Makes › Chevrolet › Corvette › C2 Sting Ray › Corvette Sting Ray L78 396/425 (1965) · Rare specification · 1965 Rare
Chevrolet
Corvette Sting Ray L78 396/425 (1965)
First big-block Corvette: one-year-only 396 cu in 425 hp L78
Still being researched: full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 2,157 Built
- Years
- 1965
- Engine
- V8, Mark IV big block · 6,490 cc / 6.5 LFactory: 396 cu in · converted
- Power
- 317 kW / 431 PSFactory: 425 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Zora Arkus-Duntov (chief engineer); design by Bill Mitchell with Larry Shinoda
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
The L78 was the 396-cubic-inch Mark IV big block that arrived at mid-year 1965 and changed the Corvette's character. At 425 horsepower it was the first Corvette engine rated over 400 horsepower.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factory package production1965 Corvettes with RPO L78 engine | 2,1571,2 | Factory production | Registry reported |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Chevrolet introduced the Mark IV big block as RPO L78 in the middle of the 1965 model year, with staggered-valve "porcupine" heads and a bulged hood to clear it. It added about 150 pounds, all on the front wheels, and changed weight distribution to 51 percent front and 49 percent rear. The hub says 2,157 were sold in half a season; the same year 771 buyers chose fuel injection instead, the last year for that option until 1982.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Corvette Sting Ray L78 396/425 (1965).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | V8, Mark IV big block1 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 6,490 cc / 6.5 LFactory: 396 cu in · converted1 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | 11.0:11 Independently researched |
| Valvetrain | Solid lifters, staggered-valve "porcupine" heads1 Independently researched |
| Fuel system | Holley four-barrel1 Independently researched |
| Power | 317 kW / 431 PSFactory: 425 hp · converted1 Independently researched |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | 563 NmFactory: 415 lb-ft · converted1 Independently researched |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Four-wheel disc brakes, 11.75-in finned rotors, four-piston calipers1 Independently researchedStandard on the 1965 Sting Ray. |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 2,490 mmFactory: 98 in · converted1 Independently researchedC2 generation figure. |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Look for the bulged hood and a big-block engine carrying a Tonawanda T prefix; the engine pad suffix must match the equipment and the block must pre-date the build date. Big blocks required Positraction, the four-speed and F41 suspension, and a big block with Powerglide is wrong somewhere. Some small-block cars left the factory with the big-block hood because of supply problems.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
C2 Corvette Sting Ray research hub (1963-1967) Level B CorvSport
- 2,157 were sold in half a season
- 396-cubic-inch Mark IV big block
- 396 ci Mark IV big block
- Holley four-barrel, solid lifters, 11.0:1
- solid lifters, 11.0:1
- Holley four-barrel, solid lifters, 11.0:1 (Engines table)
- 425 hp / 415 lb-ft
- Four-wheel disc brakes with 11.75-inch finned rotors and four-piston calipers
- 98-in wheelbase
-
2
1965 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors – CorvSport Level C
- 2157 1965 Corvettes with RPO L78 engine
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