Along with that new-generation powerplant, the Pink Pearl Sting Ray also got the next generation in stopping power. Four-wheel disc brakes with a dual master cylinder-items which became standard for 1965-were fitted.
Chevy Styling's paint shop outdid themselves with this one, spraying on a special shade of Pink Pearl that matched the dcor of the Knudsen's winter home in Florida. The sidewall trim on the tires was also "pinkified." Inside, the pink theme carried over to the seats and door panels, which were upholstered in pink and cranberry-hued leather. The seat belt buckles have Mrs. Knudsen's initials on them, and other one-off items inside the cabin include the 5,500-rpm tach. That's along with the AM/FM radio with power antenna, air conditioning, teak tilt-and-telescope steering wheel-and virtually every other option that was available with the 396 when it became a Corvette option.
McDorman acquired this special Corvette at Bloomington Gold to go with the Cadillac Rose-colored Sting Ray roadster that Knudsen commissioned. Before then, this '64 had at least two previous owners who were connected with Chevrolet Engineering. He told us of one particularly interesting bit of this car's history. "The gal whose dad bought the car from the engineer who bought it from General Motors-she got in touch with me through that second owner. Her dad had worked with Chevrolet, he got the car, then he gave it to her when he passed away. She was trying to find out where the car was (after she'd sold it), and that engineer told her that he thought it was down here (Canal Winchester, Ohio). She called me and she sent me a picture of her with that car, taken when she was a little girl."
In that image from the '60s, McDorman said, there is snow on the ground and the car is sitting outside. "She grew up with that car, and she's coming down to the show of ours, so I'll see her then." (For more info on the Bob McDorman Classic Chevy Show, log onto www.bobmcdormanchevrolet.com)
She and other show-goers will see this car in McDorman's extensive Corvette collection, located on the grounds of his Canal Winchester, Ohio, Chevy dealership. "We're putting Styling cars in one building, celebrity cars in another building, and then in another building we have all Indy Pace Cars. I've got eight buildings that I have these cars in, and I've got over 600 antique signs inside the buildings-mostly General Motors automotive ones."
But likely no signs in the shade of pink that this Sting Ray wears!
 Dash Attack ::: Pink leather...  Dash Attack ::: Pink leather wasn't on the Corvette option list in 1964, but it was picked for this car to match the colors of then-Chevy Boss Knudsen's winter home. The pink-and-cranberry colors extend to the dash and console. The transmission's a Powerglide-the only one ever fitted by Chevrolet to a 396 Corvette. |  Redline ::: A 5,500-rpm redline...  Redline ::: A 5,500-rpm redline means this Corvette is built more for style than for speed, and indicates the hydraulic camshaft-equipped engine. |  Buckles ::: Instead of a...  Buckles ::: Instead of a Chevy logo, Florence Knudsen's initials grace the seat belt buckles. |