10-5-65 The Running Mako Shark II Was Shown To The Automotive Press – WOW!
October 5, 1966, the Running Mako Shark-II Debuts at the Paris Auto Show
To download the PDF version of the 1966 issue of Car Life Magazine article about the running version of the January 1966 Mako Shark-II Corvette, HERE.
Forty-nine years ago today, October 5, 1965, the automotive press got to see the first running Mako Shark-II show car at the Paris Auto Show in France. The non-running full-size model of the Mako Shark-II had been shown in April ’65 at the New York Auto Show and was a knock-out. The response was so overwhelming, Chevrolet brass quickly decided to build a running prototype for the next phase of development.
Bill Mitchell’s unusual instructions for what he wanted for the next C3 Corvette
As V.P. of Design, Bill Mitchell laid out what he wanted the next Corvette to be. See if you can follow this. He wanted the following; “a narrow, slim, center section and coupe body, a tapered tail, an all-of-a-piece blending of the upper and lower portions of the body through the center (avoiding the look of a roof added to a body), and prominent wheels with their protective fenders distinctly separate from the main body, yet grafted organically to it.”
The Mako Shark II had an interesting blend of soft curves and sharp break-lines. The tucked-in center section, called the “coke-bottle,” gave the center of the car a taut, trim look, while the curved fender lines made the car look like it had been working out. The low, pointed nose made a bold statement while the tapered and pointed tail gave the car a high-speed, wind-swept look.
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Corvette Generational History
The 1962–1967 C2 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
Also, 1968–1982 C3 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
Since the Mako Shark II was a show-car, it had plenty of gimmicks and was overdone here and there. Some of the grille vents and other details were a little fussy. However, compared with other cars in 1965, the Mako Shark was a vision of the future.
This was the non-running model that was shown at the New York Auto Show in April 1965. Note that the unique side-exhaust didn’t make it onto the running Mako Shark. Bill Mitchell LOVED side pipes!
Chevrolet product planners wanted the new Shark Corvette to be a ’67 model
Considering that it was only a year away (the ’67 models would be out September-October 1966), a C3 1967 “Shark” Corvette was not to be. Even coming out as a 1968 C3 Corvette was severely pushing things. While the 1968 Corvette was stunning, it had lots of production problems due to rushed development.
Regardless, as beautiful and classic as the Sting Ray was, and still is, the Mako Shark-II “look” can still be seen on today’s C7 Corvette. It defined the Corvette “look” from that day forward. Also, the words “shark” and “Corvette” are forever cemented together in the lexicon of automotive terminology. – Scott
To download the PDF version of the 1966 issue of Car Life Magazine article about the running version of the January 1966 Mako Shark-II Corvette, HERE.
Here’s a vintage GM promotion film about the Mako Shark-II
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the non-running Mako Shark and the ’68 Corvette.
A lot had to be adjusted to make the Mako Shark a real car that could be manufactured.
MPC sold STACKS of the Mako Shark-II model kits. I built at least three!
A little Photoshop fun…
Chevrolet even applied for a U.S. Patent for the Mako Shark-II shape!
The art print below are available HERE.
Corvette Generational History
Our 1953–1962 C1 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
The 1962–1967 C2 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
Also, 1968–1982 C3 Corvette Review: Engineering, Styling, Sales, and Legacy Story is now available.
Click for Corvette Model Cars, C1 to C8 Generations
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