1965 Corvette XP-819

In 1965, famed General Motors designer Larry Shinoda designed a one-off concept car, the XP-819, that tested the concept of a rear-engined (not mid-engined) Corvette. Built under Frank Winchell’s Chevrolet Research and Development group, the XP-819 featured a reverse rotation, marine 327-cu.in V-8 hung out the back of the chassis, with a 2-speed automatic transaxle inline ahead of it. Though not developed beyond the single prototype built, styling elements of the XP-819 would make their way into Shinoda’s subsequent Sting Ray concepts.