Bill Mitchell (1912 – 1988) was one of the great automotive designers over General Motors’ storied history. His 18 years as GM Design Staff vice president produced a great legacy for the automotive community and the consumer market when it came to great styling.
One of the most iconic designs that Mitchell introduced as a show car was the 1969 Corvette Manta Ray. It was derived from the earlier Mako Shark II concept unveiled in April 1965. The 1969 Manta Ray concept offered a longer design tail and a sugar scoop rear window design with pop-up mirror lights located in the rear fenders that really looked great. The Manta Ray also featured a low front spoiler design with outside exhaust pipes and a tiny rear-view mirror design which many Corvette enthusiasts thoroughly enjoyed.
The Manta Ray was powered by an aluminum-block ZL-1 engine developed by Chevrolet for Can-Am racing with a special air cleaner as well. Finally, the Manta Ray was painted dark blue.
The Manta Ray concept offered a great looking roof design that featured an attractive sweeping style roof style the public really enjoyed. The four taillights design was arranged under the rear bumper line with a center-located license plate holder, with its exposed exhaust pipes, elongated tail end design, and pop-up lights for turn signals, braking and warning lights. Not surprisingly, the vehicle was extremely popular with visitors to the Detroit Auto Show.
Here below is a set of amazing photos of the 1969 Corvette Manta Ray concept car.
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