Written by independent automotive journalist David Neyens Out of the past seven decades of Corvette production, the model year 1963 is particularly important to collectors and enthusiasts with the debut of the redesigned second-generation Corvette Sting Ray. Featuring otherworldly...
Written by independent automotive journalist David Neyens
Out of the past seven decades of Corvette production, the model year 1963 is particularly important to collectors and enthusiasts with the debut of the redesigned second-generation Corvette Sting Ray. Featuring otherworldly body styling – now in Split-Window coupe and convertible forms, the new Corvette Sting Ray design was rooted in sketches penned by a young Peter Brock in 1957, with further development through GM design chief Bill Mitchell’s self-funded, SCCA champion Stingray race car and refinements to production reality by Larry Shinoda.
As the first Corvette to be equipped with fully independent suspension as standard equipment, the advanced new 1963 Sting Ray was also available with a comprehensive racing option that gained immediate fame as the RPO Z06 Special Equipment Package. Including most everything necessary to obtain a virtually race-ready Corvette straight from the dealer floor, RPO Z06 brought an array of upgrades, including a thicker front stabilizer bar, larger-diameter shock absorbers, higher-rate springs and uprated brakes, including fade-resistant sintered metallic brake linings, plus a dual-circuit master cylinder and vacuum booster. Initially priced at $1,818.45, adding the RPO Z06 package cost nearly half as much as the basic Corvette Sting Ray.
Early in the 1963 model year, the Z06 package was a coupe-only option, but later made available for Corvette convertibles at reduced cost. While attractive cast-aluminum “knock-off” wheels were initially available, they were somewhat porous and leaked air, resulting in the majority of Z06 cars being fitted with tried-and-true steel wheels. Corvettes equipped with RPO Z06 were only available with Chevrolet’s RPO L84 327ci V8 rated at 360 horsepower with Rochester “Ramjet” mechanical fuel-injection, 11.0:1 compression, free-breathing cylinder heads, low-restriction exhaust and a hot solid-lifter cam. A 4-speed manual transmission and posi-traction limited-slip rear end were mandatory options. Reducing unnecessary weight, some Z06 Corvettes left the St. Louis factory with radios deleted. Except for roll bars and fire extinguishers, Z06 Corvettes could virtually be driven to the track, raced and driven home.
Californian racing legend Mickey Thompson was one of a select few offered the opportunity to preview the new Corvette Sting Ray in 1962, along with star driver Dan Gurney and Gulf Oil executive Grady Davis. Thompson, who forged a relationship with “Bunkie” Knudsen, who headed Chevrolet, saw the new Corvette as an American rival to Ferrari’s then-dominant GT cars and a true Le Mans contender. Accordingly, Knudsen tasked Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov to develop the Z06 Corvette as an FIA-compliant, GT-class race car with an eye to American SCCA and FIA-sanctioned international competition.
By summer 1962, Z06-equipped 1963 Corvettes were available for racing, with fast-rising West Coast drivers Bob Bondurant, Dave Macdonald and Jerry Grant flown to St. Louis to pick up their newly assigned Sting Ray coupes, which they drove home to break in their engines during the trip. Another four cars were air-freighted to Los Angeles, where they were picked up by Mickey Thompson and his crew. One was entered into the October 1962 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside, driven to victory by Doug Hooper over an early Shelby Cobra. Areas for improvement were identified, analyzed and corrected in preparation for Thompson’s four-car assaults on Daytona and Sebring during early 1963. The obvious threat posed by Carroll Shelby’s lightweight V8 Cobras spurred Arkus-Duntov to activate the radical and highly promising Grand Sport Corvette program that would never reach fruition after GM unilaterally withdrew from factory-backed racing in 1963.
In all, 2,610 Corvettes were powered by the top-shelf RPO L84 “Fuelie” engine, and just 199 of them were equipped with the all-out RPO Z06 package. The 1963 Split-Window Corvette showcased here is one of those precious few, and it benefits from a professional body-off restoration with virtually no expense spared to factory specifications by renowned D&M Corvette Specialists of Downers Grove, Illinois. Retaining its original matching-numbers engine and 4-speed manual transmission, this rare and potent Z06 Corvette features its originally specified Sebring Silver exterior color over a purposeful black interior. Impressive documentation includes the original Bill of Sale, Window Sticker and dealer order form, plus early service records. Other vital documents include an NCRS Shipping Data Report and a wealth of restoration photographs chronicling the work. Sold new in May 1963 from University Chevrolet in Gainesville, Florida, this iconic Z06 Corvette has NCRS Top Flight honors and Bloomington Gold (2010) certification to its credit. Featuring the one-year-only Split-Window body style and Z06 racing option, this top-specification 1963 Chevrolet Corvette offers an ideal way to celebrate the Golden Anniversary of second-generation Corvette production.
Be sure to see this American racing icon for yourself at the upcoming 2024 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction January 20-28 at WestWorld – and get ready to bid to make it yours!