The C2 Corvette introduced four-wheel disc brakes for the 1965 model year. This was a major chassis upgrade for the Sting Ray, replacing the car’s previous all-drum arrangement with a more fade-resistant braking system.
The new setup used four-piston calipers and 11-inch rotors, improving repeated-stop performance and heat management. Drum brakes remained available as a credit option, but almost every 1965 Corvette was built with the new discs: only 316 of the 23,562 Corvettes produced that year retained drums.
The 1965 change is easy to mix up with the C2’s other major mechanical developments. Chevrolet introduced the 396-cubic-inch big-block during the same model year, while the larger 427-cubic-inch big-block arrived for 1966. The 1963 Corvette introduced the C2 generation and independent rear suspension, but it did not yet have standard four-wheel disc brakes.