Corvettes For Sale: Knockout of an LS3-Powered 1966 Corvette Sting Ray Restomod on BaT

One of the best aspects of the Corvette is the broadness of appeal driven by the model’s rich and incredibly varied history. Over the past 70 years, America’s Sports Car has been a lot of different things to different people, always morphing into the right car at the right time. What started out as a sporty two-seat roadster to rival post-war Europe’s finest four-wheeled escapes from reality turned into a large-bore brawler before taking a turn as a curvy luxury cruiser. It’s consistently used by its parent company as a technological proving ground, recent generations have fielded track-focused variants, and now, with the advent of the C8 Z06, the ‘Vette umbrella even hosts a bona fide midengined exotic. Every proud member of Corvette Nation was drawn to the model for unique reasons, and we all have our favorite eras, but in the world of high-end customs, one of the biggest challenges lies in blending new and old into a one-off that is capable of capturing the indignations of multiple sects of our wide-ranging community and persuading one of them to spend L88 – or at least Top-Flight L71 – money on it.

This undertaking is a difficult one that goes sideways more often than not with funky creations like the “1953” mashups of 2003, and countless retromods that range from overwrought to slightly off in appearance. Well, until the evening of Wednesday, May 3rd, Bring a Trailer is offering an opportunity to bid on the rare custom Midyear that absolutely sticks the landing in its quest for modernization! As is often the case when done right, this 1966 Sting Ray achieved pro-touring perfection by way of an astronomical budget. After being acquired by the seller in 2016, this ’66 ‘Vette was shipped to Kevin’s Restoration of Walnut Grove, Washington, where it had years of hard work and a total of $454,000 poured into its jaw-dropping, art-like transformation.

Those near-half-million greenbacks (all receipts and build photos are included in the sale) scored the ’66, a new C7-based chassis from the Corvette specialists at Alabama’s Street Shop Inc. The seventh generation also teamed up with Wilwood and Hyperco to supply brake and suspension components to the build. The heart of this beautiful Frankenstein’s monster is all C6, with the venerable 6.2L LS3 sending power through a Tremec six-speed manual transaxle. The C5 got in on the action by chipping in a pair of bucket seats that were bolstered and custom upholstered in brown leather that also wraps the dash and trim pieces.

The non-GM-sourced parts are many, and, as you might expect, they are all top-notch. The original Silverstone Silver exterior paint made way for a stunning and distinctive Metallic Amber Orange. Staying outside, all brightwork was either re-chromed or replaced, and the staggered C6 Z06 Spyder-style chrome wheels were sourced from Kompression in Oxnard. Under the skin, you’ll find Flaming River power steering, Vintage Air climate control, a custom color-matched engine cover, a Dewitt’s radiator, tubular headers, a stainless-steel fuel tank, and much more. Once you slip inside, you’re met by a billet aluminum steering wheel, custom gauges, and a White Lightning shifter. Underfoot is square weave carpeting, and updated electronics include power windows, a push-button starter, and a custom Focal sound system controlled through an Alpine head unit.

Since completion, this car, which deserves its own name, has only done 57 miles. The consignment dealer has provided around 600 photos of the finished product, receipts, paperwork, and every step of the restoration process. With six days to go, bidding has already reached $150,000, but it will be fascinating to see if this rolling sculpture is able to break even against the substantial weight of its cost-to-build. If not, we hope that the owner still sees his commission as an investment in preserving the best of Corvette culture for future generations. Happy bidding Corvette Nation, someone’s about to get one heck of a car!

Source:
Bring a Trailer

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