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  • The Last C2 Corvette: The End Of The Sting Ray Era – July 12, 1967

    The Last C2 Corvette: The End Of The Sting Ray Era – July 12, 1967

    ULTIMATE CORVETTE FACT OF THE DAY • JULY 12, 2026

    On July 12, 1967, the final second-generation Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line in St. Louis, closing the book on one of the most celebrated chapters in Corvette history. With that car, the legendary C2 Corvette—known throughout the enthusiast community as the Midyear Corvette—came to an end after just five model years.

    Its production run was brief, but the C2’s influence has proven nearly impossible to match.

    The Final 1967 Corvette

    Finished in Silver Pearl with a black interior, the final second-generation Corvette embodied the character of the 1967 Sting Ray at its most refined. Its L36 427-cubic-inch V8, close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, factory air conditioning, side exhaust, and red stripe tires made it a fitting farewell to the Midyear generation. Rather than ending quietly, the C2 era concluded with a beautifully equipped big-block coupe that represented both the sophistication and performance Chevrolet had built into the Sting Ray over five remarkable model years.

    The final C2 is identified as VIN 194377S122940, the last 1967 Corvette coupe produced. Finished in Silver Pearl with a black interior, it was no stripped-down farewell car. Instead, Chevrolet built it with a particularly desirable collection of performance and comfort options.

    Under its distinctive big-block hood was the L36 427-cubic-inch V8, rated at 390 horsepower. It was paired with an M21 close-ratio four-speed manual transmission and also featured factory air conditioning, side-mounted exhaust, power steering, a telescopic steering column, AM/FM radio, tinted glass, Positraction, and red stripe tires.

    It was a remarkably appropriate finale: a beautifully optioned big-block Corvette that represented much of what had made the second-generation Sting Ray so desirable.

    How the C2 Transformed America’s Sports Car

    The 1967 Corvette represented the C2 at its most refined, combining dramatic Sting Ray styling with sharper handling, four-wheel disc brakes, and an exceptional range of small- and big-block engines. It helped redefine America’s sports car as something more sophisticated, capable, and internationally credible. By the end of the Midyear era, Corvette had evolved from a stylish roadster into a true world-class performance machine. (Image credit: mecum.com)

    When the C2 debuted for the 1963 model year, it represented far more than a routine redesign. It fundamentally changed the direction of the Corvette.

    The new generation introduced the Sting Ray name to a production Corvette, gave buyers the first factory-built Corvette coupe, and replaced the earlier solid rear axle with a sophisticated independent rear suspension. Its hidden headlamps, sharply creased fenders, aircraft-inspired cockpit, and dramatic fastback profile created a visual identity unlike anything else on American roads.

    The one-year-only 1963 split-window coupe became the immediate icon, but the C2 was never merely a styling exercise. Chevrolet continued refining the platform throughout its five-year lifespan, improving its brakes, handling, engine lineup, and overall usability.

    Four-wheel disc brakes became standard for 1965, giving the Corvette stopping performance more appropriate for its growing speed. That same year, Chevrolet introduced the Mark IV big-block V8 to the Corvette, beginning an escalation in performance that would define the final years of the Midyear era.

    By 1966 and 1967, buyers could order brutally powerful 427-equipped Corvettes capable of challenging some of the fastest production cars in the world.

    Why the 1967 Corvette Remains So Desirable

    Beneath the hood of the last C2 Corvette was Chevrolet’s L36 427-cubic-inch Turbo-Jet V8, rated at 390 horsepower. Paired with an M21 close-ratio four-speed manual transmission, the big-block delivered the effortless torque and commanding performance that had come to define the closing years of the Midyear era. It was an entirely fitting powerplant for the last 1967 Corvette ever built—refined enough for the road, but still unmistakably muscular. (Image credit: mecum.com)

    The 1967 Corvette Sting Ray occupies a special place in Corvette history because it represented the C2 in its most mature and fully developed form.

    For its final model year, Chevrolet carefully simplified the exterior design. Decorative trim was reduced, functional five-slot fender vents appeared behind the front wheels, and big-block cars received the unforgettable raised Stinger hood. The result was a cleaner, more purposeful appearance that many enthusiasts consider the finest expression of the original Sting Ray design.

    The available engine lineup was equally impressive. Buyers could choose between 327-cubic-inch small-block engines rated at 300 or 350 horsepower, along with several versions of the 427 big-block. These included the 390-horsepower L36, the triple-carbureted L68 and L71, and the legendary competition-oriented L88.

    Only 20 L88-equipped Corvettes were produced for 1967, making it one of the rarest and most valuable production Corvettes ever built.

    The End of the Midyear Era

    As the sun set on July 12, 1967, it also set on the second-generation Corvette. The final Silver Pearl Sting Ray brought the five-year Midyear era to a close, leaving behind one of the most influential designs in American automotive history. Its combination of sculpted styling, independent rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and formidable big-block power had permanently redefined what America’s sports car could be. The C2 was finished—but its legacy was only beginning. (Image credit: mecum.com)

    Chevrolet produced 22,940 Corvettes for the 1967 model year, including 8,504 coupes and 14,436 convertibles.

    Those numbers are not extraordinarily low by collector-car standards, yet the final-year C2 has become one of the most coveted Corvettes in the marque’s history. Its appeal cannot be explained through production figures alone.

    The C2 combined breakthrough engineering, race-bred credibility, breathtaking design, and an extraordinary range of available performance. It helped transform the Corvette from an appealing American roadster into a legitimate world-class sports car.

    The Midyear Corvette lasted only from 1963 through 1967, but it established a benchmark that nearly every Corvette generation since has been expected to honor. For many enthusiasts, it remains the purest expression of what a classic Corvette should be: bold, muscular, technically ambitious, and unmistakably American.

    Would the 1967 Corvette Sting Ray make your list of the five greatest Corvettes ever built? Tell us below—and let us know which engine, body style, exterior color, and interior combination you would choose.

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    The final 1967 C2 Corvette: Assembled on July 12, 1967.

    On July 12, 1967, the final C2 Corvette rolled off the St. Louis assembly line, ending the legendary Midyear era. Finished in Silver Pearl and powered by a 427-cubic-inch V8, that last Sting Ray became a fitting finale to one of Corvette’s most influential generations.