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1967 Chevrolet COPO Corvette Coupe Headed To Mecum Glendale Auction

The Chevy Corvette received a clean-sheet redesign for the 1963 model year, marking the start of the second generation known as the Mid Years or C2. It now carried the Sting Ray moniker, taking some of its styling cues from the sea creature. The rear suspension evolved from a solid axle to an independent setup, suspended by a transverse leaf spring, vastly improving ride and handling. The Corvette could be had in either coupe or convertible guises for the first time. Available options included power steering, power brakes, power windows, air conditioning, AM/FM radio, leather seats, and a number of performance parts intended for competition use. Interior space was much improved, as was the cargo area on both convertibles and coupes.

Throughout the 1963 to 1967 Chevy Corvette production run, a number of changes improved performance, but none so much as the switch to standard disc brakes in 1965. From personal experience, I can assure you the difference from four-wheel drum to four-wheel disc braking is night and day. Also available for the first time in 1965 was Big Block power. The Mark IV 396 Big Block offered 425 horsepower. The Big Block engine was the death knell for the fuel-injected Corvette Small Block, and 1965 was the last year Rochester mechanical fuel injection was available.

The Mid Year Chevy Corvette would continue to evolve, with the final year being the cleanest design of the run. Some exterior trim was eliminated, giving the Sting Ray a cleaner, less cluttered look. The fender gills morphed from three large vertical slots to five smaller, forward-canted slots. The back-up light had been part of the taillights in previous years, but became a separate unit mounted above the license plate. Silver-painted five-slot rally wheels with trim rings and center caps replaced painted steel wheels with hubcaps. Inside the Corvette, the passenger grab handle above the glove box was eliminated, and the parking brake was moved from right of the steering wheel beneath the dash to the center console where the padded armrest used to be. The seats were redesigned for better comfort.

Engine options for the 1967 Chevy Corvette included 300- or 350-horsepower 327 cubic-inch Small Blocks, or 427 cubic-inch Big Blocks rated at 390, 400, or 435 horses. A fourth 427 was available in the special-order L88 that was grossly underrated at 430 horsepower. The L88 could easily achieve 550 to 650 horsepower with a set of exhaust headers and some tuning. Big Block Corvettes were visually differentiated by their hoods that had a power bulge and “stinger” painted in contrasting colors.

Our feature 1967 Chevy Corvette Big Block Coupe is one of three Central Office Production Order Sting Rays built. A COPO car is one that is ordered with options not typically available. Most COPO cars were specialty vehicles like police cruisers, taxis, ambulances, or the like. Some, like COPO Camaros, were performance specials with engines and other goodies that weren’t on the standard option list. But a COPO car could also be one that was ordered with non-standard color combinations, like the three 1967 Big Block Corvettes that were specced with unusual colors. This 1967 Sting Ray coupe is finished in Silver Pearl with a light blue Big Block stinger over Bright Blue interior. Silver Pearl was typically only available with Black or Teal Blue interiors. According to the National Corvette Restorers Society Shipping Data Report, the Corvette was built May 26th, 1967, and shipped to Haney Chevrolet in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to being the only 1967 Chevy Corvette in these colors, the car is equipped with the matching-numbers 390-horsepower 427, four-speed manual gearbox, factory headrest seats, transistorized ignition, side-mount exhaust, Delco AM/FM radio, power brakes, and Rally wheels shod in Redline tires. The Sting Ray is accompanied by the tank sticker, Protect-O-Plate, trim tag showing code 001AA Special Paint with code 414 Bright Blue vinyl interior, a binder full of documentation, known owner history from new, and the NCRS Shipping Data Report.

This one-of-a-kind 1967 Chevy Corvette COPO will cross the Mecum Auctions block at their Glendale, Arizona event taking place March 5th through the 9th.

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Comments

  1. Gee, no black interior? How novel. Very nice car. Unusual color for hood stripe.

    Reply
  2. Nice ‘Vette. Not the prettiest of color combos tho. How sweet it would be, if we could still do COPO. With all the krap going on with GM now, it would be sooooo nice to be able to order just what one wanted! My ’69 Chevelle SS, was a COPO paint job. Too bad i wasn’t smarter at the time. I would have gone full tilt boogie, on the order. My salesman, wasn’t to sharp on muscle cars at the time. But, I still have that car. Just keeps getting more valuable. Later

    Reply
  3. These are such great and classic looking cars!

    Reply
  4. Nice car, and very valuable if for no other reason than it’s a ’67 couple with 4-speed, side pipes, and its original big block. But as for that color combination, there’s a reason why this particular one wasn’t an RPO!

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  5. Never liked the side pipes, they f**k up the look of the car. That blue on the hood doesn’t help either.

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  6. Not many like it…I’m all for the unique look. Where do I send the check?

    Reply
  7. Glad my Dad still has his 1969 Chevelle. I keep it in my garage now. It is an original 396. They just don’t make ’em like they used too. They may not handle like new cars do, but new cars don’t have the class the “first” muscle cars have! Good be alive to see my Dad enjoy it.

    Reply
  8. Mumbles Biden has put a stain on these Corvettes. Just like he’s done to the WH and his changing table.

    Reply
    1. Seriously…leave politics out of it “Tank”, nothing to say about an iconic big block Sting-ray, just political mumbo-jumbo, not warranted here

      Reply

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