Chassis No. 194676S106515

Engine No. TIII6IP 6106515

Transmission No. 6S106515

For 1966, Corvette engineers took the phrase "no replacement for displacement" to heart. They removed the often-complicated Rochester fuel injection from the engine options list and increased the size of their big block V8 from 396 to 427 cu-in, now offered in two variants with 390 or 425 horsepower. This Duntov award-winning 1966 Sting Ray Convertible features the L72 option code 425-horsepower V8 with an 11.0:1 compression ratio, special performance mechanical lifters, and a special Holley carburetor with a high-flow air cleaner. Well-known among Corvette aficionados is that this special L72 Turbo-Jet engine was first released with an advertised 450 horsepower. After insurance industry concerns, the horsepower badging number dropped to 425 with no change in technical specification. The body time build code on the trim tag is noted as 22 October (C22) and known final monthly serial numbers put this Sting Ray as completed toward the end of November 1965. These dates also correlate with the engine assembly date stamped on the engine pad as 16 November (III6) at Chevrolet's Tonawanda, New York plant.

Finished in rare Laguna Blue (just over seven percent of 1966 Sting Rays were so finished) over a Blue vinyl interior, a copy of a dealer's retail order for the Convertible as a one-year-old car reveals the remainder of the build specification likely specified when new. It records that the car was sold from Van Praag-Chandler Chevrolet in Paris, Missouri, on 19 May 1967 with a four-speed manual transmission, a tinted windshield, AM/FM radio, transistorized ignition, dual side exhaust, Positraction and the monstrous 425-horsepower engine. The lucky buyer – who traded in his 1963 Corvette Convertible - was Gerald Mitchener of Decatur, Illinois. The original Protect-O-Plate features Mitchener's name stamped as the owner as well as the trim and engine serial information.

As further testament to its quality, the big block was once part of LA Times publisher Otis Chandler's exceptional collection of significant American muscle cars. Included with the sale, a photo album documents a comprehensive frame-off restoration completed under Chandler's ownership in 1990. NCRS documentation shows that subsequent owners Tom and Treasha Reser of Vancouver, Washington, showed their Sting Ray Convertible extensively beginning in 2001, capturing a NCRS Top Flight award in 2001, two more in 2002 along with an NCRS Performance Verification award, leading to the coveted Duntov Mark of Excellence Award in August that year. NCRS currently documents that less than 1,200 Corvettes have received the coveted Duntov Award. Research indicates that this spectacular Corvette was then acquired by Marc Andreessen of Silicon Valley fame (founder of Netscape and VC firm Andreessen Horowitz) and then a subsequent California collector in 2015. Notably, the engine pad stamping and trim tag were both verified by marque expert Al Grenning in 2015, with copies of affirmation certificates from his inspection on file. Today, this superbly documented, award-winning big block Convertible remains in exceptional condition and is offered in its original colors, together with its restoration photo book, NCRS awards, 1967 sales contract, and original Protect-O-Plate. Without question, it is one of the best presented and most comprehensively documented 1966 Corvettes to have come to market in many years, offering a rare opportunity for collectors of America's sports car. It is a representative, benchmark example of one of the highest performance Chevrolet flagships, still ready at a moment's notice to be the king of the streets.