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From Mako Shark to Manta Ray: The Evolution of the Most Influential Corvette Concepts

During the 1960s, General Motors introduced a trio of stunning show cars that laid the groundwork for the C2 and C3 Corvette. Although many other concepts followed, these three remain the most influential, as they went on to inspire the styling of modern iterations, including the current, mid-engine C8.
Corvette Mako Shark II 14 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
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Like the Corvette itself, the notion of a concept (or show) car was born in the U.S., under GM’s roof. Dubbed Buick Y-Job and designed by the legendary Harley J. Earl, the drop-top beauty unveiled in 1940 previewed a series of novel features and design cues that influenced the division’s mass-produced models for over a decade.

When GM decided to build a rival for the European sports cars that were flooding the North American market in the post-WWII years, the same Harley J. Earl was selected to draw it up. To build hype around it, the corporation commissioned Earl and the Chevy team to build a show car which was codenamed EX-122. First shown to the public at the 1953 Motorama in New York City, the concept would become known as the Corvette and with a few minor changes, it entered production a few months later.

Contrary to popular belief, the C1 wasn’t the commercial success that GM had envisioned but it did pique the American buyer’s interest in a homebuilt sportscar, so the corporation poured resources into the development of a successor.

Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark
Photo: Chevrolet
Under the supervision of Styling and Design head Bill Mitchell, the new Corvette’s design was ironed out as early as 1961 and, as they did in the past, the team created a show car that would help promote it. Like the upcoming production version, the vehicle was designed by Larry Shinoda, who drew inspiration from the 1959 XP-87 Stingray racer.

Gone was the curvaceous, European-looking theme of the C1, with the ‘Vette’s body now boasting far more aggressive lines that look like the sleek shortfin mako shark. Although it was officially codenamed XP-755, the concept car unveiled at the 1962 International Automobile Show would become known as the Mako Shark due to its unmistakable resemblance to the fast-moving predator.

One aspect that contributed to this was the car’s spectacular paintwork. Legend has it that, upon returning from a fishing trip with a taxidermized shark head (some reports state that it was a complete shark) as a trophy, Bill Mitchell hung it in his office and instructed the design team to replicate its coloring on the show car.

Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark
Photo: Chevrolet
Several attempts to make such an impossible task possible were made but Mitchell was not satisfied. The styling head would put the trophy next to the car and since the paint was not identical, he instructed the team to try again. Annoyed by this, an unnamed member of the team snuck into Mitchell’s office one night, took his beloved trophy, and airbrushed it to look like the car’s latest paint job. In the end, the boss couldn’t tell the difference and, since the car and the shark now looked the same, he finally gave his frustrated team the thumbs up.

The Mako Shark managed to draw enough interest in the C2 as it became a fan favorite at every event where it was showcased. It underwent styling and detail changes over time, gaining front fascia and interior upgrades. The car also lost the distinctive "double-bubble" canopy borrowed from a previous concept and became a pure convertible.

Apart from the unique paint and several flamboyant design cues, its overall styling made it to the mass-produced model. which became the commercial hit that its predecessor never was.

Unlike other GM concepts that were eventually destroyed, the original Shark is still alive and well, residing in the corporation’s Heritage Collection located in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

Corvette Mako Shark I and II
Photo: Chevrolet
Just a few years after the debut of the Mako Shark, the Corvette team began work on the third-generation model which would roll out the factory gates in 1967. While the mid-engine format proposed by Zora Arkus-Duntov with his race-bred CERV II concept was considered, Bill Mitchell's conventional front-engine design was deemed more marketable by GM’s top brass.

Under the codename XP-830, the development of a new concept car kicked off in early 1964 with the C2’s existing chassis as the base. For the C3, Mitchell wanted "a narrow, slim, center section and coupe body, a tapered tail, an all-of-a-piece blending of the upper and lower portions of the body through the center (avoiding the look of a roof added to a body), and prominent wheels with their protective fenders distinctly separate from the main body, yet grafted organically to it.”

Turning this vision into reality took about a year to pull off. Mitchell’s designers completed a full-size, non-running version in March 1965, and days later, key members of GM’s management were invited to see it. Everyone was blown away and unanimously decided that it had to go into production as soon as possible.

Bill Mitchell and the Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark II
Photo: Chevrolet
Finished in a similar paint and carrying the same Mako Shark moniker as the XP-755, the non-functional concept was first shown to the public at the New York International Auto Show just a month later. While its exterior design was praised by everyone, its futuristic interior received a lot of criticism for ergonomically-nightmarish such as the yoke-style steering wheel with its complicated transmission controls.

Behind closed doors, the development team was working on a running model that would address these issues and in October 1965, it made its public debut in France, at the Paris Auto Show. Powered by the highly successful and versatile 427 version of Chevy’s Mark IV big block, the functional Mako Shark II had rear-exiting exhausts -as opposed to the static model’s side-mounted variants – and a conventional steering wheel with column-fitted transmission controls.

Although it’s unquestionably the most influential concept car to ever don Corvette badges, shaping the look of America’s popular sports car for generations to come, the story of the second Shark, in either non-functional or functional form, didn’t have a happy ending. Unlike its predecessor which enjoys retirement on top of a pedestal inside GM’s Heritage Collection, the static version was dismantled while the running model was transformed into another show car.

Chevrolet Corvette Manta Ray
Photo: Chevrolet
This leads us to the third most influential Corvette concept. Completed in 1969 it left the Mako Shark name behind (but not the now-iconic paint) and became known as the Manta Ray.

Its front fascia remained largely the same, with the only additions being an extended bumper ring around the vents and a chin spoiler mounted underneath.

On the sides, the Manta Ray featured functional exhausts that were masterfully integrated into rocker panels, but its most distinct upgrade was the profusely elongated, tail. The now-classic four taillights layout was tucked under the rear deck line and a pair of pop-up flaps that reflected light from upward-facing lamps were added. You can see rare footage of them in action below, thanks to the video posted on YouTube by DtRockstar1

Chevrolet Corvette Manta Ray
Photo: Chevrolet
The reshaped tail flowed into a sweeping, scooped-out, stinger-style roof that helped accentuate the aggressiveness of the overall design. Speaking of aggressiveness, the car was powered by the newly introduced ZL1 427-ci (7.0-liter) V8, a lightweight, all-aluminum monster that could spit out no less than 430 hp.

Even if the Mako Shark II had to be sacrificed to build it, the Manta Ray was in itself a work of automotive art that captivated the hearts and minds of sports car enthusiasts. Thankfully, after its transformation, GM decided to keep it and it joined the first Shark in the corporation’s Heritage Collection.

Many other concept cars that carried the Corvette nameplate followed in the next five decades, but none were as pure nor as influential as these three. They inspired the look of every mass-produced Corvette generation that followed, including the current and radically different C8.

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About the author: Vlad Radu
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Vlad's first car was custom coach built: an exotic he made out of wood, cardboard and a borrowed steering wheel at the age of five. Combining his previous experience in writing and car dealership years, his articles focus in depth on special cars of past and present times.
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