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Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 27 - 1966
427 Corvette - "The Mark IV Grows Up"
Chevrolet had all the bases covered for 1966. The bar had been
significantly raised at both ends of the performance spectrum. The base Corvette
engine was now a 300 - horsepower small-block, while the top position was held
with the 425 - horsepower, big-block 427. Performance took a quantum
leap.
The 1965 big-block 396 was bored out to 427 cubic inches for 1966,
taking the street- driven Corvette to undreamed of high performance. The factory
power rating was 425 horsepower at 5,600 rpm. However, the real redline was more
like 6,500 rpm, producing over 450 horsepower! This was 75 horsepower more than
the 1965 fuel- injection setup. Duntov joked that 31 cubic inches of cast iron
is a significant weight savings. The Corvette was now at the top of the
performance feeding chain.
Subtle changes for the 1966 Corvette made it
stand out from previous cars. The egg-crate grille and hub caps were obvious on
coupes and convertibles. "Corvette" script on the hood was new and the roof
vents on the coupe were gone. The interior trim was changed, in addition to new
optional head rests and hazard lights. If you could tolerate the exhaust noise,
side pipes were a bargain at $131.65.
Racers and wanna be's had plenty of
hardware to choose from. The L72 427/425 engine cost $312.85. The M-22 "Rock
Crusher" four-speed was $237, and the special heavy-duty brakes cost $342.30.
The F41 special front and rear suspension was a super deal at
$36.90.
Although the base Corvette cost $4,295, down $26 from 1965, total
production for 1966 was 22,940, down from 1965's total of 27,720 cars. GM didn't
mind, since the press was gushing all over the new 427 Corvette. Tests from 0 to
60 mph ranged from 4.8 to 5.7 seconds with quarter mile times of 12.8 to 14
seconds. Some saw top speeds of between 130 and 152 mph, depending on gearing
and the driver's guts.
1966 was supposed to be the last year for the
Sting Ray design, but making the Mako Shark styling streetable for '67 was a big
challenge. As hot as the '66 Corvette was, the '67 was about to get even hotter.
Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 28 1966
Mako Shark II Show Car Corvette
"The Running
Prototype"
When the Mako Shark II was first shown at the April 1965 New York Auto
Show, jaws dropped and the automotive press gasped. However, making a beautiful
clay show car is one thing, making a functional road version is a completely
different story.
GM tech experts Ken Eschebach and Art Carpenter headed
up the crew that put every conceivable performance and luxury goodie you could
think of into the running Mako Shark II. The chassis and running gear used
standard 1966 Corvette parts. Under the hood was the brand-new 427 Mark IV
engine coupled with the not-yet-available-in- the-Corvette three-speed Turbo
Hydra-Matic transmission.
The entire front end tilted forward like an
XK-E Jaguar. The headlights were made up of three quartz-iodide beams that were
covered with "eyelid" panels. The top surface of the hood had cooling vents and
round lids for fluid refills. The windshield wipers were hidden in a closet at
the base of the windshield. At the back end, the window slats, bumper and
spoiler were all electrically controlled from the interior. The seats were in a
fixed position, while the gas and brake pedals were adjustable. Seat frames had
racer-like, four-point seat belts. The roof- mounted headrests were adjustable,
and had speakers connected to an AM/FM radio. Lights and windshield wiper
controls were on the turn signal stalks and the dash had neon digital readouts.
The car used seventeen electric motors to power various features.
In
October 1965 the Mako Shark began a six month European tour and was the "avant
garde" machine. For a show car, the Mako Shark was the closest to an actual
production Corvette. Over 30 years later, it's still a stunning machine.
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