1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (C3)
Pilots: B. Darniche, J. Greenwood
Team: IMSA Camel
Race: DNF (IMSA class) at Le Mans in 1976
Altaya - PV22 (diecast)
Published 03/31/17
Introduced in 1967, the third generation (C3) of the Corvette came to substitute the previous C2. Interestingly, from 1969 to 1976 General motors called them Stingray. During their production run, the C3 could be had with different engines, from 5.0 to massive 7.4 (!) V8s.
This Stingray was in the 24 Heures du Mans of 1976. However, Stingray #76 here abandoned the race after only 29 laps because of a ruptured fuel tank. And powered by a 6997 cm³ V8, I bet the fuel tank must have been the size of my current car. So it’s not a winner, but look at those graphics – some even consider it to be one of the so called “art cars”!
For more North American appeal, 1976 was the first time that IMSA and NASCAR cars raced at Le Mans. However, only one of the former and none of the later finished the race. IMSA Camel team had only the #76 in the race, and was the second American car to abandon. In 1:43 the model looks quite nice, and Altaya did a pretty good job on it. Well, as a good a job as Altaya can do… I’ve noticed that cheaper models are easier to be good ones when the car is more modern. And that’s specially because of the wheels.
It’s particularly nice to have this one because with the exception of modern Corvettes or Vipers, when I collected Le Mans cars in 1:18 old American iron that raced at La Sarthe was basically none-existent. So this Stingray #76 is a VERY nice addition to the garage. However, it begs to be upgraded. Of all my 1976 cars, this is the worse one. Ebbro’s 935, for instance, is a cracker, and isn’t expensive. So sooner or later I’ll have to trade #76 here for Spark’s version.
05/08/20: The W-143 Garage now has a better version of this model.