‘Fast and Furious' Made this Classic Corvette Popular
The 1966 Corvette Sting Ray driven in the Fast and Furious movies resulted in a resurgence of popularity for this classic car.
Written by Allison Stone
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
The Fast and Furious is known for putting its crew of beloved
stars
on the map, but it’s also launched quite a few of its automotive stars into the upper echelons of fame as well. For a film series that’s packed with so many ultra-rare rides like the Lykan Hypersport, it seems unusual that a classic, American-made car would catch the public’s eye, but that’s exactly what happened with the 1963 to 1967 Chevrolet Corvette C2 Sting Ray.
Read on with the car ownership experts at Jerry to learn more about this classic Chevy, and why Americans fell in love with it all over again.
How the Corvette Sting Ray came to be
By the time the Sting Ray debuted, GM was in a sweet spot. European competitors had dominated the market for some time, but American brands were finally making some headway.
According to
Autoevolution.com,
The second generation of the Corvette sported a sleeker, more streamlined look that aided in its smooth, aerodynamic performance. The “Sting Ray” moniker was added in 1963 to accompany its new, distinctive design and impressive performance. The suspension and brakes were both improved as well by adding front discs and an independent suspension system.
The curved windshield, long, boat-tailed shaped rear, and aerodynamically profiled front fenders helped to not only reduce turbulence but created a really beautiful silhouette that would become part of its appeal.
With all these improvements, the new Corvette could do a quarter mile in less than 15 seconds, which was pretty remarkable for its time. The Sting Ray featured a 5.4-liter V-8 paired with a four-speed manual with optional power steering.
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The Sting Ray from the Fate of the Furious
In The Fate of the Furious, Letty Ortiz—as played by Michelle Rodriguez—takes a spin this bright red hot rod. Ortiz goes on the drive the C2 Corvette in a high-octane car chase throughout the streets of New York City.
The real model used in filming, according to autoevotion.com was a 1966 Pro-Touring C2 Corvette Sting Ray with 315-section Fiat tires. It is one of just 3,366 from that model year that got the iconic Rally Red paint job.
While the car was already wildly popular at its release, its appearance in the eighth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise gave it a new resurgence of attention.
This car was even named by co-star Jordana Brewster as one of her favorites in the whole series. “If I had to take one car from the franchise and have as my own, it would be the red [Corvette] that Letty drove,” said Brewster in an interview with
Variety
. Even president Joe Biden is known to have been partial to this particular generation of Corvette. Biden received the 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray as a wedding gift from his father and has kept it for close to 55 years.
MORE: This Classic Split Window Corvette Might Just Be the Hottest Car of All
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