LOT 179 - 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe

ABOUT THIS CAR

“The small-engine Corvettes are marginally faster and extraordinarily civilized. The large-engine Corvettes are extraordinarily fast and marginally civilized.” Car and Driver, October 1968

Given Chevrolet’s two-seater sports car, the Corvette, only carried the famous Sting Ray/Stingray moniker for fifteen model years, picking the best generation (C2 or C3) never mind year (1963 through to ’76) is like threading the proverbial needle. Families are rent asunder, friends of decades standing cross the street to avoid contact and Facebook following is terminated. Maids of Honour are renounced and Best Men become worst enemies. At least with peanut butter you only have to plump for crunchy or smooth, Chevrolet couldn’t even decide how to spell the name.

Not ones to sit on the fence, for us it’s the 1969 C3. There we said it, what are you gonna do about it and did you spill my pint?

While the C2’s shorter production run has boosted their values in the past, recently C3s have been clawing back the gap as being more usable. And powerful. And faster. And better looking. And somehow more “Stingrayish”.

Launched in 1967 for the ‘68 model year, the C3’s styling was closely related to the 1965 Mako Shark ll (despite that styling exercise’s mid-engined layout) from the pen of Larry Shinoda working with Bill Mitchell out of his suitably space-age named Studio X. Though secrecy was the order of the day, the launch was pre-empted by a few weeks when another manufacturer released a very similar looking machine. Luckily it was Mattel who’s Hot Wheels range was joined by a “Custom Corvette”, apparently with GM’s blessing. The ‘sugar scoop’ (or ‘Pick n Mix scoop’ in the UK) rear window and flying buttress’ were a hangover from its inspiration’s mid-engine layout (see Ferrari Dino et al) and the C3’s Coke Bottle styling went on to inform design classics such as the Mk3 Cortina... Removable roof panels and rear screen gave a virtually open car driving experience with the safety and security of the C3 Stingray’s signature ‘T-top’ (for a few years at least). It also featured a number of neat details such as vacuum operated pop-up headlights and a panel which concealed the windscreen wipers when not in use. The outside door handles were flush with their surroundings and the wing vents were upgraded from styling fripperies to fully functioning engine bay coolers. Inside a rear screen defroster, AM/FM radio, leather seats and air conditioning were all options along with a, let’s say potentially useful, speed warning indicator.  

The C3’s underpinnings were much the same as the race-proven C2’s, themselves a massive improvement on the slightly rudimentary C1’s, with independent suspension and discs all round.

Ever since six became eight the Chevrolet had never lacked for power but being something you can never get enough of, the C3 further upped the Corvette’s game. It was available with either a ‘Small Block’ (everything is relative) engine giving 300 hp from the L30’s 327 cu in (5.4 L) or 50 more from the L79 variant. If this wasn’t sufficient there were a plethora of 427 cu in ‘Big Block’ variants taking power all the way from the L36’s 390 hp to 435 hp with the L71.

With looks and performance to burn, the C3’s initially slightly variable build quality as far the fibreglass panels’ fit and finish went was easily forgiven; clearly that is not what it’s about and the Stingray sold by the bucket (list) full.

So, the message seems to be ‘buy a C3, any year of C3’. Well, you could but it really needs to be one from the 1960s, the coolest decade ever and one in which the Stingray was groundbreaking, whereas by the 1970s it was perhaps becoming slightly irrelevant, trading off past glories. Factor in some early production glitches for the, at the time poorly received, 1968 cars and the fact that both styling and power headed south at the turn of the decade and you hit the Corvette sweet spot - 1969.

Drilling down into the detail, for 1969 the engine range was further improved with the introduction of the ZL1, 435 hp all “aluminum” unit. This plus the notorious N14 RPO “Off road exhaust system” (or “side pipes” in common parlance) and (slightly less impactful) TJ2 front wing vent trims turned out to be one year only Factory options. The chassis was stiffened and wider wheels (upped from 7” to 8”) were specified while Stingray wing badges and a smaller steering wheel made appearances along with myriad detail improvements.

All of which brings us neatly to this particular ’69 T-top. The build date, trim and paint code plate located in the driver’s door shut tells us that it was born (in the USA – sorry, couldn’t resist that Boss) on 24^th November (just seventeen days after the Corvette passed the 250,000 built milestone), trimmed in black vinyl (ZQ4) and painted Riverside Gold (980) a rare ‘one year only’ option. Notes on file and looking at the car today it seems it was optioned without air conditioning (just like the ZL1 cars), adjustable steering column or power steering. The first owner was clearly selective with regard to what they spent their dollars on though headrests, power brakes, front air vent trims and “Soft Ray” tinted glass all seem to have got the nod. We tip our proverbial hat to them for saving on some fripperies and ticking the all-important Big Block Engine option box.

Not much early US history is known, though at least one owner seems to have been a Corvette Club of America member judging by the sticker in rear window. A copy of a Title document on file indicates that in February 1989 it was owned by a Mr Gary A Terwilliger of Chesapeake, Virginia.

The Stingray was imported into the UK and registered in July 1992, having been MOT tested, showing 18,798 miles on its odometer. Its first UK owner was a Mr Ashley Rhodes who covered just under 5,000 miles before its next MOT test in the summer of 1993. A year later he put it on the market, describing it as being “maintained to the highest order.” It was purchased in September 1994 by a hugely respected engineer, very well known to the classic motorbike world for his work on MVs. In February 2001 he registered the Corvette in his wife’s name.

Despite being in excellent, highly original condition (please see the period photos in the gallery) he was determined to turn the Stingray into his dream car in terms of both condition and specification. Over the next ten years an enormous amount of time, effort and let’s be frank, hard cash was lavished on the car. Pretty much everything from brakes, suspension, drive shafts, differential and radiator was uprated, rebuilt or replaced, though in the case of the latter, the original parts were retained and are supplied with the car. Attention was given to the chassis, interior fittings, switches and electrics though the paintwork (presumably applied in the USA) was left untouched. Though initially some parts were purchased in the UK, it quickly became clear that the US was the place to go for the volume and quality required. Reams of paperwork attest to this with numerous significantly sized consignments arriving via air freight with frightening regularity. Though we simply didn’t have the time to analyse much less total up every single bill during our inspection of the Stingray and its history files, the expenditure ran into tens of thousands of dollars.    

From early work using parts supplied by specialists such as DART and Claremont Corvette, both based in Kent, the owner soon hit his stride and hooked up with Stateside specialists such as Racing Head Services inc. in Memphis (sounds so much better than Kent!), Edelbrock, Vette Brakes and Products, Zip ‘vette specialists, Fast Lane of Mechanicsville (made up place surely), Virginia, Mid America, Performance Automotive Warehouse and Eckler’s. Help sourcing parts was given by Barber Vintage Motorsport, useful contacts made through the world of motorbikes. Throughout what remained of the 1990s, money flowed west and parts flew east; it seemed a whole Corvette passed through East Midlands Airport ‘One piece at a time’ though in this case the parts were all bought and paid for and fitted together considerably better than they did on Johnny Cash’s Cadillac.

From day one the intention had been to do something a bit special in the engine department so the original, correctly dated, matching numbers Big Block 427 and Muncie 4 speed gearbox were removed and placed into storage; they are obviously included in the sale and are shown in the photo gallery. Numerous options were studiously researched including a new short engine from GM and quadruple Weber carburettors. At one stage the budget was ‘just’ $7,600 but things took off (we’ve all been there) and a Donovan aluminium block was purchased – that’ll be $9,994 sir and yes, we have change for a $10,000 bill – to sit at the core of an exceptional engine build.

This was fitted with a stack of goodies from tuning gurus Edelbrock:

• Competition BBC O-Port aluminium heads with appropriate valves
• Rocker covers
• 600 cfm dual carburettor
• Dual-quad polished finish manifold
• Air cleaner housing
• '7162’ camshaft and associated gear
• Aluminium timing chain cover
• Petrol and water pump

Quotes are on file from Racing Head Services for a Moroso sump, ESP rods and a steel crank, while it is noted in the files that this engine was mated to a new M22 heavy duty ‘Rock Crusher’ factory gearbox.

Though mention of 600 hp might be a little ambitious, there can be little doubt that the result of all this expense and hard work will be an output significantly ahead of what the Factory were able to achieve back in the day.  

Work continued into the new millennium and in 2004 new brakes, drive shafts, springs, dampers and bumpers were fitted.

At one stage the Stingray was described as “98% concours” though this can be a somewhat overused, not to say undesirable, measure of condition. We would now describe the Corvette as something of a diamond in the rough, particularly with reference to is undercarriage’s cosmetic presentation.

Wearing paint that is at least thirty years old, the Chevrolet still looks fabulous in its Riverside Gold and the only significant blemishes we could find are a chip on the leading edge of the driver’s door and the lightest of wear marks at the front of the engine bay that we have tried to show in the photo gallery.

For a mass produced, fibreglass bodied car with a reputation for ‘patchy’ build quality, we were surprised and impressed by the Corvette’s fit and finish. The door gaps are very good indeed being straight even and tight. Often a pointer to the car’s body and structural condition, the T-top roof panels pop in and out with ease. Sure, if you know where to look and catch the light just right, there are there a few tell-tale imperfections in the body betraying its underlying construction but then that is very ‘Factory’ and nothing we could successfully capture with a camera. There is also a small crack in the edge of the driver’s side rear spoiler as shown in the photo gallery. The bonnet is obviously an aftermarket item required to clear the engine’s towering induction paraphernalia though the standard ‘Big Block’ item comes with the car. The vacuum operated headlights pop up swiftly as does the wiper hatch though it is a little sticky, possibly due to lack of use.

Ealy C3s still sported a decent amount of chrome and a lot of this Stingray’s is relatively new; untouched prior to our inspection it could benefit from a good polish. The optional aluminium wing vent trims are present and in good order, which is just as well as a set of eight would set you back £1,200 plus postage from USA…

The OEM Rally wheels with ‘Chevrolet Motor Division’ centres and trim rings all look to be in good condition and though the Avon Turbospeed tyres have plenty of tread left on them they are showing evidence of cracking between the blocks.

The glass carries the ‘Soft Ray’ tint option and the side windows still have their ‘Astro Ventilation’ etchings and though these have some light scratching, it might well polish out; if not replacements are in the spares package. The lights are all in good order, be they glass or plastic.

Very nice black leather seats feature in the interior and Corvette mats (just in case you forget what you are in) cover good quality carpets in excellent condition; we could not find any cracks in the plastics. The after-market MOMO gear knob seems slightly incongruous but that’s just our opinion and there are a couple of original versions with the spares.

The engine bay is stacked with goodies such as aluminium Stingray logoed rocker covers, a ‘427’ air cleaner, braided lines and an Earl’s fuel pressure gauge. An original looking Chevrolet cylinder layout diagram is clipped in place and the vacuum pods look factory-fresh as does good looking and functional aluminium March ‘underdrive’ pulleys and a chrome alternator. With acres of bare aluminium and chrome the engine bay is quite an eyeful but it could doubtless be made even more eye popping with a good detailing.

The underside of the Stingray is by some margin its weakest area. Though a raft of lovely components are fitted from Koni shock absorbers to composite Monosprings and braided brake lines, a lack of use has resulted in some areas of light surface corrosion and oxidation, particularly towards the rear of the car. Some time spent detailing these parts of the Corvette would improve its cosmetics dramatically. Just how far you would want to take it depends on your intended use, with anything from an oily rag to get it to driver standard to some disassembly and refinishing if showing is your thing. Either way, due to the quality of the original components employed, it is not likely to be an expensive exercise. Please have a look at our brutally honest photos and decide for yourself, or better still get in touch and we’ll set up a viewing in person.

Despite having barely been run in the last two years, after a certain amount of encouragement, the electronically ignited engine fired, blew some cobwebs away (a way away actually) and settled to a fast idle as it warmed through. If you were in the UK at the time, you might have heard it! Epic is the word that springs to mind. With a bit of heat in the coolant, 55 psi oil pressure was showing at 1,500 rpm and the fuel pump was able to keep up sufficiently to generate 7 psi on the gauge.

As well as the original engine and gearbox, other parts removed from the Corvette such as the Big Block bonnet, radiator, front springs, wishbones etc. are being sold with it. Going by the engine number, it was built in Tonawanda (as were all Big Bocks) on November 3^rd 1969 and its LM suffix indicates it was to 400 hp specification and destined to be mated to a manual gearbox. This gearbox’s numbers identify it as a Muncie made on 19^th June 1969. Both are correctly stamped 736431, matching the car’s Chassis Number.

As detailed above, the History File contains an enormous amount of paperwork relating to the purchase of parts, the majority from the USA. There are also some old tax discs and MOT certificates from 1992 to 2001. These track the Corvette’s mileage since 1993 when it stood at just over 23,000 until it reached 26,434 in 1996. With the majority of the work carried out since then and the current mileage standing at 26,766, much of the power train and running gear has seem very little action. The copy of the US Title and bills from the previous owner’s tenure are also present along with a 1969 Corvette Owner’s Manual. Two boxes of around twenty very useful reference books and manuals are with the Corvette and some photos including it in ‘as bought’ specification; please see the photo gallery. A file of instructions and product details should prove useful to a future owner as will the genuine AM/FM radio operating manual. The current V5C showing the Stingray’s date of first UK registration and just three UK owners, two of which were husband and wife, is present.

Also included in the sale is a large and comprehensive spares package. We understand this has an estimated value of some £5,000 but unfortunately during our inspection we did not have the time (or expertise) to confirm this. However, a cursory look through the multiple boxes of new door glass, door cards, rocker covers, instruments, lights, radio, camshaft and so on (and on) and the fact that the exhaust manifolds and associated pipes shown in the photo gallery have alone been independently valued at around £1,000 makes this believable. These can all be inspected with the car prior to the end of the auction of so desired. A tailor made Technalon car cover is also included in the sale.

An almost obsessive passion project, this was one man’s no expense spared labour of love and the embodiment of his desire to build his ultimate Stingray. Cherished but unused it is time to pass the Corvette on to someone who can gently revive it, either in its current form or returned to 'stock'. Ideally it will then be used, allowing it to be seen and appreciated by the audience it deserves.

We appreciate this Corvette Stingray may be of interest to buyers in the USA and Europe and we have good contacts who can help with global shipping if required. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
 

• Registration number: KVR 57G
• Chassis Number: 1943795736431
• Engine Number: T1103LM 19S736431 (See Text)