Steve McQueen is Impressed by the '66 Corvette
In 1966, Sports Illustrated magazine asked film star and former sports car racer Steve McQueen to test drive eight of that era's greatest Grand Touring cars including the 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray. In the August 1966 issue, McQueen wrote about his experience with these cars. The star of Bullitt and The Great Escape had this to say about the big-block Sting Ray that he drove at Riverside:
"I was very impressed by the Corvette. Other than the Ferrari, it was the best car I drove at Riverside. And let's face it, it went out the door at $5,500 instead of $14,000. It had the big 427-inch turbocharged engine, four-speed gearbox. the stiffer suspension, short steering, and they were running low-silhouette racing tires on it. No question, it's a brute, a terribly quick car. It must one one of the fastest production cars you can buy for that kind of money."
McQueen goes on to compliment the Corvette's braking and also comments on the improvements GM has made to the car's ability to handle. Nothing less than the highest of praise for America's sport car from the Cincinatti Kid!
