Trying to re-educate myself. I've always referred to the '63-'67's as Stingrays, and the '68-'82's as Makos. I believe the '68 design came from the Mako Shark concept car.
But I've seen where a lot of owners refer to their '70+'s as Stringrays.
My question is: What years are Stingrays, and what years are Makos? Is there a clear-cut answer?

Thanks,

 

63-67 are either called Mid Years or Sting Ray note two words
68-82 could be called makos, or the more populare "Sharks"
69-76 could be called Stingray note one word :chevy

 

Thanks, Keith.

That does clear it up for me.:thumbs:

Don

 

CORVETTE STINGRAY

Some Corvette history & knowledge is helpful to ID a Stingray.
In 63, the new smaller body & chassis w/ I.R.S. was called a Sting Ray.
When the body was redone in 68 at first called Sting Ray & then used Stingray emblems in 69. Emblems are for identification & some can not identify w/o the emblem. Seems some place far more importance on emblems than the factory ever did. The factory wanted to change the new car so that it could be identified as new at the time. Stingray is not an option or emblem, some are unmarked.
Chassis essentially same from 63-77, body essentially same 68-77 & interior essentially same from 68-77.
There can be no question that 68-77 are Stingrays.


Can be debated on 78-82. Many changes. Note that the 78- rear glass is reminiscent of the 63-67 coupe.

Stingray BB hood on 65-66, tail on 63-67 coupes, wings extended from roof 68-77 Stingrays.

 

Quote:

Trying to re-educate myself. I've always referred to the '63-'67's as Stingrays, and the '68-'82's as Makos. I believe the '68 design came from the Mako Shark concept car.
But I've seen where a lot of owners refer to their '70+'s as Stringrays.
My question is: What years are Stingrays, and what years are Makos? Is there a clear-cut answer?

I've not heard many refer to the 68-82s as Makos but Sharks...yes!

The C3 is designed after the Mako Shark II, a concept car and therefore the general design name of "Shark" cars. The Stingray is badging assigned in 69 and ran through 76...it's an emblem that's it! All Corvettes built from 68 through 82 or characteristic of the shark body style and therefore worthy of the title "Shark" car.

It's not unlike the 78th anniversary model...all are called in 78 anniversary models but then are the special paint schemes of silver over charcoal (B2Z) also called silver anniversary models. So it is with the 69 through 76...all are called Stingray regardless of engine size or anything else.


[Modified by hunt4cleanair, 5:07 AM 3/15/2004]

 

http://www.corvette.nl/specials/stingracer.html
1959 Corvette Stingray Racer


http://www.corvette.nl/specials/mako.html
1961 Mako Shark (1) concept/showcar - obvious inspirations for the C2 '63 - '67 "Sting Ray"


http://www.corvette.nl/specials/mako2.html
1965 Mako Shark II concept/showcar - obvious inspiration for the '68 - '82 C3
All C2s are called and badged "Sting Ray". '69 - '76 C3s are called and badged "Stingray". Some may refer to C3s as "Makos" or "Mako Sharks" because I read that it was anticipated that GM was to badge the then upcoming C3s with the "Mako Shark" name and possible logo that appeared on the prototype, just like the C2s were badged "Sting Ray", but as history has shown, they did not. They waited a year, then started putting "Stingray" on the '69 and did so 'till 76.

Are '68 and '77 - '82 C3s Stingrays too? I guess that's up to debate. I personally will not consider them technically Stingrays until I see evidence from GM that they, the creator of the vehicles, officially and formally (not casually) considered them Stingrays, and that it's not just a lot of enthusiasts wishful thinking. Official GM sales literature, promotional press kits, official marketing documents, owner's manuals, etc for those questionable years that refer somewhere or somehow to the car as a "Stingray" would go a long way in making think they are. If someone can point me to such evidence I'd love to see it.

Bottom line - I guess you could affectionately consider and call all C2s and C3s "Makos", "Sharks" and/or "Mako Sharks" based off of the concept/showcar/prototypes that directly inspired their production. All '63 -'67 are Sting Rays, and all '69 - '76 are Stingrays because they say so right on the body. Whether the remaining C3s are Stingrays or not is up to debate.

Just to ad to the mix:

http://www.corvette.nl/specials/mantaray.html
1970 Manta Ray concept/showcar

It's not too different than the Mako Shark II, but for some reason I've never heard C3 owners or general Corvette enthusiasts affectionately call '70 - '82s "Mantas". :chevy


[Modified by Corvette_fetish, 9:51 PM 3/15/2004]

 

Anybody have a close up shot of the Mako Shark emblem? I would like to create a CAD file off it so I can make some emblems for my car.

 

........to me, you have to have the body kit to call it a Mako....and you have to have the emblem to call it a Stingray.........if someone puts a C2 Sting Ray emblem on a '77 Vette, that's wrong.......if someone puts a C3 Stingray emblem on a '77 Vette, that's wrong too.....

.....I panned on the idea of having the personalised plate "C3 MAKO" on my Vette......because I don't own a Mako replica.........I would have been happy with "SHARK", but that plate has been taken by a guy who owns a C5, that's wrong too.... :)

BTW, it's interesting that C2's are the first Vettes to incorporate the Shark design concepts, but they're never referred to as Sharks........

.....that's my .02........ :cheers:

 

I don't get it. You were willing to have a license plate that said "SHARK", but you thought "C3 MAKO" was incorrect? That makes no sense since they are the same thing. If you can call a C3 a Shark, it only makes sense that it can be referred to as a Mako as well since the prototype was a Mako Shark. Why can it only be referred to by the Shark half of it's prototype's name and not the Mako half? That makes as little sense as a C5 with a "SHARK" license plate.

The only thing the aftermarket body kit will do is make a production C3 look like a poor imitation of it's prototype. I'd hardly call those body kit cars replicas. Even the Baldwin lookalikes are not true enough to the original to be an actual replica. They are just production C3s that were modified to have similar styling characteristics. The Mako Sharks and the Manta Ray had a lot of features that I'm sure did not make their way onto any lookalikes. A car would have to be an exact reproduction or a CLOSE copy to fit the definition of replica.
I'll agree with that, but here an odd one for you. When I worked at GM's DPG as a durability test driver, there was a Yellow C4 "Stingray" that was always setting in one of the lots. Yes, a C4. It had "Stingray" decal graphics on the body, and they looked to be production quality. I don't know the story behind the car, nor have I ever seen it pictured anywhere, but there it was, a C4 Stingray. If that C4 was some type of prototype, then that particular C4 was technically individually itself a Stingray, but no other C4s could correctly be called that.

If a C3 can be called a Shark, or even a Mako Shark, due to it's prototype, so can a C2. As far as I'm concerned the Mako Shark (1) looks more like a real shark than the Mako Shark II.

 

Stingray has a meaning & a fine history. Is not an emblem, not an option, some are unmarked. Remember an unmarked police car is still a police car.
Represents the new smaller body & chassis w/ I.R.S. introduced in 63.
Chassis essentially same from 63-77, body essentially same 68-77 & interior essentially same from 68-77.
There can be no question that 68-77 are Stingrays.

Can be debated on 78-82, many changes. Note that the 78- rear glass is reminiscent of the 63-67 coupe.

A C4 is a different car & not a Stingray no matter how big the lettering.

 

:iagree: ....very well put :thumbs:

 

Who is all this according to? Where is the source for this claim. I'm not saying you're incorrect, just that I want to see where GM states what you claim.
Yea, I'd agree if Bubba put the graphics on the car in his garage, but if someone at GM with the authority to call for a C4 prototype called a "Stingray" to be developed for whatever reason did so, then that individual C4 itself is a Stingray... a Stingray prototype. If someone out at the proving grounds decided to put those graphics on there for sheets & giggles, then it's not a Stingray, but as I said, the graphics on the car were unique and looked production quality, so the chances that it's a special car are pretty good. There were a lot of unique and fascinating cars all over the proving grounds that I never knew existed like the '97 Chevy Monza, Shelby Aurora/Series 1, and Toyota Cavalier just to name a few. If the right people at GM decided to create a C4 Stingray, even if just one prototype, that car IS a Stingray whether you like it or not. They made the cars, so they define what a Stingray is, not what the Corvette Community decides.


[Modified by Corvette_fetish, 12:39 PM 3/16/2004]