MY Garage Museum is home to the original, customized 1973
Stingray from the MGM/United Artists movie “Corvette Summer”, starring a young Mark Hamill, fresh from his first Star Wars movie and Annie Potts in her first big break in show biz. The car was built by Dick Korkes of Korky’s Kustom Studios for MGM. The film was originally entitled “Stingray” until another movie with the same title was released first, probably to cash in on the advanced hype of Mark Hamill’s first post-Star Wars (1977) movie role. The Corvette was a 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray converted to right hand drive so that Mark Hamill could hang out of the curbside window looking at the ladies. Mark Hamill was badly injured in an automobile wreck in Malibu, California prior to production. He bares the scars through Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). In 1979 Corvette Summer received a Golden Globe nomination for Annie Potts, “Best Motion Picture Acting Debut-Female.”
Corvette Summer is one of the most popular cars in the My Garage Museum. We receive phone calls and emails from Corvette and movie going fans across the country. We have folks who are trying to replicate the hood, paint job and in one case, the entire car! The engine has been freshened and returned to its film state. When we purchased the car, the interior had been dyed black. In the film, it was dark saddle color. Performance Choice accepted the challenge and did a stunning job of returning the interior to its original film state. The right hand drive conversion is comprised of dual sprockets and twin chains from a Harley Davidson; from the original steering box to the newly located steering column.
This is the primary film car, but there were two cars built for use in the film. In the film you will see one that is a repaint (Metallic Gold) in the story line when the car is stolen. This was the secondary car or Stunt Car; the Gold paint is simply the base coat for the candy apple red paint used on the primary car. The second car was finished and looks very much like our car.
Today the Corvette Summer car can’t deny its movie heritage; the camera mounts and extra support brackets used in filming still remain under the car. And oh, that desert chase scene? It kicked up lots of sand that occasionally filters out from under the car!
