![]() The rear end also featured an adjustable rear wing. The rear bumper was retractable, too, offer more parking-lot protection when extended. The concept featured a one-piece, front-hinged front end that opened to reveal not only the engine, but much of the front chassis and suspension. More Detailsįour years after the original Mako Shark concept foreshadowed the design of the next-generation Corvette that debuted in 1963, the Mako Shark II provided an early glimpse of the third-generation Corvette design, which was introduced for the 1968 model year.Īlso like the first Mako Shark show car, the second was influenced by design chief Bill Mitchell’s affinity for deep sea fishing – in this car, the sleek, swept look of a manta ray. Hard braking caused flaps on the rear deck to rise, reflecting light from upward facing stop-lamps (a feature first shown on the original Shark). ![]() A gunslit vertical window replaced the louvered fastback rear window. Even though the shark-inspired ‘68 production Corvette was in showrooms, the Manta Ray was just too cool to retire just yet. The Manta Ray also packed the new, lightweight, all-aluminum ZL-1 427ci engine which produced 430 horsepower. The Stingray-like pointed roof with its louvers was replaced with a long, pointed, scooped out design that was very cool. The covers for the side pipes eventually showed up as an option on the ‘69 Corvette Most dramatic was the all-new roof line. The front end had a pointed chin spoiler and the headlights used 2 banks of 3 quartz-hallogen lights. ![]() The Manta Ray was actually the 1965 Mako Shark II (XP-830) with a few upgrades, so it featured many of the Mako II’s outward features, such as side exhaust and a lower-body (along the rocker panels) silver paint job. ![]()
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