Lot 262: 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray by Ligenfelter

The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the greatest lines of sports car ever built with a history covering more than 40 years. It very nearly did not make it however, because the early cars were too American to appeal to American sports car buyers. Things improved in 1955, however, with the introduction of Ed Cole's 4.3 litre V8, one of the 'milestone' engines of the American motor industry. Ex-Porsche works driver Zorn Arkus-Duntov made chassis and suspension adjustments which greatly improved road holding and Chevrolet embarked on a competition programme. A very promising sports racing version, the Corvette SS, appeared at Sebring in 1957 but then the Detroit Big Three agreed to boycott motor racing. Still, the lessons learned from that programme were applied to production cars and by 1961 they had taken charge of their class in SCCA racing and had achieved class wins at Sebring and Le Mans. The '61 'Vette had its body updated by William L. Matched who had become G.M.'s styling chief. There was a styling reference to 'SS' racing 'Vettes and the body was a pleasing balance between American and European taste. The fabulous V8 engine (which had a great career in Can-Am and F5000) meant that even the least powerful option gave it 0-60mph acceleration on a par with a Jaguar E-Type while, with top options, it could leave a Jaguar XK-SS for dead. This is a superbly restored Corvette representing the melding of new performance technology with the styling of an era well remembered. The car was restored approximately three years ago. Attention to detail was the priority as seen in the quality of fit and finish throughout the coachwork. At the same time, all of the suspension was renewed as well as the interior fabricated in correct leather and a new canvas hood. The motor was specially ordered from Ligenfelter, a highly acclaimed Corvette Tuner and Specialist. Ligenfelter has been the subject of over 100 articles over the years in such magazines as Motor Trend and Car and Driver. His history is rich and name synonymous with Corvette. The expense for the small block motor alone was US$25,000. The costing of the restoration in its entirety was over US$50,000. The Corvette has a current V5C, MoT certificate and road tax as well as documentation showing all import taxes as paid. Classic American muscle.