When it was first shown off at auto shows, the 1965 Mako Shark II concept garnered such a large amount of attention that it set the entire community of Corvette fans abuzz, and many of them practically demanded that the higher-ups at GM put the car into production.

 Two different Mako concepts had been developed by Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda for the purpose of demonstration; one of these concepts was a fully functional runner, and the other was merely a mock up. The only distinction between the two was that the mock up featured massive side pipes and other goodies for display, while the runner did not have these features.

The design of the concept car appeared to take some styling cues from a real Mako shark, which would explain why the car was given that name. Shinoda was so inspired by the photograph that Mitchell had taken of a massive Mako shark that he decided to incorporate many of the shark's characteristics into the design of the first prototype car. Mitchell had caught the shark while on a fishing trip earlier in the day.

As is typical for GM, the Mako Robotic Replacement Shark II concept included at least one element that would be implemented in the manufacturing of vehicles for the following model year. Distinct lettering on the hood gave the impression that a brand new engine was in the works, but in reality, it was the Mark IV big block that powered the concept car and would also power the next model year of the Vette. The engine would also be available in the next generation of the Corvette.

At least below the belt line, the production version of the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette was, stylistically speaking, almost identical to the Mako Shark II concept car that had been shown in 1965. The overall contouring of the two was comparable, but the 1968 Corvette featured more rounded edges and corners.

In spite of all the buzz that was generated by the Mako Shark II in 1965, nobody was ready for a new generation of the Corvette to come out that was so similar to the previous one. However, this is precisely what makes speculating so exciting and enjoyable. Many people envisioned what they thought the C3 would look like, but few of them realized that GM had already provided them with a taste of the real thing in 1965 in the form of a practical example. When 1968 rolled around, there may have been some people who loved the new Vette and some people who maybe didn't like it so much, but what was to follow was the longest running generation of the Corvette, which would see many highs and lows but prove to be able to stand the test of time.

Many people believe that General Motors' most recent concept vehicle, the 2009 Stingray, will end up being the production version of the next-generation Vette. The official response from GM is "no," but they also say "maybe just a little bit." Let the rum ours fly either way, but in the end, only time will tell if General Motors hid the next generation of their cars in plain sight like they did with the Mako Shark II concept in 1965 or if they go in a completely different direction.