Frame Off Built Corvette Sting Ray Pro Touring EFI LS3 V8 525 HP 5 Speed A/C PS

SUMMARY

When it comes to current automotive trends, nothing's hotter than the pro-touring movement. Pro-touring's blend of vintage style and modern performance creates an undeniable appeal that's literally changed the face of the marketplace. When that appeal is applied to a midyear Corvette, a car that's amassed a huge following, the end result is something enthusiasts will virtually line up to buy. And, in fact, the demand for those cars is so strong that some builds are claiming prices well beyond their OEM-restored siblings. Sporting an awesome combination of old school swagger and thoroughly modern underpinnings, this sweet Sting Ray follows the pro-touring formula perfectly. As the beneficiary of a thorough, ground-up restoration, the car has been completely reworked to include a full tube chassis, a hot Generation IV small block, a tough Tremec 5-speed and a custom, Corvette-derived suspension. If you want a classic that utilizes the best of 21st century technology to create an unforgettable driving experience, take a number and check out this killer Vette!

BODYWORK/TRIM

Sealed in vivid Rally Red 2-stage, this slick C2 is the beneficiary of a nut-and-bolt rotisserie restoration that began with thorough media-blasting. In addition to near-perfect alignment, the car's body features show worthy aesthetics that are the direct result of new trim, new emblems and freshly re-chromed bumpers. Those striking details have been carefully married to a collection of surfaces that is much nicer than anything that rolled out of the factory. And the result is a seductive, fully sorted coupe that presents as one of the finest classics in our 250 car showroom!

When you think of Corvettes, "classy" usually isn't the first thing that comes to mind. It's not that America's sports car lacks class. It simply floods the mind with far more appealing descriptors like fast, free and lust-worthy. After all, this C2 was built to lap tracks, not float through a stuffy regimen of tea times. At the front of the car, bullet-style marker lights, a brilliant bumper and a prominent red, white and black cross-flag emblem cage a new GM grille. At the sides of that grille, traditional door handles and factory heat extractors float among black rocker guards, polished and shielded side-pipes, and a chrome bowtie mirror. Opposite that mirror, Detroit Speed headlights and a '66-exclusive hood lead the eye to tinted greenhouse glass. And behind that glass, 2-tone tail lamps illuminate a chrome-trimmed fuel filler, a clean "Corvette Sting Ray" script, a chrome tag bracket and two more brilliant bumpers.

ENGINE

Gaze upon this Chevy's professionally finished engine bay and you'll find 6.2 liters of small block fury! Officially known as the Chevrolet Performance LS376, that $9,110 crate engine twists respectable 10.7 to 1 compression into 525 horsepower and 475 lb./ft. of everyday torque. And despite consistently delivering track-blistering, low-end performance, it revs to 6,600 RPM and regularly achieves over 20 MPG! Up top, a custom air tube and Edelbrock filter cone funnel wind in to a GM throttle body and spotless Rally Red intake. That air marries fuel in rectangular-port L92-style heads, which hide high-rate springs under carbon fiber camo coil covers. A nodular crank, powdered connecting rods and hypereutectic pistons compress that volatile union. A racing-inspired ASA cam maximizes intake efficiency through better breathing. Speaking of breathing, the smooth mill funnels spent gases through a combination of GM-spec manifolds and factory-spec side-pipes. There's a red-trimmed Champion radiator that's fitted with a chrome electric puller fan. Polished Street & Performance serpentine components spin a polished alternator opposite a polished AC compressor. A Chevrolet Performance computer combines with fresh AC Delco plug wires, a Chevrolet Performance harness, a fresh Optima battery and a chrome brake booster to detail otherwise purpose-built performance. And, aesthetically, the Rally Red engine bay, fitted with a 2-speed Newport Engineering wiper motor, has been finished with a smoothed firewall.

DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION

As our regular readers know, this is the paragraph that separates the pristine pro-tourers from the well-done resto-mods. And this Sting Ray's thoroughly updated underpinnings leave no doubt as to its affiliation with the former. A custom tube frame, built and powder-coated by the pros at His Place Inc. of Emmitsburg, Maryland, proved a perfect foundation for the car's inspired resurrection. Behind the LS3, a tough hydraulic clutch, supplied by American Powertrain, kicks a fresh Tremec TKO600 5-speed. That proven gearbox twists a posi-traction differential around big, 3.73 gears. That curve-carving chassis rides a fourth generation Corvette suspension, which is turned by power rack-and-pinion steering and steadied by Vette Brake Products strut rods. Power-assisted stops are provided by fourth generation Corvette discs, which mix powder-coated calipers with drilled and slotted rotors. Spent gases traverse clean down-pipes to vibrate chambered side-pipes. Torque meets the pavement via second generation ZR1-style alloys and 245/40ZR18 General G-Max radials. And the car's textured, Rally Red floors frame high quality ancillaries like stainless fluid lines, a coated gas tank and a familiar Holley oil pan.

INTERIOR

Inside this Chevy you'll find a nostalgic Black interior that puts the high class in high style. Tight leather seats feel firm to the touch, showing virtually no signs of wear. In front of those seats, a monochromatic dash hangs original-style telemetry next to Vintage Air climate control and a 180-watt RetroSound radio that mixes full USB capability with full Bluetooth capability. Under that dash, a small console centers a booted shifter on fade-free carpet. Opposite that console, good-looking door panels trace pliable armrests with clean chrome handles and bright stainless trim. Above those panels, a tight headliner frames a polished mirror, fresh sun visors and a small Custom Autosound antenna. In front of the driver, a leather-wrapped steering wheel laps a modern, tilting column. And behind the passengers, a clean cargo hold fronts a crisp Custom Autosound Soundbar.

OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION

Logging a mere 63 miles since the completion of its build, this Corvette is ready to be driven, shown and enjoyed in any way its new owner sees fit. With its stout, fuel-injected small block, modern Tremec transmission, impressive chassis and healthy list of modern amenities, the car is right at home participating in AACA Auto X OR occupying the front row of a car show. If you've been eyeing the pro-touring movement patiently waiting for the right classic, anticipate no longer!