October 5, 1966, the Running Mako Shark-II Debuts at the Paris Auto Show
Forty-Nine years ago today, October 5, 1965, the automotive press got to see the first, running Mako Shark-II show car at the Paris Auto Show in France. The non-running full-size model of the Mako Shark-II had been shown in April ’65 at the New York Auto Show and was a knock-out. The response was so overwhelming, Chevrolet brass quickly decided to build a running prototype for the next phase of development.
As V.P. of Design, Bill Mitchell laid out what he wanted the next Corvette to be. See if you can follow this.
He wanted the following; “a narrow, slim, center section and coupe body, a tapered tail, an all-of-a-piece blending of the upper and lower portions of the body through the center (avoiding the look of a roof added to a body), and prominent wheels with their protective fenders distinctly separate from the main body, yet grafted organically to it.”
The Mako Shark II had an interesting blend of soft curves and sharp break-lines. The tucked in center section, called the “coke-bottle” gave the center of the car a taut, trim look, while the curved fender lines made the car look like it had been working- out. The low, pointed nose made a bold statement while the tapered and pointed tail gave the car a high-speed, wind-swept look.
Since the Mako Shark II was a show-car, it had plenty of gimmicks and was overdone here and there. Some of the grille vents and other details were a little fussy. However, compared with other cars in 1965, the Mako Shark was a vision of the future.
Chevrolet product planners wanted the new Shark Corvette to be a ’67 model. Considering that was only a year away (the ’67 models would be out September-October ’66) a ’67 Shark Corvette was not to be. Even coming out as a ’68 model was severely pushing things, as the ’68 Corvette, while stunning, had lots of problems due to rushed development.
Regardless, as beautiful and classic as the Sting Ray was, and still is, the Mako Shark-II “look” can still be seen on today’s C7 Corvette. It defined the Corvette “look” from that day forward. Also, the words “shark” and “Corvette” are forever cemented together in the lexicon of automotive terminology. – Scott
Here’s a vintage GM promotion film about the Mako Shark-II
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the non-running Mako Shark and the ’68 Corvette.
A lot had to be adjusted to make the Mako Shark a real car that could be manufactured.
A little Photoshop fun…
Chevrolet even applied for a U.S. Patent!
The below art prints are available HERE.
The above art prints are available HERE.
