Driving the 1959 Stingray Racer: What It Was Really Like
Greetings, When you look at the statistics of Bill Mitchell’s 1959 Stingray Racer, the numbers aren’t very impressive. The car weighed between 2,000...
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The First Sting Ray: Inside the 1959 Stingray Racer
Bill Mitchell’s one-of-a-kind 1959 Stingray Racer laid down the visual Corvette template that remains impressive, 66 years later. To download the PDF version of the...
Vette Videos: The STUNNING Corvette Classic 1959 Stingray Racer
Every so often a car design comes along that is “perfect.” It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you end up stopped dead in your tracks. You find yourself almost unable to STOP looking at the car’s shape. For me, the 1959 Stingray Racer is such a car.
The 1959 Stingray Racer was an outgrowth of the dead-on-arrival 1957 Q-Corvette, which never made it past the full-size clay model stage. But the pint-sized concept had a nuclear-powered punch because it set in motion a design process that is still with us today. Consider the lineage…
Q-Corvette leads to…
1959 Stingray Racer leads to…
Mako Shark I show car leads to…
1963-1967 Sting Ray leads to…
Mako Shark-II-inspired C3 “shark” Corvette… that leads to…
C6 Corvette (look closely at the front and rear fenders of the C6 – there’s a C2 Sting Ray in there).
Back to the timeless ‘59 Stingray…
Z06 Corvette Review, Pt 1 – The 1963 Z06 Racer Kit
The C8 mid-engine Corvette is a arguably the biggest new in the world of Corvettes since the very beginning in 1953. Many of us thought Chevrolet would never offer such a Corvette, but here we are. And thanks to an established pattern of performance track-model Corvettes that started in 2001 when Chevrolet decided to brand the car, “Z06” after the one-year-only 1963 Corvette, subsequent new model Corvettes have offered a Z06 model. Within minutes after the C6, C7, and now C8 Corvettes were debuted, fans second question (after “how much is the new Vette?”) is, “Where’s the Z06?” Yes, we expect it and Chevrolet has not let us down since.
Vintage 1959 Corvette Sports Car Equipment Guide – PDF Download!
A fascinating vintage document has surfaced and is available as a free PDF download thanks to the GM Heritage Center. The 23 page document walks the reader through topics that includes everything a Corvette owner needs to know about how to race his Corvette!
Corvette Timeline Tales: 10.18.67 – United Artists premieres Elvis Presley’s new film, “Clambake” featuring Elvis, pretty girls, awful songs, and the 1959 Sting Ray Racer
Corvette Timeline Tales: 10.18.67 – United Artists premieres Elvis Presley’s new film, “Clambake” featuring Elvis, pretty girls, awful songs, and the 1959 Stingray Racer by Scott Teeters
Vette Videos: 2009 Press Conference Debut of the Corvette Stingray Concept Car
Every debutante has her day, that special day when she’s the bell of the ball. Corvette styling chief and lead designer of the C6 Corvette and the Corvette Stingray Concept car, Tom Peters was a proud papa on February 11,2009 when GM’s Ed Welburn debuted the Corvette Stingray Concept car at the Chicago Auto Show. Before we get into the rest of the event, let me get this out of the way in the beginning. In Spring ‘11 I had the opportunity to talk at length with Tom Peters for my Illustrated Corvette Series No. 170 2-page color special edition covering the latest and arguably the swoopiest Corvette concept car to ever wear the Corvette moniker. Tom was emphatic, “This is NOT the C7 Corvette.”
Corvette Odd-Ball – 1958 Fiberfab “Centurion” Sells at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction for $91,000! – 2 VIDEOS
Obviously this is a “1959 Stingray Racer” wanna-be. I personally would not have finished off the car this way. The dual headrests is one too many, the Stinger hood is out of period by eight years, the side vents are odd, and the wheels should have been polished Hildebrand-style wheels.
But hey! It’s a customized kit car. I’m sure it’s fairly light in weight, and with the 283 Fuelie and 4:11 rear, it’ll be a hoot to drive.
The car was recently restored and despite my own personal quibbles, I’d say the car was, WELL BOUGHT. Whom ever is the new owner, I hope you really enjoy your cool new ride! – Scott
Corvette Report’s BREAKING NEWS from the week of 9-26-25
This week’s Corvette headlines include: GM – Greatest Auto Engineering Company in the World? SHARK ALERT: Mako Shark-I at Saratoga Auto Museum Why No...
Bill Mitchell’s Early Years: Car Classics 1977
To download the PDF version of the October 1977 Car Classics magazine feature story, “Bill Mitchell ‘s Early Years”, CLICK HERE. Bill Mitchell had...
Bill Mitchell’s 1977 Car Classics Magazine Interview
To read the PDF version of the Bill Mitchell interview from the October 1977 issue of Car Classics magazine, CLICK HERE. In 1935, at the...
$7.7 Million 1957 Corvette SS Technical Deep Dive PDF Article
Raced only once, the 1957 Corvette SS Racer had champion potential! To read the Sports Cars Illustrated, August 1957 cover feature story about the 1957...
The Mystery of the MacDonald/Simpson 1961 Corvette Special
What ever became of the first, independent, purpose-built, 1,750-pound Corvette racer? Unless you are familiar with the early days of Corvette racing, the name Dave...
Corvette Factory Show Cars, Part 1 -1958 XP-700 Corvette
The XP-700 was built on a 1958 283 Fuelie Corvette. In 1950s excess style, everything is “bigger and better”. The front was pure “custom car design” with an elongated, elliptical nose and a scoop under it. Mitchell wanted to break away from the Earl driven, big toothy grille, towards something slim and lightweight. The now-classic Dayton Knock-Off Wire Wheels were part of the effort to make the car look lighter. The Lucas spotlight headlights are moved forward and also had scoops under them. The recessed hood vents showed up on the 1963 Corvette, but with fake grille inserts, and the 1964 Corvette, sans the grilles. The front fender scoops were shorter versions of the production 1956-1957 fender scoops.
