As I've mentioned before, over the last several years I've grown to appreciate the American cars that I used to dismiss while I was younger. One of the hardest cars to get over was the Corvette, especially given its stigma among some car enthusiasts. To put it simply, I do not fit the 'Vette demograph by any stretch of the imagination, so it was easy for me to be "put off" by many of their owners.

However, over time I learned to manage the subcultures among car enthusiasts, as well as disassociate them and let the cars speak for themselves. And it is then where the C2 really shined for me. It has been stated many times that the original Sting Ray is one of the greatest designs in automotive history, or at the very least American car history, and I full agree with such a bold claim.

There is not a single angle on this car that doesn't ooze with style (ok, the wheel caps are pretty weak, but that can be easily fixed). Like most great designs, this was clearly created by one man's vision, not by a design team like many modern cars often are. Even though this particular model wasn't the ultimate split-window model, it still grabbed and held my attention better than many classic European cars could.

Also didn't hurt that the C2 generation had such a successful racing history. In fact, it was probably more successful than any other Corvette generation until Pratt & Miller came in with their C5 and C6 domination.

It's also the only Corvette I'd ever associate the word "classy" with. Every generation that followed seemed to have a stronger emphasis on getting more bang for the buck, both in terms of visual treatment (C3 Sting Rays) and performance (C4 ZR1, C5/6 Z06). Not that that's a bad thing, and maybe the "classy" association is due to the C2 being a product of the 60's, but I always felt the C2 had that perfect balance between sport and composure that no other Corvette was able to achieve.

Racing, class, bold styling, American roots. Small wonder why it's an icon among icons.