- "So let me introduce you to one of the most important cars in the long history of Corvette: the Sting Ray Racer. Corvette have been raced enthusiastically ever since their debut in 1954. Zora Arkus-Duntov, an engineer and racing driver who worked for GM, was particularly keen on racing, and in 1957 he produced the Corvette SS, the first Corvette built specifically for racing. Now this Sting Ray Racer is essentially a Corvette SS with an open-top body. It's based on drawing by Peter Brock, who is a renowned designer of GM. The development of the Sting Ray Racer was commissioned by Bill Mitchell, who was the new GM Design chief at the time. The design of the Sting Ray racer is known to having had a significant influence on the history of the Corvette, as another GM design, Larry Shinoda, refined this design into the C2 Corvette."
- ―Ingame description of the car in Legend Cars (GT7)
- "The '59 concept embodied a styling that swept the world and remains a part of Corvette history."
- ―Ingame description in GT7
The Chevrolet Corvette StingRay Racer Concept '59 is a race car produced by Chevrolet. It appears in Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport (where it was added as part of Update 1.45, released on September 26, 2019) and in Gran Turismo 7.
In-game description[]
"The advanced styling that swept the world has not faded over the years."
The 1st generation Chevrolet Corvette made its racing debut 3 years after its release in 1955, and went on to win many trophies. The next step was the development of the Corvette SS race car which debuted in 1957, a project led by Zora Duntov - the man often dubbed 'the father of the Corvette.'
This car was fashioned in the image of the Corvette, but was a totally different beast internally. On a shortened tubular frame was mounted a 302 BHP fuel-injected 283 engine, and the car achieved a top speed of 292 km/h in testing. Hopes were high for its performance in racing, but the project came to a grinding halt as the American Automotive Manufacturer's association banned the participation of manufacturers from racing.
Fortunately, the story did not end there. There is a rightful heir to the Corvette SS: The Corvette Stingray Racer, code name XP-87.
The car inherited the frame and body covering the engine, almost as is from the Corvette SS. The final car, created by the newly appointed GM Styling department Chief, Bill Mitchell, and designer Larry Shinoda, also borrowed styling elements from a blackballed next-generation Corvette prototype.
This Stingray Racer entered a variety of races as a private personal race car of Bill Mitchell, and won two consecutive SCCA Class C modified titles for 1959 and 1960.
After 1961 it served as a show car, but its styling had great influence on the design of the 2nd generation Corvette which appeared in 1963.
Café Conversations (GT7)[]
Ed Welburn[]
The Corvette Stingray Racer had an incredible influence on every Corvette that came after it. It was not designed as a production or concept car but as a very serious race car. Its design was a radical departure from that of previous Corvettes. Many of its shapes, like those of its beautiful fenders, were inspired by Italian streamliners. The strong crease which girdles the car contributes to its evocation of speed.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 6 | Chevrolet Dealership | 500,000 | Complete Set 3 of Goodwood Festival of Speed with all Golds. |
| Gran Turismo Sport (  v1.45+) |
Chevrolet Brand Central | 5,000,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 7 | Legend Cars | 4,000,000[1] | --- |
Trivia[]
- The in-game description text in all the games it appears in (including GT7's Legend Car Dealership description) is inconsistent in regards of spelling of the word "StingRay", which appears as a single, camel cased word in the car's name.
Notes[]
- ↑ Price as of March 2024.
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