The pro-touring movement, keenly summarized as mixing wicked performance with classic good looks, began gaining popularity about 25 years ago. Transforming a storied classic into a technological tour de force is one of America’s favorite pastimes. The 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Restomod LS3/525hp is nothing short of amazing.
This Corvette artist Jeff Hayes-built Sting Ray blends picture-perfect beauty with mechanical power. It’s a terrific choice for your next classic. Especially if you want an exciting performance, a parade queen, or a nice car to keep and enjoy.
PUTTING THE PRO IN PRO-TOURER
Or Facebook, a service that’s easy to use, visually appealing, and highly addictive. That ‘just right mindset feels like the perfect way to describe this Corvette’s killer appearance. Simply put: the car is a winner. It’s handsome without being too traditional. Moreover, it’s fresh without being too outlandish. It’s original and mass-appealing.
Jeff Hayes’ American Speed Shop refined the car’s sturdy body to near perfection. However, unlike GM’s original single-stage Gunmetal Stinger Stripe, this pigment looks rich. Spotless bumpers curl around the silky accent’s billet grille, which hovers between amber parking lamps.
A sharp header symbol leads an electronic Stinger Hood, which fronts like-new glass behind polished frames and capped wipers. In addition, bowtie-stamped mirrors compliment black rockers, classic door handles, and throaty side pipes. However, two more pristine bumpers reflect stylish taillights, a Sting Ray insignia, and a color-keyed gasoline filler.
CHEVROLET PERFORMANCE POWER
Check between this Corvette’s mesh-lined heat extractors and you’ll find 6.2 liters of small block fury! Officially known as the Chevrolet Performance LS376/525, that hot crate engine twists respectable 10.7 to 1 compression into 525 horsepower and 486 lb./ft. of gravel pummeling torque. However, at the front of the block, a polished air cleaner bends wind into a polished throttle body, which feeds a color-keyed GM intake.
That air meets spark in rectangular-port L92-style heads, which ride under thick Holley fuel rails and attractive Corvette valve covers. In addition, a nodular crank, powdered connecting rods, and hypereutectic pistons compress that volatile union. Moreover, a hydraulic ASA camshaft maximizes intake efficiency through better breathing. Speaking of breathing, the smooth mill funnels spent gases through stainless block hugger headers. However, there’s a serious Be Cool radiator that’s slid in front of a chrome puller fan.
Polished serpentine components spin a polished Powermaster alternator opposite a polished AC compressor. In addition, braided lines and quality Taylor plug wires combine with polished reservoirs, a polished master cylinder, and a polished battery brace to detail otherwise purpose-built performance.
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Restomod LS3/525hp – NOT STOCK AT ALL
Park this Sting Ray on a lift and you’ll find a custom, fully powder-coated chassis that mixes a spry fifth-generation Corvette front suspension with a steady sixth-generation Corvette rear suspension. Moreover, at the middle of those professionally assembled bones, a smooth 4L65E 4-speed deals power to a spry Dana 44 differential that’s been borrowed from a sixth-generation Corvette Z06.
Turns come courtesy of power rack-and-pinion steering. As a result, smooth and solid stops are provided by sixth-generation Corvette Z06 brakes, which squeeze 4 and 6-piston calipers around a quartet of drilled and slotted rotors. However, torque meets the pavement through seventh-generation Corvette Z06-style blades, which spin 235/40R18 Toyo Proxes 4 Plus redlines in front of 275/35R19 Toyo Proxes 4 Plus redlines.
1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe Restomod LS3/525hp – TAMING THE BEAST
Slip into this roadster’s sublime, French-stitched cockpit and settle on bolstered bucket seats that wrap distressed leather around modern frames. In addition, a leather-trimmed dash fashions awesome carbon fiber dins around Vintage Air climate control, Bluetooth-capable, direct-fit audio, and gorgeous Auto Meter American Muscle telemetry.
At the base of that dash, a carbon fiber console frames a booted Lokar shifter. Moreover, custom, mesh-trimmed door panels bridge the gap between premium carpet, which contrasts billet foot pedals, and an ornate headliner, which shades modern power windows. Lastly, the driver commands presence through a color-keyed Billet Specialties steering wheel, which laps a polished, tilting column.
Related Questions:
- What is a 1967 Corvette worth?
Photos courtesy Mecum Auctions. According to NADA, the high retail value of a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette coupe with the 427-cu.in., 435-hp V-8, a four-speed manual transmission, power windows, and a telescopic steering wheel is just under $170,000.
- What engines were available in a 1966 Corvette?
The engines’ official names are 425-hp Turbo-Jet 427 and 390-hp Turbo-Jet 427, respectively. Both V8s use a 4.25” bore and 3.76” stroke. For more crankshaft rigidity, both engines come with extra-wide-base main bearing caps.
- How much is a split window Corvette worth?
While there are exceptions to every rule (more about that later) a good split-window ‘Vette with Powerglide is reliably under $100,000, something that cannot be said of most ’63 Sting Ray coupes with three pedals.
