Corvette really seemed to come of age with the 1965 model year. Styling-wise there were minimal changes, which included a smoothing of the hood, removing the left-over recesses, the air-intake grille was now painted black but retained brightwork on the edges, and the simulated fender side vents were reconfigured and made functional. This was to help direct cooling air to the now standard four-wheel disc brake system. Big 11.75-inch diameter discs provided over 461-square-inches of surface stopping power, which put Corvette into the league of great European touring cars like Aston Martin and Ferrari. Other comparisons could be drawn with the 250GT, such as raw horsepower which was supplied by the newly available 396-cubic-inch Turbo-Jet V-8. Just a few years before, Zora Arkus-Duntov had declared that there would be no need to increase the performance output of Corvette, but GM had authorized the installation of the "Rat Motor" into America's Sports Car so the Corvette's grand master's