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Unlike full size Chevrolet's that used Caprice, Impala, Bel Air & Biscayne names to differentiate trim levels, the use of "Sting Ray" and "Stingray" on early Corvettes never had any significance, other than being a badge on the car and a name in sales brochures. Calling a 75 Corvette a Stingray didn't mean that it was an upscale version of the "base" Corvette, and dropping the name in 77 didn't make 77's any less of a Corvette than ones with Stingray badges. The C7 was the first Corvette where the "Stingray" name actually designated a particular model, the Stingray being the base model, followed by the Z06, C7.R, Grand Sport etc. The C8 also comes in four distinct models, the base Stingray, the E-Ray, the Z06 and the ZR1, and are marketed as such.
I played with Corvettes for 25 years before joining the Corvette Forum 24 years ago, and I don't ever remember the "is it a Corvette verse Corvette Stingray" ever being an issue till I joined the Forum. At various times, and sometimes concurrently I belonged to three or four different local Corvette clubs, two NCRS chapters, went to and put on Corvette shows, sold Corvette parts, autocrossed and drag raced Corvettes and crewed on Corvette race cars, and I never remember there being any discussion or arguments over was or wasn't it a Stingray/Sting Ray.
It's amazing how worked up some people can get over a little badge. Neither of my current Corvettes (a 62 and an 81) have Stingray badges on them, and I don't feel left out or slighted. Corvettes have always just been Corvettes to me.
