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The Story of the Asteroid Sting Ray: One of the Most Iconic Custom Corvettes of All Time

While it might look like a blinged-out customized classic from the early 2000s, this unique ‘Vette was born nearly sixty years ago and the man responsible for its transformation was nonother than the legendary George Barris.
1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid” by Barris Kustoms 8 photos
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”
After establishing itself as the most popular American sports car ever built, the Corvette was completely redesigned for the 1963 model year. The result of merging two distinct GM projects: the smaller Q-Corvette, and Bill Mitchell's XP-87 Stingray Racer, the new Corvette which borrowed both design cues and the Sting Ray moniker (albeit spelled using two words) from the latter concept car. It was a daring departure from the styling of the original fiberglass-bodied model, yet one that proved extremely successful.

Now available as a coupe and with a thoroughly improved chassis, the C2 was an instant hit among sports car enthusiasts. Chevy ended up producing a little over 21,500 units that year, which was a 39 percent increase over the previous year.

One of the enthusiasts who were quick to buy one was a man named Bob Nordskog, but unlike other C2 buyers, he ordered it in primer-only, planning to have the car extensively customized before driving it around.

A mechanical engineer by trade and a very successful businessman, Nordskog was a speed addict with a passion for fast and flashy vehicles. In later life, he would go on to make a name for himself in the world of powerboat racing, a dangerous sport where he competed until the ripe age of 79.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
But, before becoming a powerboat racing legend, he enjoyed spending some of his weekends on land, driving fast cars to the drag strip, racing them, then heading back home.

This was exactly what he wanted to do with his new Corvette, but the factory setup and looks just didn’t cut it. So, he had his brand-new, unpainted Chevy delivered to George Barris of Barris Kustoms in Los Angeles, California.

Arguably the most influential name in the history of the custom car culture, George Barris was responsible for works of art like the Hirohata Merc as well as four-wheeled Hollywood stars such as the Munster Koach or the 1966 Batmobile.

Like the aforementioned cars, Nordskog’s Corvette would stand out from a mile away. After that, Barris and his team gave it a flamboyant copper finish with flake gold inserts. However, the custom paint job which was extremely rare and hard to pull off during the early 1960s was just the most obvious of countless modifications that the car would receive in California.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
Remember, the year was 1963, the C2 just came out and its bodywork was hailed as a design masterpiece, so altering its near-perfect shapes was the last thing on most people’s minds. But George Barris wasn’t part of that category and reckoned it could use some improvements.

Therefore, the C2’s front end was slightly stretched out, its retractable headlights were deleted, and new ones were fitted inside a custom grille located under the nose. Furthermore, the stock hood with its faux vents was replaced with a bespoke fiberglass variant which featured functional vents atop a bulging scoop.

The rear end was also lengthened, the wheel wells were widened to make room for drag-oriented slicks, and the taillights along with the bumpers were deleted. To make sure that the Corvette was still roadworthy, Barris fabricated a pair of bumperettes with cleverly-incorporated, fully-functional taillights.

Apart from that, the trademark split rear window was removed and replaced with a single-piece version, a modification Chevy famously employed a year later, in 1964 on all coupe-bodied Corvettes.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
On each side, the car, which was nicknamed Asteroid for its unique paintwork, boasted exposed exhaust headers with removable mufflers instead of the dummy vents it came with from the factory. The custom exhaust system hinted at a modified engine, and that’s exactly what this ‘Vette hid under its hood.

Like the 1962 C1, the new C2 could be had with one of four available power configurations of the 327-ci (5.4-liter) small-block V8. As standard, it produced 250 hp, whereas the most potent setup made 360 hp.

Bob Nordskog wanted more, so he had the engine comprehensively rebuilt by the specialists who worked on his powerboats. Based on the original 327 block, the unit was enlarged to 352 cubic inches (5.7 liters) and received numerous race-bred hardware, including six Stromberg 97 carburetors. These modifications boosted the output to 400 ponies and no less than 430 lb-ft (583 Nm) of torque.

1963 Chevrolet Corvette “Asteroid”
Photo: Barrett-Jackson
As I mentioned earlier, Bob enjoyed driving and racing his cars, so the Asteroid was built with two distinct setups in mind. In street guise, it sat on wired wheels wrapped with whitewall tires, whereas in drag mode, its mufflers were removed and the classy wired wheels were replaced by American Racing mags with beefy slicks on the rear.

In the years that followed, the car was displayed at every high-profile auto show in the country where it won several awards. It was also featured in many automotive magazines, becoming a legend among custom car enthusiasts.

It was subsequently repainted to match one of Bob’s speedboats and he continued to drive it occasionally until his death in 1992. Years later, his family restored it to its initial 1963 condition and in 2014, they auctioned it off at a Barret-Jackson event.

Now 59 years old, the Asteroid is recognized as one of, if not, the most iconic custom Corvettes of all time. Blending subtle, yet intricate modifications with flashy additions like the paint and exposed headers, it remains an invaluable piece of custom car history.

You can take a virtual tour and hear its powerful V8 roar in the video below by Audrain Museum Network.

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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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