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This Sting Ray is a member of the family
Rick Costa of Laguna Niguel has owned a Corvette Sting Ray split-window coupe since buying it new in 1963.
BY VANCE DURGIN / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Orange County Regis
Rick Costa of Laguna Niguel has been fascinated by the Chevrolet Corvette from the time he first saw one in the early 1950s. So it’s no surprise that he owns a pristine 1963 Sting Ray split-window coupe.
What is surprising is that he bought the car new in 1963 with the intent of keeping it forever and that after 50 years, thanks to careful maintenance and one meticulous repainting in the late 1970s, the car still looks showroom fresh.
“Everybody looks at it, they just think it’s a brand-new car,” says Costa, 72, a semi-retired aerospace engineer who worked on such projects as the Hubble Telescope, the Saturn Cassini mission and the Mars Rover. “What’s really amazing is the fact that that car is all original. If you look under the hood, you see all the factory clamps around the wires and hoses. If you look into the interior, the seat covers are all original, the dash is impeccable. I raised my two kids in that car.”
Costa’s interest in Corvettes dates back to his own childhood.
* Full Story Linked Above *
Rick Costa of Laguna Niguel has owned a Corvette Sting Ray split-window coupe since buying it new in 1963.
BY VANCE DURGIN / CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Orange County Regis
Rick Costa of Laguna Niguel has been fascinated by the Chevrolet Corvette from the time he first saw one in the early 1950s. So it’s no surprise that he owns a pristine 1963 Sting Ray split-window coupe.
What is surprising is that he bought the car new in 1963 with the intent of keeping it forever and that after 50 years, thanks to careful maintenance and one meticulous repainting in the late 1970s, the car still looks showroom fresh.
“Everybody looks at it, they just think it’s a brand-new car,” says Costa, 72, a semi-retired aerospace engineer who worked on such projects as the Hubble Telescope, the Saturn Cassini mission and the Mars Rover. “What’s really amazing is the fact that that car is all original. If you look under the hood, you see all the factory clamps around the wires and hoses. If you look into the interior, the seat covers are all original, the dash is impeccable. I raised my two kids in that car.”
Costa’s interest in Corvettes dates back to his own childhood.
* Full Story Linked Above *
