Myth Buster: Six tail lights on your Corvette? Maybe not…
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
1 THEY’RE ALL GLASSFIBRE
Not true. The composition changed from conventional glassfibre to sheet-molded compound (SMC) in 1973. This comprised glassfibre, resin and a catalyst formed under heat and pressure. The amount of glassfibre was progressively reduced in favour of lightweight plastic, particularly from 1981, and for the introduction of the C5 in 1997. The C6 Z06 had an aluminium chassis with carbonfibre body panels.
2 IT WAS THE US’S FIRST GLASSFIBRE CAR
The Corvette can’t claim this accolade, despite being commonly thought of as such. The Kaiser Darrin was unveiled in September 1952, two months before the Corvette, although it didn’t reach showrooms until after the Chevy. But beating both was the 1952-1958 Woodill Wildfire, although only 15 were factory-built – the other 285 or so were kits.
3 IT’S ‘STING RAY’, NOT ‘STINGRAY’
The ‘Sting Ray’ name was introduced for the 1963-1967 Corvette C2s, to differentiate these angular incarnations from the earlier, more curvaceous cars. However, the name ‘Stingray’ – no space – was used for the C3 (1968-1982) models. Except for the first C3s of 1968, which were… just Corvettes. Not Sting Rays or Stingrays. Glad that’s clear…
4 IT HAS SIX TAIL LIGHTS
The 1964 Jan & Dean hit single, Dead Man’s Curve concerned an illfated race between a Corvette Sting Ray and an XKE (E-type). It contains the line ‘and all the Jag could see were my six tail-lights’, but no production Corvette ever had six rear lights. An earlier 1963 LP version has the more accurate ‘Frenched tail-lights’. Richard Gunn