Corvette Mako Shark & Manta Ray: What Happened to Style?

[@roneveringham]

My uncle Mark Myers, who has passed away, told me a story that he had worked for GM engineering back in the 50's and 60's. They had a Memorial Day parade every year in his neighborhood of Dearborn, MI. Well, one summer in 63 or 64 he asked Mr. Mitchell if they could show the new proto Mako Shark in the local parade. He told Mark, "sure drive it home with you and show it.' Mark said, 'oh no, I don't want to drive it', but Mr. Mitchell insisted that he take it home. So, Mark took it home and parked it in his driveway and OMG , many people came over and took pictures of this very strange new exciting car. The next day he drove the car in the parade only to have it overheat and stall out early in the parade route. They towed the car back to the GM plant and the rest is history. Mark showed me many of the pictures that he had taken of the car parked in front of his home in Dearborn. I thought that was such a cool story since I currently have a restored 69 vette.

[@downhome7500]

Cool ass story!

[@ElMatador-ws3in]

Your video was awsome thank you! As a child I always loved vettes because they had such a unique “style” to them. Now as an adult I just bought myself a blue 73, c3 with a 454 engine. The look of this car is better than anything out there!! You just don’t see that type of style on cars any more!!

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you very much!

[@nickkrantz1143]

Coolest corvettes of all time. I 100% agree with you that cars today lack style and individuality.

[@larsrons7937]

In the late 1970s we kids would "count cars", and we could still recognise all of them, brands and models. A few years thereafter that all disappeared. Today all cars look the same. And they have no haert and soul, it's pure functionality.

[@OMIMmusic]

Last week i went to an old cars show for the first time and I was blown away. i am a young dude in my early 20s and I never saw such beautiful and aesthetically pleasing cars in my life! i found a new interest in my life

[@californiaborn71]

Cause people suck now. but in the 80's people thought BMW s were the things. And Porche 911 s. I thought they were ugly! This American California born and raised girl love the American cars. And I fell in love with Corvettes at the age of 9. My favorite Mako Shark and Manta Ray!

[@larsrons7937]

That Maco Shark Corvette is a beauty and a beast all in one. Heart and soul, yes, cars used to have that. During the 1970s and into the 1980s that all disappeared. And today all cars look the same. No heart, no soul, pure functionality. Pleasure for the driver while inside, but no pleasure whatsoever from the outside.

[@frankrivvi5553]

Dtrockstar… you’re the “OG” You were one of the first doing these cool car videos🙌

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you so much!! I was really working hard to bring footage to the public that hadn’t been seen before, I’m happy it is being noticed! 😎👍

[@redmr2na]

Hey there DTR great job on the video of 2 cars that happen to be my favorite Corvettes. I like you am not a Vette fan. I make the exception for these 2 though. I also agree with yoh on the "styling" of cars these days. Gone is the brilliance of masters such as Leonardo Fiorvanti who gave us the 246, 308, BBi and Daytona. Marcello Gandini who gave us the Miura, Countach, Diablo, Jalpa, and Cizeta Moroder. Guiguiro for the lotus Espirit, Delorean Bora and Merak. Finally Sayer for the E-type, D-type, C-type and classic XJ. Nowadays it's all about speed. Lets see how fast we can get to 300+ mph. There is too much science in car design and not enough passion. We left proper gated shifter manual shifts for paddles why, faster less passionate shifting all the name of speed. Sure these ballistic missiles we call hyper cars are fast but look awful. The bugattis are hideous squashed vw and audis and feel just about as nice on the inside. We don't make proper cars anymore either like build them. All plastic no steel in them. The thinest aluminum in their bodies. Hyper cars are worse still. In the pursuit of speed and such we now no longer bolt them together, we bond them together with epoxies and glues which are highly flammable. We lacquer the body panels in flammable lacquers which when exposed to heat combine with the epoxies to create a rolling firework. Sorry for the rant but I agree 1 million%.

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you very much, my friend! I think the best thing you said was that "There is too much science in car design and not enough passion." Cars today are much safer and have much better build quality, but it somehow seems like those qualities are mutually exclusive with style and beauty. Cars today are no longer pieces of art, but just a bunch of corporate products. They've lost their soul.

[@champdass9251]

Now these are dream cars I've love to own

[@alfredonoyola925]

I believe people has no problem with style. It is just that the car market now is global. Any car manufacturer has to make a car that is equally appealing to people in Spain, Russia, France, Brasil, Canada, Chile, India, China, Mexico, Germany.... The result is a bland product that appeals to no one but is also not rejected by anyone. Cars used to be a statement of the culture they where born. Now you look at a Ford, a Toyota, a Volkswagen and a Kia and without the badges you can't tell which brand is each one. Neither when you drive them. I remember driving a Ford, a Renault, a VW and a Datsun was a very distinctive and different experience from each other. When I was a Kid this two cars blew my mind. Many current concept cars are great, but not as great as those two. What a luxury is to be free to do as you please regardless of an obligation to profit. Great Video!

[@anotheracct8417]

My heart be still!

[@vidiupload4174]

The Corvette Mako Shark was originally the Corvette Shark, and it had wire wheels, a 1961 Corvette interior, and a clear double bubble top. Larry Shinoda, who designed the car, hated that top. I suspect that he may have had a hand in its disappearance. A shame, IMO, as it to a great degree was synergistic with the dual cowl dashboard and seat arrangement. It went perfectly with the thinking and styling of the time. The Corvette Manta Ray was originally the Corvette Mako Shark II, which had a crisper design than its restyle. Once again, IMO, the changes made diminished the appeal of the styling.

[@jerryjones188]

I love the Mako Shark, but the Manta Ray is just as hot!! Hot Rod Classics!

[@PaDiddy98]

Mako shark looked much better

[@mikelittwinprincetontv117]

Thanks - well done. I liked seeing the "features" like ppp up break lights.

[@kylelatimer6003]

100 percent no style. Everything from car to suv looks the same. I just came across these 2 corvette styles and I'm in love. No matte the time and cost to get a manta, I will prevail! Good video, great content, keep it up brotha!

[@johnkeeley6194]

I very much agree with you about style on new cars, there is none because auto makers are only interested in mileage an profits they have no imagination anymore!!

[@iliepataki6735]

Also not a vette fan but boy are these 2 gorgeous. Man, theyre classy, bold and stylish. Plus I love the entire Aero vette series.

[@FarOutRadio]

About "car styling". Yes indeed, you are correct. With few exceptions, "style" is dead. Too many cars look too similar because styling decisions are based on marketing focus groups that always is looking in the rear view mirror at what "sold well". Yes, "sold", as in PAST TENSE. It is said that if dog breaders were not "breeding" dogs, eventually all dogs would mostly go back to their original "Dingo" look. I think a car compang could be very successful if it took that approach. It could be called, "Dingo Motors: and all of the cars look very much like all cars. Nothing special, nothing unique... just Dingo cars.

[@DtRockstar1]

You make a point when you say "sold well." It seems like a lot of industries, including music and movies, are taking what used to be a very creative and artistic thing, and just turning it into a product that will sell. I understand that they are not in the business of losing money, but it just seems like nobody wants to take creative risks anymore. It's sad!

That Corvette looks awesome!

[@johnwilliams-nz3um]

Car were rolling art, full of excitement ,dreams of something else. Today, sadly, cars seem to lack imagination and style. Hondas look like BMWs, design elements are bleeding into other brands to go with the flavor of the month

[@DtRockstar1]

Speaking of design elements bleeding into other brands, I was just looking at the new Alfa Romeo the other day and it looked like a BMW with a different grille!

[@DJjakedrake]

It's actually the other way around, BMWs look like Hondas... Most cars look like derivatives of the 98-02 Gen 6th Accord coupe.

[@Magicformula777]

If they were to ever produce a modern day Mako Shark base off of the C8 platform!! Omg!! ULTIMATE GAME CHANGER... Better yet if they offered the Mako Shark color scheme for the 2023 ZO6!!😳😳😳

[@marcuscross6840]

As Smokey Robinson would say: "I second that EMOTION! "

[@diggingattycho7908]

Sadly style was killed by regulation. The regulations started to come in the late sixties. Over the years like anything in government it kept compounding. When you hear people say they want less government, this is part of what they are referring to. The one thing that I like seeing in the car world, isn't the styling(I consider even the modem Lambo's to be boring on the styling side). But the power they are getting out of cars today. You can get a car that can produce over 700 HP under a $100k. I expect this to be curtailed at some point in the near future, but hopefully some time after 1000+ HP domestic sport car shows up.

[@FarOutRadio]

"Style" wasn't "killed by regulation" it was killed by COMMITTEE. Bill Mitchell was a very commanding, domineering man and after he retired, GM made the decision that never again would one executive in charge of Styling would have so much power. Then, when "marketing focus groups" took over the design process, you have people making styling decidions that knew NOTHING about sytling or history, making decisions, based on market studies. The BEST example of "styling by committee is the Pontiac Azteck.TOTAL DOG!!! Bill Mitchell famously once said, "Do yu think that Frank Loyde Wright went around and asked people what they wanted in a house design? No, he just designed beautiful homes." Ever since Mitchell left, for the most part, GM has lost its styling Mojo, with very few exceptions.

[@diggingattycho7908]

Actually it was both, but meeting Federal Motor Vehicle Regulation Standards. well to say that regulations didn't kill styling. You haven read them. You wouldn't want to it's miles thick. www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042015/how-much-impact-does-government-regulation-have-automotive-sector.asp It regulates virtually every area of design,construction and function of motor vehicles. A good example is the Countach, it couldn't be built today. It's a regulators nightmare, for example; if the car rolled over your supposed to break out the windshield. But what if it's blocked? Go out one of the doors? Well, your not going out the 3" slit of a window. If the door is blocked at any part, it's not going to allow easy egress. Next time your looking at a Lamborghini Diablo, note the side windows how they are designed, no frames at all. Easy to break out. Egress is in the regulations, it's logical yes. But someone specified it to be so, when it's just good design practice. Another one that has had a huge impact on the car world, www.caranddriver.com/features/taking-the-hit-how-pedestrian-protection-regs-make-cars-fatter-feature. I'll leave it there.

[@luccianodeive6605]

El Corvette Manta Ray es Precioso The Corvette Manta Ray is Beautiful

[@n2bfw884]

Excellent video! Thank you.

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you so much!

[@ronmsimmons]

Loved it

[@farrellreyza]

I would love to have a mako shark corvette later 10 more years

[@hades.97]

Honestly if I had that Manta Ray car I would daily it

[@richardpalladino9169]

Excellent video

[@birdman7135]

(6:15) "Function over form" is the rule in most circumstances... and I don't see why this should be the norm when BOTH can be achieved with a little extra effort. The same thing is present in the firearms industry. Why are firearms required be ugly just to facilitate proper function? ...Why can't a rifle look good while "accurately" putting a round down range?

[@Casedilla73]

What guns would you say look bad and which ones look good?

[@birdman7135]

@@Casedilla73 *Attractive:* DSR Precision - DSR-1 .308 PGM Ultima Ratio - 308 A.I. AX50 .50 BMG H&K PSG1 Mauser SP-66 *Ugly* Sig Sauer Cross British Sten MK II Hi-Point Carbine Steyr AUG A3 M1 H&K G11 ...You didn't need me to make this list.

[@Casedilla73]

@@birdman7135 I just wanted to see your opinion. Thanks for making it.

[@steveparlier9282]

For sure man style is gone and it’s all dead beat suvs which aren’t even awd for the most part lol fwd mostly is the end result? And cars are way too expensive esp for the fact they keep trying to use the same platforms as well and cars are more expensive now then they ever have been? I mean let’s give same platform cars but they vary in price? Why? Just make one style if that’s the case? At least back in the day wether u have a Ford , lincoln , or Merc u def have different power trains or transmissions, or rear end gears ⚙️ same with GM and Dodge back in the day. Now they have same engines too it’s a pre fab nightmare with higher price tags???

[@jonienglish3231]

DT ROCKSTAR !!!! missed This One : 1968 Dodge Charger 3 CONCEPT !!!!! Even Better

[@obbzerver]

Is this the same XP-755 that appeared in the Route 66 episode in '61 or one just like it?

[@encoencomen8361]

Same car as in Rout 66. XP-700 later became the XP-755. The hood was redesigned, losing the vents for the supercharger hump, but gaining thermostatically controlled doors that opened to release hot air. The bubble roof was removed and the interior updated. According to Mark Jordan, son of GM designer Charles M. Jordan, the Shark was built on the XP-700, explaining it's disappearance.

[@michaelshields7777]

Are you going to be at the Italian Gathering in Dublin, Ohio again this year? I met you last year and I’m a subscriber of yours as well. Just wondering. Thanks!

[@DtRockstar1]

Hey Michael! I remember you, thank you for all of your support! As of right now, I will probably be out late on Saturday night and the weather is looking iffy, so I probably will be laying low on Sunday.

[@Tom_Hadler]

Watched this as inspiration since I just ordered a scale model of the original mako shark (also love the mako 2 / manta ray, maybe even more). I totally agree regarding car design and style. In the 5 years since you posted this.... it's not got any better! I'm in Britain, and your stupid American obsession with "SUV" (nothing sporty about them) has crossed the Atlantic. New cars are so bland, and huge. And as of 2024 Europe has regulations mandating speed limiters for all new cars sold. Then they're creating 20mph zones, "clean air" zones... ...Honestly, it's over. People need to fight back

[@joeJoe-pb3su]

One rare shark 🦈

[@TheGreatSnafoo]

Your right styling has gone bye bye

[@SkateboardCaes]

Never have I ever been so arroused by machinery

[@user-xr2iu7iw9e]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@billarroo1]

Where did this take place?

[@markmccallion2856]

No problem with style, but now the style adds massive complexity and cost for no benefit. Same with all the computerization tons of cost no benefit. One computer for the engine for fuel economy and emissions is all that is needed. Now fixing small problems cost 1000 times the price they should. They make cars that benefit the manufacturer not the customer. Most repairs should be able to be done easier and cheaper than they are now. Engine design is now so complicated and unnecessarily so. Any handy semi intelligent person should be able to make most repairs on a car, because dealers are not capable enough to do so more often than we would like.

[@billp5656]

Computer styling and engineers gaining more importance has ruined car styling

[@cliffcox7643]

New cars are boring. Theyre all variations of the egg. Nothing at a stop light turns my head except for an older car.

[@dianagor6056]

Wow!! Cutie guy!

[@DtRockstar1]

Thank you so much!! 😎

[@dianagor6056]

@@DtRockstar1 hello from Russia, from Siberia! 🙋❄️❄️❄️🌲🌲🌲

[@DtRockstar1]

Hello from the US!

[@downhome7500]

Cars today have no style, no heart, no soul, no balls.

[@domingorioseco8705]

. Te

[@HammyTechnoid]

Today's cars stink! Yes.... no style. It's sad...

[@JerkVegas86]

Put an LS in all 3 so they can be daily driven again lol

[@normangekko5144]

Yes…it’s called bio-mimetism…

[@tms372]

All that engine and afraid to use it, shame.