Ever seen a 450 HP L72 Sting Ray? How about this one...going up for bids at Mecum's St. Charles (IL) auction October 1-4.

One of the rarest, most highly awarded, original and well-documented Corvettes in existence, this 1966 427/450 HP Sting Ray Coupe is a fascinating Survivor. Built by the second shift of the St. Louis assembly plant at approximately 5PM on October 12, 1965, this coupe was shipped to Pantier Chevrolet in Danville , Arkansas for delivery to its first owner, Edward Page of Danville.

Just before production began on the 1966 Corvette, an Engineering Change Recommendation (ECR) changed the L72 427 engine’s horsepower rating from 450 to 425, but not before early build orders arrived at the factory specifying the 427 at its original 450 horsepower spec. Early orders were scheduled for production along with later orders, making for a mix of 450 and 425 HP designations arriving at dealers in late 1965. There was no actual difference in the engines themselves except for one detail: the cars ordered after the start of production (SOP) had air cleaner stickers reading “425 HP”; it was only the factory rating that had been revised. This caused confusion among buyers who took delivery of the L72 Corvette they ordered at 450hp, only to lift the hood and find a sticker reading “425HP”. Edward Page was one of the first to be subjected to the confusion, and to satisfy Mr. Page and settle the matter, Pantier Chevrolet provided Mr. Page with the Car Shipper portion of the dealer invoice, which showed that the car was indeed a 450 horsepower car, and allowed Mr. Page to keep the paperwork, which has remained with the car ever since.

The coupe was very well cared for over the years by seven subsequent owners. Ed Wodniakowski, who owned the car from 1986 to 2003, located Edward Page in Danville in 1996 and managed to contact him. During their initial conversation, Wodniakowski mentioned that the car’s transmission was not the original one, to which Mr. Page replied that he had replaced the original because he “...just could not keep a transmission in the car,” but that he still owned the original unit. Wodniakowski eventually confirmed this, and purchased it from Page for $500.00, had it rebuilt after an inspection, and re-installed it in the coupe.

During Mr. Wodniakowski’s ownership, the Red coupe earned four NCRS Top Flight Awards (1988, 1993, 1995 and 1996), Bloomington Survivor and Gold certifications, and was submitted for NCRS Star/Bowtie judging, earning one Star for its interior. With only 28,000 miles on the odometer, it remains highly original, as inspected and verified by Corvette historian Al Grenning, with abundant documentation and full owner history.

Highlights:

- Original and unrestored
- 28,000 miles
- Highly documented
- Numbers Matching 427/450 HP engine
- 4-speed manual transmission
- 3.36 Positraction rear axle
- Rally Red with Black interior
- Extensive documentation includes the original car shipper invoice, original window sticker, Protect-O-Plate, complete owner history, title history
- NCRS Top Flight Award May 28, 1995
- Judged Bloomington Gold Survivor June 24, 2000
- Bloomington Gold Certified June 25, 2000
- Verified and inspected by Al Grenning, September, 2006

(Courtesy Mecum Auction Company)