Stare in wonder at this classic Corvette Sting Ray race car

While the new 2020 Chevrolet Corvette is an important milestone in the ‘Vette nameplate – mid-engined, really very fast, ‘affordable’ (for a 500bhp supercar) – we can’t stop staring at this 1959 wonder.

It’s the Chevrolet ‘Sting Ray Racer’, a concept car that previewed the styling of the second generation Corvette. Makes sense. Legend has it the ‘Ray Racer was built on the bones of a first-generation Corvette SS racer, and was designed by an after-hours team intent on showing off their prowess.

Job done, we’d say. There was a 300bhp+ 4.6-litre V8 under the bonnet, too, and after a brief flirtation with Actual Racing, the car nicknamed XP-87 later got a job as the personal car of the very man who had championed its creation: Bill Mitchell, former GM design VP.

Those lines. That monster side exhaust. The short window, snug cabin and overall size of the thing. Perfect.

Now go look at some Corvette steering wheels, because you really ought to, and then the newest iteration of Chevy's 'Vette racer, the C8.R, here...