a long shot.
First, the gorgeosity (not a word, but it ought to be) of the C2 Corvette. I’m not denigrating the C1 and the early C3, which are also quite easy on the eyes, but the C2 has something more than its predecessor and successor.
Part of that has to do with getting the design right from the get-go, and part of it is timing. The C1 went through a lot of cosmetic changes throughout its production run, as if the designers were trying to get it right, but never quite managing to attain their goal. The C3 started well, but it was born too late and it ran into the Malaise Era. The C2, in contrast, lived for just five MYs (1963-67) and stayed pretty much the same from beginning to end.
They tinkered with a few details here and there, of course. The ‘63s had fake air intakes in the hood, for instance, that were deleted by the next year. And the coupes’ famously had a split rear window (universally hated at the time, now universally revered) that also did not make it to 1964. But on the whole, if you’re a casual C2 observer like yours truly, this is one ‘60s American icon that remained unspoilt for five years straight. Quite an achievement.
The other achievement has to be the C2’s chassis and suspension, overseen by Zora Arkus-Duntov. Compared to the somewhat basic C1, the C2 had a shorter wheelbase, a much lower centre of gravity and a near 50/50 front-rear weight distribution. And, to match that sporty skeleton, GM even went so far as to devise an all-round independent suspension – a first on a front-engined Chevy.
Said engine was the stellar 327ci (5.4 litre) small-block V8 – no big block was available for 1963-64, but that would soon change. Power output was anywhere from 260 to 375 hp (gross) and transmission options included the standard 3-speed manual, the popular 4-speed and the 2-speed Powerglide automatic.
The only thing missing from the list – and it’s a big miss, considering the car’s power and that it was the ‘60s already – are disc brakes. That would have to wait till 1965, but it really should have been there from 1963 on. Or even earlier.
Our feature car, like about 85% of 1964 Corvettes, was ordered with the 4-speed manual. The automatic only tempted 11% of customers. This figure alone sets the Corvette apart from the rest of American production cars. Only 17% of Corvettes were ordered with power windows and 9% had A/C from new, but folks really went for whitewall tyres (90%) and the AM/FM radio (94%) – gotta look cool and have some tunes, man.
American car interiors reached a kind of perfection in the ‘60s that has to be admired. Those of the previous decade, mesmerizing though they were to behold, had a tendency towards excess and complexity that did not make them all that user friendly. The layout in this Corvette is pretty rational, the chrome is kept under control, but there are still a lot of different shapes, colours and textures to keep the eye entertained. The ‘70s – and especially the ‘80s – would to change all that.
C2 production was remarkably stable. It hovered between 21k and 27k units per annum for five straight years – niche numbers, to be sure, but a lot better than the C1 ever managed. The C3 saw yearly sales swell to 40k on average in the late ‘70s, even peaking to 53k in 1979. And the C4 brought it back down to the 20k level. Go figure(s).
It is said that C2 Corvettes were also better built than the C1s and the late-model C3s (to say nothing of the C4s). Whatever the case may be, they have the right drivetrain, a great chassis, a superb interior and the coolest styling of the whole breed. Best Sting in all of Raydom. Not a word again, but it is now.
Related posts:
My Dream Car: 1964 Corvette, by Kevin Martin
Car Show Classic: 1963 Corvette Sting Ray – A Sting Ray With A Saginaw?, by Aaron65
Curbside Capsule: 1965 Corvette – Clean C2 Caps Convertible Cavalcade, by Ed Stembridge
Curbside Unicorn Hunt: 1963 Corvette Without a Split Rear Window, by Tom Halter
Vintage R&T Review: 1967 Corvette Sting Ray (300HP 327) – “The Corvette For The Thinking Driver”, by PN
What’s that black box with the 3 dials on it on the passenger floor?
It is a Bluetooth speaker make by the famous Marshall.
Marshall was the English brand of guitar amplifier favoured by British rock/blues guitarists when I was a teenager in the 60s. Pete Townsend (The Who), Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page come to mind as some of my favourites. My nephew has one of these speakers and it is very nice, if a bit expensive.
Actually a Bluetooth speaker is a great way to add sound to an older vehicle without messing up the dash.
My friend here in Port Orford has one just like this one but in yellow with a black interior.
Lovely! C2s are wonderful to drive when set up properly – I had my ‘66 427/425 for 27 years of great drives all over Europe including the odd bit of street racing. Tough, fast, sweet handling and reliable. Surprisingly practical, too, accommodating my bike or luggage for touring.
Even did IKEA trips with it and used it daily whilst living in Paris for a couple of years.
Miss it still….
The ‘66 – with UK registration….
The ‘66… registration is UK, btw – D year letter at the end stands for 1966…
Not a domestic car fan.
Not a V8 fan.
Not a GM fan.
Not a Chevy fan.
Not a Corvette fan.
But the C2 is the one I’d absolutely love to have. Make mine the 375HP 327 with a 4 speed, coupe please, I’ll pass on the big block, but the first year 396 if I must. A 250, 327 would even do. The C2 is the one they caught lightning in a bottle on.
A friend, who is not in the same tax bracket as I, bought a ’67, 427 convertible a couple of years ago, post covid for reference. Felt like he got a deal, only paid 120K for it, he said the really nice, numbers matching cars were going for 200K. It’s nice, but IMO it’s not that nice. Oh well, not my money.
Definitely an icon, and for all the right reasons. Is there anyone who grew up in the 60s who didn’t want one of these?
No.
3rd Try…
Klausen Pass – by driving the wheels off the ‘Vette we actually kept up with the Loti and passed some of them, which, due to their light weight had a similar power to weight ratio….
Top of Kausen Pass…2nd try…