Here's the story on this print:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 18 - 1963 Corvette Sting Ray
"The First of the Corvette Sting Rays"
The automotive world had never seen anything like it before. Zora Arkus-Duntov expressed it best when he said, “For the first time, I now can have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.”
The 1963 Corvette stunned everyone, and not just with its one-of-a-kind looks. Everything “worked” like a carefully planned symphony. The engine and transmission had received a healthy boost in ‘62, aside from that, everything else was completely new. To fully appreciate the ‘63 Corvette. You have to look at regular cars from ‘63. There was nothing else in the American market that had the mechanical or styling edge that the new Corvette had.
Styling direction had been defined with the ill-fated ‘57 Q-Corvette project. But Chief of Styling, Bill Mitchell, loved Corvettes and considered them his personal “pet” cars. Bill took the Q-Corvette styling direction and used it for his privately financed Stingray racer. Aside from being a successful race car in ‘58 and ‘59, the public loved its good looks. So in the Fall of ‘59, the XP-720 prototype was started in Studio X, with the help of young designer, Larry Shinoda.
Enthusiasts got everything they wanted. But unlike the ‘53 Corvette, this machine had the right hardware to backup its aggressive looks. The new ladder-style frame was lighter and more rigid than the old ‘50s design. The coupe version actually had a steel cage roll-bar built into the frame. The parameter frame allowed the interior to sit lower, helping to lower the car’s center of gravity. The fully independent suspension reduced unsprung weight and gave the car superior handling over the older solid-axle cars. Finned brake drums with metallic linings offered outstanding, fade-free braking.
Unlike the old interior that took some time to get used to, the new Sting Ray was an instant home to everyone.
With a coupe or a roadster to choose from, it was almost too good to be true. The split-window coupe caused quite a stir and only lasted one year. The Corvette had finally arrived and had nothing to apologize for. It had finally become a world-class sports car.
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Printed on high quality tan-colored parchment paper using a Xante professional grade printer.
This print comes in one size:
11” x 17”
Print is shrink wrapped on 11.5" x 17.5" cardboard so that they stay flat and clean and shipped via USPS Priority Mail. All prints are signed by the artist. They make a wonderful gift for the car lover in your life!
