The ’60s GTs that took on the Corvette Sting Ray

Could these contenders hold a candle to the classic Chevy?

As the meagre ’50s became the swinging ’60s, so foreign marques began to eye the thriving USA as a prime market for their latest sports cars.

A great idea, but for one small problem: the Chevrolet Corvette – ‘America’s only sports car’, relaunched in 1963 as the C2 Sting Ray in convertible and sensational fastback form.

Clothed in a crisp, glassfibre shell and shipped with a range of V8 engines, the revised ‘Vette wasn’t radically different from the C1 before it – which only meant it remained a showstopping stunner with engineering to match.

Did the overseas contenders have what it took to usurp the Chevy? We drove them to find out.
 

Irresistible stuff

Even before it was available to buy, the second-generation Corvette was a big hit with the American buying public. 

With space-age styling on steroids, Chevy knew exactly how to market its updated masterpiece: “Only a man with a heart of stone could withstand temptation like this” – or so read a 1963 advert for the Sting Ray.

Endless possibilities

Beneath its featherweight shell, penned by stylist Larry Shinoda under legendary design boss Bill Mitchell, was a revised and robust steel chassis, plus one of a selection of V8 motors in various states of tune. 

There were, in fact, 14 engine options available over the lifespan of the C2 – and it would continue like that, with a bewildering array of specification changes that make it almost impossible to value a Sting Ray today without a deep knowledge of the options list.

Plenty to offer

It’s fashionable today for European journalists to dismiss the Corvette as a sports car suitable only for straight roads and drag-strips – but, while there is some truth in that, it’s also worth remembering that this car had very impressive options for 1965, including disc brakes, power steering and all-independent suspension.

Blend of the decades

And there’s no denying that it looks simply superb, blending the remnants of the ‘jet-age’ with an aggressively wedge-like profile that hinted at ’70s style trends with its pointed snout, pop-up headlamps and surprisingly minimal use of chrome.

No wrestling required

Despite the Chevy marketing department’s claims, you didn’t need to be a red-blooded male to enjoy a ‘Vette by ’65: in our fabulous yellow example, the clutch is light, the shift easy and slick, the steering wildly over-assisted – in fact, only the disc brakes need any muscle.

Well put together

On a rough airfield perimeter route, there’s no disguising that the Sting Ray is a separate chassis machine, as it hops, skips and clonks along – but, once onto the smoother asphalt of the local roads, it feels much happier.

There isn’t much body roll and, though a bit soft and loose at the back, it grips reasonably well.

Forget the labels

Sure, it’s clumsier than its rivals, but if you forget the ‘sports car’ and ‘muscle car’ tags and see it instead as an alternative to the classic Euro-GT, then it starts to make a lot more sense.

There’s a wonderful view down the hood – with its big central bulge and sharp wing-tops – while inside the cabin is hugely roomy, even if the interior finish lets down the GT feel, cheapened with black plastic and chrome.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Start it up, though, and you soon forget those blemishes: even in less powerful 300bhp guise it’s still a seriously potent car, with more than enough power to raise a smile – and all it takes is a prod of the throttle.

It just ups and goes, delivering endless torque and grunt anywhere in the rev range, all with a good ol’ V8 soundtrack. Simple, uncomplicated fun, then – the same recipe that has served Chevrolet’s flagship for more than 60 years. 

Quite the package

If the Corvette lacks sophistication, the Jaguar E-type has it in spades: today it seems a machine symbolic of British traditionalism, but at its launch in 1961 this iconic motor’s suggestive styling, rocketship performance and unfeasibly low price-tag made it a breathtaking combination – and the marque’s managers had every intention of shifting it in the States.

Knockout beauty

Far prettier in S1 fixed-head coupe form than as a showy roadster, the combination of Jaguar boss William Lyons’ immaculate lines and Malcolm Sayer’s aerodynamic intellect created in the E-type a windcheating shape with a voluptuous beauty.

It’s a design that’s dulled only by familiarity, but it’s hard to underestimate the knockout punch it must have delivered when the covers came off at the Geneva show in 1961.

Timeless style, advanced engineering

Beneath those super-smooth lines, the E-type was also incredibly well-engineered, built around a modern monocoque (albeit with a tubular subframe bolted on), with straight-six power, all-independent suspension... the list goes on. 

Dated transmission

Yet certain aspects were old-fashioned. Until the arrival of Jaguar’s own gearbox and a larger 4.2-litre engine in 1964, for example, the 3.8-litre variant was lumbered with an aged Moss four-speed transmission with no synchromesh on first.

The best there is, the best there was

Then again, no-one really seemed all that bothered: few could get past the performance figures. 0-60mph in just less than 7 seconds and 150mph flat-out was almost unbelievable for a road car that was affordable to the wealthy, rather than the hyper-rich.

Jaguar’s advertising was suitably confident, calling its new offering: ‘The most advanced sports car in the world.’ Bullish, yes, but also realistic. 

Upgraded and improved

Our 1963 example has been reworked by specialists, so feels rather different to a standard car – from its modern seats to its smoothly assisted steering, huge brakes, stiffer suspension, wide tyres and five-speed gearbox.

All of which means that the majority of the legend’s flaws – and it does have them, whatever its blinkered worshippers might have you believe – have been ironed out.

Cosy in the cockpit

Fortunately, though, enough of the car’s original character shines through – in part thanks to that cramped yet charming cabin, with its familiar dials and toggles across the dash.

Although it’s the same length as the ’Vette, the Jaguar is more than 4in narrower and its roofline lower, leaving not all that much room for those inside.

Tuning up the band

Of course, the one element that defines the character of an E-type more than any other – and is almost impossible to disguise – is that incredible XK engine.

Even in smaller 3.8-litre form, the motor is unbelievably flexible, just as happy slugging it out low in the revs as it is giving its best at the top of the range – all while delivering a wonderful symphony of evocative sounds. And boy is it quick.

Borrowing from the best

No wonder the Toyota team brought in an E-type to see how its new 2000GT measured up. 

That and a Lotus Elan, of course – and DNA from both of the lightweight cars can be found in the Toyota's two main components: the chassis, which mimics the classic Lotus backbone, and the shape, which is like a small-scale version of Jaguar’s masterpiece. 

Born in Japan, sold in the USA

While Jaguar had form in the USA – its XKE sailing across the Atlantic by the boatload – Japan had yet to earn a reputation for its automotive industry in the Land of the Free.

Toyota changed that, beginning an assault on the American market that saw it become the biggest importer (second only to VW) by the mid ’60s – but it still needed a flagship. That’s where the 2000GT came in.

A collage of components

A bold coupe styled by Satoru Nozaki, it followed in the Japanese tradition of borrowing cues from other cars and refining them into a new package.

You’ll spot inspiration from the BMW 507 in the alloy wheels; Maserati in the crisp tail-line; the C1 Corvette in those rear-wing lamps; Zagato’s famous ‘double bubble’ in the roof. It’s objectively lovely – only marred by the fussy front end, a result of pop-up lamps added to comply with Federal height regulations.

Small but perfectly formed

Pull the deliciously delicate, bespoke handle, swing open the door and, if you’re over 6ft tall, you soon see why Sean Connery needed the roof lopped off his 2000GT for its role in the James Bond flick You Only Live Twice: it’s very cramped. 

But even with your knees jammed up against the switch panel – with its elegant knobs that look like typewriter keys – it’s worth making the effort, because the interior is fabulous. Slender, Elan-like bucket seats are comfortable, while the wraparound windscreen is so curved it’s like looking out of a motorcycle visor.

Mightier than it seems

Turn the key and the first thing to strike you is that the 2000GT is just so Japanese: it fires first time, ticks over with absolute serenity and picks up cleanly with every blip of the throttle. 

Although its 2.3-litre capacity seems meagre next to the grunt of the other two, at lower revs the Toyota has surprisingly similar straight-six bluster.

Work it to win it

What’s more, work the stubby gearlever through the firm five-speed transmission and the engine takes on an entirely different character, zipping towards the redline with the reliable, free-spinning feel of a Japanese drill.

Sorted and stable

In fact, despite conceding more than 100bhp to the E-type, the 2000GT feels little slower and just as alive. Steering isn’t light, but it’s responsive and sharp, matched to a chassis that mimics the Lotus Elan in its agility and precision.

Ride is good yet there’s little roll and no hint of understeer – while the narrow track and slim tyres mean oversteer will soon catch the unprepared if you back-off mid-corner.

Famous attention

In short, it’s the only car of the three that feels like a sports car. Unfortunately, it’s also by far the most expensive – a million-dollar (and more) machine, pricing itself out of contention for mere mortals.

Then again, what did you expect of a car so rare (just 62 of the 337 examples built went to the USA) and so arresting that arguably the coolest man of all time – Paul Newman – tried to buy the 2000GT New York show car.

E-type or Sting Ray...

Brought to life in response to the success of British designs, the Corvette’s blend of style, sound and character endeared it to millions – and its crossed-flag badges and orange-painted V8 remain as all-American today as burgers and rock'n'roll. And if you prefer those to fine dining, it’s easy to see why you might pick one over an E-type. 

But, equally, there’s a good reason why the Jaguar is the default dream car for enthusiasts the world over: fast, beautiful and usable – it has it all.

...or perhaps the Toyota

You can’t help wondering, though, whether the 2000GT might have been a success had Toyota managed to keep the price down to E-type levels – or, better still, to match the Corvette. 

Even as a hand-built exotic it was a warning shot, one that helped lay the foundations for what was to follow: hot on its heels came the Datsun 240Z, an affordable sports car that US buyers took to their hearts – and as Detroit struggled, so Japan began to dominate. 

What is America’s best-selling passenger car today? Why a Toyota, of course.