1967 Chevy Corvette C2 Stingray

The C2 Corvette is America's sports car at its most beautiful. The 1963-67 'mid-year' generation introduced the Stingray name, the split rear window (1963 only), and some of the most stunning automotive styling ever committed to fiberglass.

By 1967, the final year, Chevrolet had refined the car's quirks while adding the monstrous 427 big-block option. The result was a sports car that could humiliate European exotics on both the track and the street.

The L88 racing engine option — aluminum heads, 12.5:1 compression, and a factory-rated 430 hp that was actually closer to 560 — is one of the most valuable engines ever installed in a production car.

The fiberglass body doesn't rust, but it does crack and check. Original Goodwood Green, Marlboro Maroon, and Sunfire Yellow age beautifully. The chrome bumpers and trim can pit but rechrome well.

The frame is steel and does rust — check the front crossmember and rear trailing arm mounts. Documentation matters enormously for big-block cars. The NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) judges these cars critically.

A well-documented numbers-matching car is worth multiples of an undocumented one.

The C2 Corvette has perhaps the best parts support of any collector car. Reproduction everything is available. Corvette Central, Eckler's, and others have complete catalogs.

The fiberglass body means no rust repair — just panel replacement or repair. But the frame is steel and can be expensive to restore. The suspension geometry is dated and the car handles like the 1960s.

The small-block 327 is the best balanced choice for regular driving. Big-blocks are nose-heavy and require careful throttle management.