When Jaguar launched the E-type in 1961, it was like a bolt of lightning from above. Beautiful, bold and distinctly sporting. Just two years later, another lightning bolt struck the USA when Chevrolet lifted the covers off the new Corvette Sting Ray.
Even among the American automotive industry's finest new lines for the 1960s, the second-generation Corvette was a stunner. In terms of both styling and speed it was light-years ahead of its predecessor. The first-generation Corvette hadn't been an immediate success, but the Sting Ray was so popular from day one that the St Louis factory had to move to double shifts - and even then couldn't keep up with demand. With a waiting period of two months, buyers paid the list price without hesitation, which was unusual for the deal-hungry American public. Above all else, the immediate appeal of the Sting Ray was the undiluted flair of its sports-car styling.
'Our' C2s come from a jointly owned garage in the small Dutch village of Westzaan, North Holland. The older of the two, the March 1963-built Daytona Blue coupe, spent most of its life in New York State before being imported to The Netherlands in 2006, where it is now cherished by owner Sander van Ballegooij. Michael Westenberg's Rally Red convertible is dated September 1965 and was delivered new in Washington, DC, before emigrating in 2004. "It's one of the last 300 of the '65 model year," says Michael, "so it has some 1966 parts. When the original components ran out, they simply installed those from the new line. That's how it was back then." Both owners are sticklers for originality and proud that their cars stand up to the exacting judging standards of the National Corvette Restorers Society.
Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
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Denne historien er fra November 2023-utgaven av Classic & Sports Car.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring