Chevrolet Corvette Coupe 1965

by

Model number: 31640S

Review of the model:

Corvette Sting Ray! Even the names give a sense speed and aggressive handling. This is not a car for the old Lady, who just wants to drive, to and from church every Sunday. No no - This is a sports car in its true sense, a performance and speed vehicle. Some will say a rocket on four wheels with ( New for 1965)  four disc brakes all around.

If you show this car to a non car-enthusiast, he will certain agree how beautiful this little sports car is from every angle. It is a car that most people will desire and this, was for sure back then in the mid sixties. The Chevrolet dealer in town will have one for display to the man or woman who just came for a Bel Air – and some (quite a lot) became Corvette owners.

I have always had a special affection for the Corvette Sting Ray C2, maybe because one of my brother friends had such a car when I was a kid. The look and sound was highly addictive back then – and surely also today.

This model car of the 1965 Corvette Coupe was the most popular year of the C2 series. Spanning from 1963 to 1967, and the Chinese model car maker of Maisto have released a nice little model. There are many colors to choose from (black, red, blue metallic, light yellow, blue/white Police) and silver as mine here.

My experience with Maisto is rather sparse as I until now, only own the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz and if you read my review of this Cadillac, you will notice that I’m not totally excited – to say it at least! But I was really surprised of the Corvette!
Maisto is in the low budget price range and is way over, what some could expect for a price at only 29 Euros!

Firstly is the paint and prep work – absolute flawless. How about the chrome? Some say Maisto chrome is not as good as others over time, but only time will tell. My model here has sparkling chrome parts! Try to look at the wheels, they are very well made and runs smoothly with the soft rubber tires.

If we go back on the rear end of the model, we find realistic made back lights in red plastic surrounded by chrome bezels and the exhaust pipes is hollow and in chrome, just as the real car. The racing style gas cap is very detailed with fine emblems made by a decal.

The license plate and rear emblems are present too. The windows is made of plastic in a acceptable quality for this price range, only a small issue regarding the fix points as they can been seen is some angles.

Up front we find realistic directional lights under the bumper. The emblem on the hood and front fenders is spot on too. It will have been a fine feature if the headlights would have been turning in there housing mechanism.

There is no access to the trunk from outside, but this was the case with the real car too, so no complaints here. Now to one of the real gems on this model, just open the hood and be surprised how well the engine compartment and motor parts are. Maisto did a good job here.

Lastly we have to look inside the cabin of this sports car. The doors fit well with no ugly gaps, and they close with a help of a spring mechanism. The black vinyl or leather interior (optional on the real car) looks realistic; you can even glance at the gauges in the instrument panel. The steering wheel looks fantastic with its emblem and teak wood. If we look over the bucket seats we find space for some travelling suitcases for a longer trip.

So I must say this scale 1:18, 1965 Corvette String Ray coupe from Maisto, is “all” of its money worth! - You must have this model car in your collection.
 

I will give this model 4 out of 6 stars  ******

Below here are pictures of the model, historical description, old brochures, technical data and some movie clips for the real car. So please enjoy!

History:

Chevrolet Corvette Sting-Ray C2 1965 Coupe.

The Chevrolet Corvette, known colloquially as the Vette or Chevy Corvette, is a sports car manufactured by Chevrolet. The car has been produced through seven generations. The first model, a convertible, was introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the type of small, maneuverable warship called a corvette. C2 1965 originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri

C2 Corvette – “The Sting Ray”
The birth and evolution of the C2 Corvette occurred amidst the successes that General Motors was experiencing at the height of the C1. By the early sixties, as Chevrolet introduced the last of the first generation Corvettes, there was no doubt – at least among the design team behind the first-generation model – that a second generation Corvette was imminent.

After all, the 1962 Corvette had shown a 40 percent increase in sales from the previous model year. Better still, the 1962 C1 Corvette – which had more horsepower, better handling, and was physically more appealing than any of its predecessors – had demonstrated to the automotive manufacturing community that their consumers were looking for a quality, performance backed sports car – and that they’d pay a premium to get it.

Still, Corvette’s long term success was not certain. While there was no doubt that the first-generation Corvette was the hottest American sports car on the road in the 1950’s, it was still not quite on par with some of Europe’s best automobiles, especially on the international racing stage. Engine performance and horsepower were certainly no issue – the last few years of the C1 had certainly eliminated any concerns in that arena, but the chassis needed some serious work if it was going to contend with the likes of Porsche and Ferrari.

As the 1965 model year approached, the design team behind the Chevy Corvette continued to refine the overall design of the C2 Sting Ray, making only minor cosmetic changes in the process. Instead, the focus for the second-generation’s third year centralized on some significant mechanical upgrades that would vastly improve the Corvette’s already impressive handling and drivability.

Given the sales success of the first two model years, there was little doubt by anyone that the 1965 Corvette would be equally successful, or perhaps even surpass previous successes.

Given that fact, and the fact that Corvette’s best designers were focused on supporting the development of the next generation Corvette, Chevrolet was not making major modifications to the current model.

That’s not to say there weren’t any changes made to the Corvette’s appearance. The most notable change to the outward appearance of the car was the removal of the former scoop indentations, which had carried over in the 1964 model (after the faux hood scoops were removed from the 1963 design.)

The new hood, which was now a single, smooth surface, became one of the major differentiating characteristics of the 1965 model year.

In addition, the front fenders were redesigned to feature a trio of working exhaust vents (which replaced the previous model’s non-functional horizontal “speedline” coves.)

1965 Corvette hood
The 1965 Corvette hood is one of the most notable differences of the model year. Note the complete absence of the hood scoops that were on the original 1963 model.
Another notable design change involved refinements to the front grill. For the 1965 model treatment; the inner, horizontal grill bars were painted black, but the outer grill remained a bright chrome color, making the overall design unique to the 1965 Corvette.

Lastly, the wheel covers and rocker-panel moldings were re-designed for the 1965 model year. The optional knock-off wheel covers now featured a dark gray paint color between the fins.

The interior of the car also received some minor design refinements as well, though these were far more subtle than those made to the Corvette’s exterior. In the driver’s dashboard, all of the instrument displays were redesigned to include flat black faces.

Elsewhere, the areas around the radio and speaker bezel were now being painted, instead of utilizing the vinyl covering that had been standard on previous models. A more notable improvement involved another change in the design of the car’s driver and passenger seats. The new seating surfaces were designed to be slightly larger and more supportive, and the seat backs were now encased in hard plastic backing shells. Complementing the newly evolved seats, the inner door panels were also redesigned and now included fully integrated armrests. Lastly, the interior received new seat belt retractors, a feature that was never before been seen in a Corvette.

1965 Corvette Interior
The 1965 Corvette Interior featured gauges with flat black faces and painted radio bezels.

1965 Corvette
The seats in the 1965 Corvette were redesigned to be slightly larger and more supportive.
While these changes were important to the continued evolution of the Corvette, the focus on the 1965 model year had really been directed at correcting many of the elements found below the car’s fiberglass exterior.

A number of noteworthy alterations and additions were made for the 1965 model year – some of which would set a precedence that would carry over to the most current Corvette models being built today. The first of these welcome additions was the introduction of a standard, four-wheel.

The brakes featured a four-piston design with two piece calipers mated to a newly designed brake rotor which utilized cooling fins. The cooling fins helped to dissipate the massive amount of heat being generated during hard braking.

Suspended between the calipers and rotors was an all new semi-metallic brake pad. These pads were designed to remain in constant contact with the brake rotors which aided in keeping the braking surfaces on the rotor free from rust and debris (both of which cause pitting and diminish the lifespan of any brake rotor.)

While the drag created by the contact between the pads and rotors was negligible, the benefits of maintaining the rotor condition helped GM to project a life expectancy of 57,000 miles on the front braking system (which, because of the forward weight transfer, supplied most of the braking effort in all-out stops.) Better still, the expected lifespan of the rear brakes was twice that of the front. Pending federal regulations (at/during the development phase of the 1965 Corvette), a dual master cylinder with separate fluid reservoirs for front and rear lines was also introduced. The newly designed master cylinder helped reduce the overall temperature of the brake fluid, which contributed to brake failure in older models.

The disc brakes were a much needed improvement over the previous braking system. Prolonged testing of the new disc brake system found that repeated stops from 100 miles per hour did not cause any deterioration in the efficiency of the braking system. Equally important was the fact that no matter the condition, all stops were very stable and required a much shorter braking distance than the earlier drum brakes. Despite this, the old drum brake system did remain available to consumers and garnered a $64.50 credit on the overall Corvette purchase price when selected as an option. Despite this, only 316 Corvettes built in 1965 came equipped with the drum brake option.

Mark IV Engine
Another significant improvement and mechanical milestone arrived midway through the 1965 model year. Officially titled the Mark IV, Chevrolet introduced a new, optional, big-block V-8 engine for the first time in a production Corvette.

The Mark IV had actually originated in early 1963 as the “mystery” 427 racing engine that had made its first appearance at the Daytona 500. Despite its official title, the engine was marketed as the Turbo Jet and was made available in three varieties, two 396 cubic inch versions, and a 427 (although a fourth, “heavy-duty” 427 was also created for marine use.)

The 396 big-block engines were scheduled to replace Chevy’s hallowed, though short-lived 409 cubic-inch by Semon E. “Bunkie” Knudsen (then General Manager of Chevy) that the only viable investment was to develop the most modern engine available, Chevy’s engine plant in Tonawanda, New York was retooled to support the production of the Mark IV engine.

The engine officially began production in mid-1965.

A number of variants of the Mark IV engine were produced. For its mid-size Chevelle model and all full-size Chevy models, a 325 horsepower and 360 horsepower engine was produced.

Chevy’s engine plant in Tonawanda, New York was retooled to support the production of the Mark IV engine.

For the Corvette, however, the engine, which was available to consumers under RPO L78, was given 11:1 compression, impact-extruded alloy pistons with chrome rings, solid lifters, a bigger carburetor (and corresponding double-snorkel air cleaner) and an oversized oil pump, all of which helped make this more radical Mark IV engine capable of producing an impressive 425 horsepower.

1965 Mark IV Engine
The 1965 Mark IV Engine produced 425 horsepower.
The big-block also featured free-breathing cylinder heads with staggered valves that had been laid out in a seemingly disorganized fashion, with an appearance reminiscent to porcupine quills, which earned the engine the nickname, ‘the porcupine motor.”

The Mark IV engine was an immediate sensation and brought Corvette enthusiasts to their local Chevrolet dealerships in droves. While its introduction late in the model year resulted in limited supply, there was no questioning the long-term potential for an engine that was capable of producing such impressive performance numbers.

Even when equipped with a moderate 3.70:1 rear axle, a Mark IV equipped Corvette could do a standing quarter mile run right around 14 seconds at an impressive 104 miles per hour. Further, given adequate track distance, the car could now reach an overall top speed of nearly 140 mph (again when equipped with the 3.70:1 axle-ratio.)

Aside from the late-entry Mark IV, several other engines had remained available for the 1965 model year including a 375 horsepower, 327 cubic-inch small-block V8 that came equipped with fuel injection.

While this small-block engine was an impressive powerhouse in its own right, Chevrolet had definitely recognized that the direction of the powerplant for the Corvettes would center around engine displacement, and so it was decided that all other, smaller engines would ultimately be abandoned in the Corvette line at the end of the 1965 model year. Interestingly, the retirement of the 327ci engine also brought with it the end of the use of fuel injection in Corvettes for the next twenty years.

Another new engine did appear in 1965 however. The L79 small block, which was essentially an L76 327 engine featuring a slightly milder hydraulic cam in place of the solid-lifter stick.

Operating on an 11:1 compression ratio, the L79 engine was rated at 350 horsepower, and was deemed nearly identical to the L76 on the outside with its chromed air cleaner and finned cast-aluminum valve covers.

In all, the 1965 Sting Ray saw a total of 23,564 units sold, making 1965 the most successful sales year for the Corvette yet. Of all the units built, 15,378 were convertibles, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all Corvettes sold in 1965. By comparison, the coupe sold a mere 8,186 units.
                                                                                                                                             

Technical specification:

Exterior Dimensions (Coupe)

Wheelbase: 98.0 Inches
Overall Length: 175.1 Inches
Total Body Width: 69.6 Inches
Overall Height: 49.6 Inches
Front Track Width: 56.8 Inches
Rear Track Width: 57.6 Inches
Min. Ground Clearance 5.0 Inches

1965 Corvette Factory Options
DESCRIPTION:  RETAIL PRICE:
Base Corvette Sport Coupe 8,186 $4,321.00

Base Corvette Convertible 15,377 $4,106.00

Genuine Leather Seats, Black – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, Red – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, Blue – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, Saddle – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, Silver – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, Green – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, Maroon – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, White, (Black Instrument & Carpet) – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, White, (Red Instrument & Carpet – $80.70
Genuine Leather Seats, White, (Blue Instrument & Carpet $16.15

Soft Ray Tinted Glass, All Windows $10.80
Soft Ray Tinted Glass, Windshield $59.20

Power Windows $236.75

Auxillary Hardtop (for convertibles)  $100.00

Heater and Defroster Deletion (credit) $421.80
Air Conditioning  $37.70

Special Front and Rear Suspensions $43.05

Positraction Rear Axle, all ratios $2.20
Special Highway Axle, 3.08:1 ratio $43.05

Power Brakes  $64.50
Drum Brakes (substitution credit) $75.35

Transistor Ignition System $53.80

327ci, 300hp Engine $129.15
327ci, 365hp Engine $292.70
396ci, 425hp Engine $107.60
327ci, 350hp Engine $538.00
327ci, 375hp Engine (fuel injection) $188.30

4-Speed Manual Transmission $171.00
4-Speed Manual Trans., Close Ratio, Heavy Duty $199.10
Powerglide Automatic Transmission $202.30

36 Gallon Fuel Tank (for coupe) $37.70

Off Road Exhaust System $134.50
Side Mount Exhaust System $48.45

Teakwood Steering Wheel $43.05
Telescopic Steering Column $96.85
Power Steering $322.80

Cast Aluminum Knock-Off Wheels (5) $15.70
Blackwall Tires, 7.75 x 15 (nylon cord) $31.85
Whitewall Tires, 7.75 x 15 (rayon cord) $50.05
Goldwall Tires, 7.75 x 15 (nylon cord) $203.40

AM-FM Radio $16.15

 

Lawrence Kiyoshi (Larry) Shinoda (March 25, 1930 – November 13, 1997) was a noted American automotive designer who was best known for his work on the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang.

He was born in Los Angeles, California to parents who were both Japanese immigrants: Kiyoshi Shinoda arrived in the US when he was 12, and Hide Watanabe when she was 1. Larry had a sister, Grace, that was six years older than him, who was also artistically inclined. He grew up in Southern California where he started developing his artistic talents in grade school. Kiyoshi died when Larry was 12. He was interned with his sister, mother, uncle, two aunts and a grandmother by the U.S. government during WW II under U.S. Executive Order 9066 into a "War Relocation Camp" at Manzanar, California.

At camp, he snuck past the barbed wire to play and fish. His first recorded functional design was a set of reclining back chairs for his mother and grandmother at the incarceration camp that attracted the admiration of other incarcerees. After being released from camp in the spring of 1944, the family moved to Grand Junction, Colorado to help out at the farm of the paternal side of the family who had escaped incarceration by fleeing California.

As a young man, he built hot rods and raced them on the streets of Los Angeles. With his 1924 Ford roadster, he won the first National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals that were held in Great Bend, Kansas, in 1955.

Shinoda attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles (before it moved to Pasadena) but was kicked out, and went to work first for Ford Motor Company in 1955, then briefly with Packard, then General Motors in late 1956. Shinoda designed the Mako Shark show car. Working with GM design chief Bill Mitchell and Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, he refined the XP 819 and other concept cars that eventually translated into the original 1963 Corvette Sting Ray design. Shinoda also led design work on the revised 1968 version that borrowed heavily from his Mako Shark design. He also participated in the 1965 redesign of the Chevrolet Corvair, giving that car its sleek "Coke bottle" shape.

In 1968 Henry Ford II hired former GM executive Bunkie Knudsen to be president of Ford. Knudsen recruited Shinoda to come to Ford in hopes of improving the styling and sales of Ford's lineup. Shinoda's first project at Ford was a high-performance Mustang known as the Boss 302 Mustang. Reportedly Shinoda chose the name "Boss" as a homage to Knudsen. He led design used for Mustang models for 1970-1973 as well, but when Knudsen was fired from Ford late in 1969, Shinoda left as well.

After leaving Ford, Shinoda and Knudsen co-created Rectrans, which built recreational vehicles. In 1969, while working there, Shinoda designed the "American Dragster" slingshot streamliner dragster. This car had a fully enclosed wedge-shaped body, with only the front wheels, fitted with lakester-style wheel discs (Moon discs), exposed. Little is known about the project, although Rectrans was working with fiberglass composites and monocoque chassis. It is likely interest was sparked by Shinoda's pre- and post-WW2 experience racing roadsters in the Los Angeles area.

Shinoda later opened an independent design firm and did work for GM, Ford, and aftermarket companies. In addition to its in-house team, he was one of three designers under contract with American Motors Corporation (AMC) to create and build clay models of a vehicle then known as XJC, which later became the Jeep ZJ (Jeep Grand Cherokee) after Chrysler's buyout of AMC in 1987. Shinoda claimed that his design proposal for the Grand Cherokee was stolen by AMC executives and that he was improperly compensated. Shortly before his death in 1997, Chrysler, the successor of AMC, settled with Shinoda for more than $200,000.

Shinoda began to have kidney problems in 1996, yet continued to be an active designer. Before a transplant surgery could take place, he died in 1997 at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan of heart failure at age 67.His daughter, Karen, formed Team Shinoda (now Shinoda Performance Vehicles), a tuner and performance parts company.
 

Old brochures of the Chevrolet Corvette 1965

Video of the real car from Youtube

If you have any question or comment your are free to contact me at: aeronautic@stofanet.dk

Dealers are welcome to get their models reviewed too.

Aeronautic Jan. 2018

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