1966 Chevrolet Corvette

A true american classic takes a seat next to its Split-Window sister in one of our warm garages.

1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The Chevrolet Corvette (C2) is a sports car produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1963 through 1967 model years. Virtually all-new, Sting Ray stunned the automotive world in 1963, blending world-class handling with unmistakable all-American style and performance. Bill Mitchell revisited the Super Sport racer and would subsequently reinvent the Corvette with radical new styling, high performance, and a first-ever coupethat would become an instant classic, setting sales records and remains one of the most coveted of collectors’ cars. With a winning attitude on the track that would benefit from each successive engineering innovation, the car’s competitive spirit would culminate with one of the best Corvette racers ever, the Grand Sport. The second generation Corvette would have a great five-year run that many regard as the high point of the car’s history.

Design & Styling

1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

The 1966 model’s frontal appearance was mildly altered with an eggcrate grille insert to replace the previous horizontal bars, and the coupe lost its roof-mounted extractor vents, which had proven inefficient. Head rests were a new option. This relative lack of change reflected plans to bring out an all-new Corvette for 1967. It certainly did not reflect a fall-off in the car’s popularity, however.

Interior


Technical Specs

Technical Specifications

For the 1966 Corvette, the big-block V-8 came in two forms: 390 bhp on 10.25:1 compression, and 425 bhp via 11:1 compression, larger intake valves, a bigger Holley four-barrel carburetor on an aluminum manifold, mechanical lifters, and four- instead of two-hole main bearing caps. Though it had no more horsepower than the previous high-compression 396, the 427 in³ (7 L), 430 hp (321 kW V8 packed a lot more torque – 460 pound/feet vs. 415. Of course, engine outputs were sometimes deliberately understated in the Sixties. Here, 420 and 450 bhp would be closer to the truth. With big-block V-8s being the order of the day, there was less demand for the 327, so small-block offerings were cut from five to two for 1966, and only the basic 300- and 350-bhp versions were retained. Both required premium fuel on compression ratios well over 10.0:1, and they didn’t have the rocket-like thrust of the 427s, but their performance was impressive all the same. As before, both could be teamed with the Powerglide automatic, the standard three-speed manual, or either four-speed option.
The 1966 Stingray had a 7-liter V-8 engine that used an overhead cam with two valves per cylinder for a total of 16 valves. It had a compression ratio of 11-to-1 and generated 425 horsepower at 6,400 rpm. It had a bore of 4.25 inches along with a stroke of 3.75 inches for a bore-to-stroke ratio of 1.13. The 1966 Corvette Stingray could reach 60 miles per hour in 4.8 seconds. A quarter mile could be covered in 12.8 seconds. The top speed for the Stingray was 152 miles per hour

  • Year:
    1966

  • Color:
    Blue

  • Engine
    427 cu in (7.0 L) Big-Block V8

  • Type:
    1966 Citroen 2CV

  • 0-60 mph:
    4.8 sec

  • Top Speed:
    152 mph

  • Transmission
    Powerglide automatic, the standard three-speed manual, or either four-speed option

  • Body/Chassis
    2-door convertible 2-door coupé

Cool Facts

In fact, 1966 would prove another record-busting year, with volume rising to 27,720 units, up some 4200 over 1965′s sales.