Private Seller Offering
1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Coupe
Florida USA
Past NCRS - Top Flight Example
46,000 Original Mile Car - 1250 Miles - Post Restoration
Documented Professional Body Off Restoration
Outstanding Provenance - Records Since Birth
Fully Original Matching Numbers Example
This 65 Corvette Sting Ray
SportsCarSellers - Private Party Sale
This Classic Corvette is on offer from it's private owner Larry, a life long enthusiasts for near anything automotive. Larry keeps a small collection of automotive treasures in his pristine, personal storage garage which at the current time houses a couple of 930 Porsche Turbos, a near original Porsche, 944, along with a stunning 1932 Ford Hot Rod and of course this 'pièce de résistance' - Larry's 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe. His latest acquisition being a Porsche 914 that he is hoping to bring up to a higher level in the months to come.
A former professional drummer, a business professional, an investor, but when you get a chance to chat you'll soon know that above all else Larry is a Enthusiast for most anything on wheels! Larry is a guy that knows what he likes, knows what he wants and clearly has a way with getting things done. Yes, he has some means, and he has built a great life for his family and himself, but Larry remains very much down to earth, real and realistic.
Larry is one of those rare guys that we should all be fortunate enough to buy our cars from, as he is very well informed, knows exactly what he buys, and he only buys true quality. Larry keeps his small personal automobile collection, much like his climate controlled shop... pristine at all times, no musk, no dust, nothing out of place.
Pernickety to be sure and his collection, in particular this Superb 1965 Corvette Coupe, shows undeniable evidence of his desire and determination to keep things nice! Just to be clear... Pernicketiness is not a personality flaw, when you are looking to buy a collection worthy automobile.
Larry sourced this car a few years back as a two car deal after finding it parked next to a Z28 Camaro he had been chasing down. The seller, was also clearly a gentleman of means and he to suffered from the enthusiasm we all do for fast four wheel fun, but he was also running out of space in his Palm Beach garage. He himself had purchased the 65 Sting Ray some years back from a well heeled New Yorker who back in 2011 purchased this Corvette,. When purchased in 2011 the car was a very high grade example that had earlier received a NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) 'Top Flight Award' being given a impressive 97.1 grading. That said once purchased Ralph decided he wanted to bring it up to an even higher level of perfect!
A skilled restoration shop of with a strong understanding of NCRS standards was selected to complete what was certainly a cost no object, body off restoration to take the car back to its top form... virtually just as it had left the factory floor some 57 years earlier. Fortunately for Ralph he had bought the car with eyes wide open, and unlike so many of these C2 Sting Rays this car was still in its stock, original factory spec'd form, with its original L76 327/365 V8 and complete factory drivetrain still in place. If you are not a follower of Classic Corvettes and the all important value placed on 'True Originality' you may not be aware of the games that some people may play to hide the true facts on many of these cars.
The quality of the restoration, as can been seen from the images and videos provided by Larry the seller, tell the tale here, virtually no nut or bolt was left untouched by the skilled restoration team, each and every item mechanical, electrical, cosmetic was rebuilt, restored, refreshed using its original factory supplied parts or where necessary OEM parts sourced by the restoration facility. Originality was key and returning the car back to just how it was when it would have left the factory floor was the prime focus of the restoration. Just as it had been when it was 'brand new' was the target. Restoration images tell a story of the respect and love that this piece of automotive treasure received at the hands of the restorer.
The restoration quality far exceeds the norm, being well beyond keeper quality as the end result is what we would term Near Museum Grade.
Once completed the car was delivered to its proud owner Ralph and became a piece of Garage Art at his home. Ralph drove it sparingly through the years, keeping it out of the before selling it via a specialist broker to Bob in Palm Beach. The car has accumulated a total of just 1,250 or so miles since its restoration in 2012.
A few years later when Larry found the car, it was garaged, covered and shielded from dust, hiding out parked beside the Camaro that had brought him to Bob's home. Larry of course asked about the car and the more he saw the more he knew he had to have it. As absolutely stunning and original as the car presents itself it is the car's high level of provenance that eventually brought him to the table. Documents, details, images and invoices have followed the car from day one, all of which are place neatly in a 3" binder. All the 'Classic Corvette Must Haves' are present and accounted for, including:
- The Original Bill of Sale
- Original 1965 Title
- Original Owners Guide
- Original Warrant Book
- Original Protect-O-Plate
- Original Corvette Owner Card
- Original Corvette Sales Brochure
- Original Owner's Letter from S.E. Knuden - Chevrolet's GM
- NCRS Top Flight Award Certificate
- NCRS Inspection Sheet
- Pics of the Original Owner with the car
- Pics & Restoration Notes
- Service & Repair Invoices etc.
Current mileage recorded is 46,000+ Miles, the records and notes with the car support this as 'Actual Mileage'
Since his purchase Larry has invested untold hours going through the car from top to bottom, inside and out checking, cleaning, polishing with his well worn NCRS Guide Book in hand to ensure every aspect of the car presents exactly as it should. He starts it up and runs it often feeding it from the tank of 110 Fuel he keeps in the garage, keeping the car ready to go, but given the fun fleet at his disposal it's not a car he has added near any miles to, and Larry is now ready to move on!
Simply stunning in its original Factory Colours: Glen Green (Chevy's interpretation of BRG) on Matching Dark Green Interior!
V-Consign - Learn More
Our V-Consign program provides enthusiast owners a unique platform to offer their automotive treasures for sale direct to legitimate buyers, without investing the endless hours. inviting the significant risks and enduring many annoyances normally associated with a private party vehicle sales.
The vehicles on offer through SportsCarSellers are for sale direct to you from their registered private owners.
SportsCarLocate/SportsCarSellers is not a vehicle dealer and we do not buy or sell vehicles, we instead provide our private clients location and marketing support services.
Documents Speak Loudly In the Corvette World - Detailed History
2012 Body Off Restoration
The Opportunity
Is it perfection? Well all said and done, although we are resistant to talking up near any pre-owned car, we would have to say that this is just about as close as you are likely going to come to finding perfection in a realistically offered, 57 year old, C2 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe.
This is a difficult to find, professionally and comprehensibly restored car that has been taken to an extremely high standard, while still retaining near all of it's factory original provenance.
This is a 'No Hit' car, wearing its original Factory Colors of the Glen Green which was a One Year Only Shade, so quite rare and gorgeous with the matching Dark Green Interior. Gaps and Panel Fit is superbly done, Chrome is as new, and it still carries all of its original Factory Glass. A tough to match Numbers Matching/Date Coded Car!
Unlike many Sting Rays of this vintage this car was carefully spec'd by its original owner to ensure it would provide him what was at the time, the ultimate level of performance, not just in straight line, but instead a car that does it all well. Perfect for a life at speed, whether that be a twisted road, or the track.
The Sting Ray was and is a car that fulfills dreams, a car that now some 60 years after introduction - no eyeball can ignore, nor ear cannot hear, given the glorious sound of the mechanical symphony provided by this car's high revving L76 V8, with its Factory Solid Lifters and the Duntov High Lift Cam. When it is in full song… this is the stuff of motorsport legend! All of which, on this car, is amplified by the factory optional 'Offroad Exhaust System'.
Yes, there may be a few other similar examples to review and consider but pick carefully as history, provenance, condition and originality speak volumes about both market value and worth. Remember that what you buy is what you must sell in the future, so select carefully to protect your investment.
No Larry's C2 Coupe is not a higher valued,: super rare, Split Window Z06 or a low production 'Tanker Car' - as the rare large gas tank factory cars are now known. All said, as spec'd, this unique Sting Ray is arguably every bit the best true sports car that Chevy produced in the 60s. There were just not many Sting Ray Coupes that actually left the factory optioned just right, like this one, back in this Golden Era. That said, fewer still remain - as buy worthy examples of this very special breed of Corvette, are very few and far between.
As discussed earlier the seller Larry is the guy we would all want to buy a car from, and from my vantage point Larry's knowledge base, vast automotive experience, and personal connections, along with his 'it must be right; nature all add value for any buyer.
I would highly recommend that you take the time to look at the various images and videos provided by the seller on this very impressive Sting Ray. Inside, outside, the engine bay, and even more importantly the underside and inside the creases of this example, as it is simply not the norm that you'll find, when you start seriously chasing one of these Classic Corvettes.
My personal view is similar to that of the Pro's at Hagerty... these C2 Corvettes are actually, currently, under valued by the market, and as such this model may well be primed to move up market with some vengeance. Think it through my fellow enthusiasts, as how often in your short life, do you get the opportunity to buy an attainable Classic Corvette Sting Ray, that presents virtually like new, yet does not suffer from neglect, and deferred maintenance so common with cars of this breed and era.
YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANT IT! And If You Act Quickly This Once In A Lifetime Find Could Be Yours.
This very knowledgeable seller knows the car's worth, he understands the market and has privately priced it quite sensibly. We have listed the car as 'Price On Request' not to deter your interest nor your reality based offers, but to provide some level of privacy to both the seller as well as the eventual buyer. If you have questions or potentially a serious interest in adding the car to your garage or collection please do not hesitate to reach out and discuss your thoughts, there is much more to share on this very special example.
For serious buyers the car will be made available for onsite personal or professional inspection!
As indicated we do not believe an appropriately comparable Sting Ray can now be sourced from elsewhere across the globe within range of the seller's highly digestible price point. So no matter where you are give us a call or connect by email to discuss this opportunity further. Near or far we can support you throughout the process of getting it to your home, virtually anywhere across the world!
The vehicles on offer through SportsCarSellers are for sale direct to you from their registered private owners. SportsCarLocate/SportsCarSellers is not a vehicle dealer and we do not buy or sell vehicles, we instead provide our private clients location and marketing support services.
Why Buy A Classic Corvette Sting Ray?
Back in the 50's & 60's General Motors was an American industrial colossus, a world renown engineering powerhouse. GM at this time was nearing there pinnacle and they had both the desire to achieve great things and the financial means to turn those desires into reality. GM controlled a massive share of the world's largest automotive marketplace and the profits from their sales provided them the ability to invest in Engineering Talent, renown Automotive Designers and Automotive Research & Development, that many other manufacturers in those heady day's could only dream of.
Not long after the end of the 2nd World War this juggernaut of industry identified a new found interest developing amongst the young men returning from war. The Sports Car was quickly becoming popular in America, and with sales of foreign manufactured sports cars on the rise, GM wanted in. GM was determined to build a World Class Sports Car and Corvette was to be the name, a name they borrowed from the Fast Attack Warships common in WWll.
A somewhat slow start, and a few motoring missteps later General Motors had a real winner in the C2 Series Corvette. GM had learned their lessons during the 10 years of C1 Corvette production, with evolutionary changes each and every year and these lesson paid big dividends when it came time to design and develop the truly Revolutionary C2.
Stunningly gorgeous. purposefully proportioned, visually potent the Sting Ray Coupe simply screams sports car. The Sting Ray was a fresh design from tip to tail, not derivative or a copycat of some other breed as the Sting Ray had a look all it's own, and God it looked great! In fact there is no denying that the Sting Ray Coupe still looks fabulous even when compared to modern era sports cars.
Of course a true sports car is far more than just good looks with what's under the beautiful skin ultimately more important than the pretty lines of the body... it was here deep within the the C2 Corvette - the Sting Ray, that was to be found the parts that guaranteed that this storied model would be seen by potential buyers and fellow manufactures as not simply world class, but as a world beater!
Pound for Pound/Dollar for Dollar there was nothing in the sports car world that could compete with a properly spec'd Sting Ray.
So potent were these cars that even today nearly 60 years after their initial introduction the Sting Ray remains a performance icon, capable of keeping up with some pretty heady, modern era sports cars. Of course they, like near all makes and models, came in a wide variety of flavors from mild mannered to diabolical, each being capable and competent. with a few like this carefully spec'd example simply different than the pack and a little more special than the rest.
They came available with massive, for this era, power to weight ratios and a Drivetrain, Suspension and Brakes that allows a competent driver to wring the daylights out of the car's world renown Chevrolet V8.
The original Sting Ray, the C2 Corvette was manufactured to be fast and potent, but also highly durable and reliable and this car is certainly evidence that GM got all that good stuff more than right. In comparison to many sports cars of it's era or sport cars in the modern era, it was, and is, as simple as it is strong, cheap to service, with most all replacement parts readily and relatively inexpensively available. Try and say all that about the comparative performance competitors from its day! This was a car that could run with and often beat the premium sports & exotic cars of its era, the Ferraris, the Lamborghinis, the Porsche 911s, the E type Jaguars... yet it was originally priced at less than one third that being asked for many of these cars.
C2 Corvettes have a massive following of enthusiasts both at home in America and across the world. The broad based enthusiasm for these very special cars can be seen in the auction battles both online and off each time a premium C2 example comes up for sale. This hyper enthusiasm is not something new for the Classic Sting Ray as this model has been the stuff of legend and desire since the day it was introduced into the market 6 decades earlier. These are cars that have a truly universal appeal, in fact I can't for a moment imagine that any true enthusiast reading this advert will not want to be its next lucky owner!
Yes, like all of the great sports car classics from this golden era the Sting Ray has continued to appreciate in value through the decades. but not unlike when it was new to the marketplace, the current C2 Corvettes values offer some near unimaginable opportunities, when compared against its competitors from its era. In fact through the past few years, while other sports car classics soared in value, well beyond the point of sensibility, the C2 Corvettes has performed admirably, but not astoundingly.
We have a sense that a real opportunity is on offer here as It all leaves one to believe that unlike many classics today, this model, and more importantly this particular example, has some significant room for value growth in the years to come! Hence, whether you are a collector, an investor or simply a sports car enthusiasts who wants ownership of and access to one of the very best, you need to be seriously considering this rare opportunity!
The Corvette Story
First introduced in 1953 the original Corvette known as the C1 was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalize on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle shown at Motorama in New York City earlier in the year,
In those early days the C1 proved to be far less than imagined by GM''s management team and more importantly the potential buyer pool. As promising as it may have been to the eye initially, the reality was that to keep costs down, GM Management mandated the use of off-the-shelf mechanical components, and used the chassis and suspension design from the 1949–1954 Chevrolet passenger vehicles for the C1. The drivetrain and passenger compartment were moved rearward to achieve what was still a less than prime 53/47 front-to-rear weight distribution, and this was just the start of the problems.
The engine was a 235 cu in (3.85 L) inline six engine[12] that was similar to the 235 engine that powered all other Chevrolet car models, but with a higher-compression ratio, three Carter side-draft carburetors, mechanical lifters, and a higher-lift camshaft. Output was a paltry 150 horsepower (110 kilowatts). And because there was currently no manual transmission available to Chevrolet rated to handle 150 HP, a two-speed Powerglide automatic was used. 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time was 11.5 seconds.
Not surprisingly the early version of the C1 Corvette was not the sales success story that GM had hoped for. Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years. The Corvette program was nearly cancelled, but the boys at GM's Chevrolet Division decided to stay the course and work at making the improvements necessary to realize the original dream of building a true sports car.
Enter... Zora Arkus-Duntiv
1953 Motorama - C1 Corvette Introduction
The Mark of Zora
GM's 'Renaissance Man'
Zora a Russian born, European Trained, Engineering Savant. a youthful, uniquely talented, automotive engineer, and skilled race car driver... in fact a Le Mans 24hr Race Class Winner... for who else other than Porsche while driving a factory 550 Spyder.
Zora rather cheekily introduced himself to the engineering scions at GM by way of a letter after seeing the C1 Corvette on display, during the car's introduction at none other than that 1953 Motorama show in New York City. Like most, Zora like the look of the C1, but after a quick onsite review of the car mechanically he knew that the car needed a lot of major changes to realize it's performance intentions. Zora was not shy about sharing his thoughts on the car, and it's clear limitations, with the GM team, but he also offered potential solutions gleaned from his already impressive Engineering & Racing history. His unusual self introduction worked and he soon found himself working as an Engineer at GM.
Zora had little interest in GMs bread and butter cars and soon made it clear to his superiors that his only reason for joining the team was to take on the lead role in the continued development of the Corvette. Not a man to mince words or remain quiet in the background, Zora's unrelenting drive, engineering prowess and unique skill set pushed him to the top... Zora Arkus-Duntov - The Corvette's Godfather was soon to be ordained by the GM Board.
To fully understand the Corvette's placement in a rather small list of true Automotive Icons you need to have some understanding and appreciation for the Man who's talents played a lead role in bringing the Corvette to life.!
The C1 Corvette continued in production for 10 years in total and with each passing year it progressed towards sports car competency, but it was with the introduction of the C2 Corvette, the Sting Ray, for the 1963 model year, where the Corvette really made it's mark in the annuls of sports car history.
Zora's fingerprints are all over the C2 cars, and it was his unrelenting vision that ultimately turned the Corvette into America's only true production sports car of this era,. A car with performance capabilities that rivalled the best that the storied European Manufactures had on offer back in the 60's.
Ferrari's 275 GTB had Enzo, Porsche's 911 had Ferdinand, Jaguar's E Type had Sir Lyons, and GM's Corvette had Zora!
Click here to learn a little more about the Man - The Legend Zora Arkus-Duntov!.