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Year 1966 327 ci / 350 HP 7,591 Units
C2 Photo
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C2 Photo
My First Corvette - 1966 Sting Ray
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It was June of 1977, and I decided at the age of 23 that now was the perfect time to fulfill my lifelong dream of owning a Corvette. I was not a big fan of the newer Corvettes because of their high costs ($7,000 at the time) and their lower performance too. For me the only choice was the classic Sting Rays from 1963 to 1967. I looked through the Pittsburgh Press classifieds and there were about 6 Corvettes from the C2 Generation. A 1966 427 Coupe for $ 5,500 looked interesting but was out of my price range. If I only could have known better about the future of the big block Sting Rays astronomical rise in value! Anyhow, I saw a 1966 Convertible with the 327 cubic inch / 350 horsepower engine that was about 20 miles away from my home in Allison Park.
The next morning I called and got directions to its home. As my father drove me there I was so excited. My love affair with Corvettes started when I was 7 years old and my next door neighbor bought a brand new 1961 Corvette. That car was the most beautiful car I had ever seen and I would never forget my first look at a Corvette. At the age of 7 I knew I had to have a Corvette someday. Back to the story though. As we pulled up to the house there stood parked the most gorgeous Corvette I ever saw! It almost looked as if it was in motion while parked at the side of its house. The young man selling it had just purchased a new 1977 Tan Corvette and no longer wanted to keep his 1966. Thank God for me!
He started it up and said let's go for a test drive. Whenever it kicked over the sound from the factory side exhausts almost took my breath away. To this day I have never heard any other car match its cool sound resonating from the factory side pipes. The owner drove it on some local winding roads while I was thinking of how it would soon be mine. Could my dream finally come true? When we got back to his place he said to make an offer on the Corvette. I offered him $4,200 and he said it was acceptable. My God! It would soon be mine.