2020 Corvette Stingray Almost Had A Split Rear Window: Report

The design elements of the C8’s engine hatch and roof pay tribute to the 1960’s icon.

Corvette fans know everything about the split-window Sting Ray. That’s not a typo. We’re talking about the original C2 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray back in the days when there were two words to the name. It also featured two separate back windows with a spine at the center that separated the panes of glass. It was the 1963 Sting Ray split window and was only available for one year. Chevrolet was criticized for its poor rearward visibility. The 1964 split-window Vette was introduced with a normal window.

Flash forward to more than 50 years and Muscle Cars and Trucks tell us that the 2020 Corvette Stingray almost had a split-window. It was a good timing. With the engine now behind the driver, the rearward visibility in Corvette Stingray’s C8 isn’t as good as it used to be, so a split window probably wouldn’t have been a problem. Modern tech such as backup cameras and rear sensors compensate for a reduced rearward view. 2020 may have been the perfect time to revive the split-window Corvette.

Meet the New Corvette

GM failed to make it happen, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t try. Tom Peters, Chevrolet Performance Exterior Designer, explained to Muscle cars and Trucks that any attempt to include a split window “came across forced.” The dual panes of glass just didn’t fit with the C8’s design. However, this does not mean that the idea was abandoned. Peters mentions that the Stingray’s body lines run across the roof, matching lines on the engine hatch and finally the Stingray emblem at its rear. This is an ode of the 1963 split-window with the engine underneath the glass as the spiritual center spine.

Although it would have been great to see a split-window return, the 490 horsepower and sub-$60,000 price of the new Stingray mean that buyers will not be disappointed. The C8 sales could start as early as this year, and almost every order slot has been filled.