How the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Became ‘America’s Sports Car’

With 71 model years to celebrate, the Chevrolet Corvette—known as “America’s Sports Car“—has a genealogy that can get pretty complicated. Fans would argue that there’s really no such thing as a bad ’Vette, from the first C1 of 1953 to the latest mid-engined C8 (Nerd Note: there was no model year 1983 Corvette). Most admirers would agree that examples from the C2 series, from 1963 through 1967, are the true icons of the Corvette model, with show-car looks, numerous motorsport victories, and a fascinating combination of engines and options to choose from—back when new and for today’s would-be buyers.

Chevrolet envisioned big plans for its new ’Vette long before the C2 came to market. The model started as a design study called the Stingray Racer, initiated in 1959 by GM’s vice president of Styling, Bill Mitchell. It was based on a sketch by designer Pete Brock, and further developed by Larry Shinoda. By 1963, the Corvette Sting Ray Coupe and Convertible—both final designs by Shinoda—were ready for prime time.

There were numerous C2 variants over the five-year production span of the series, the differentiators generally based on engine displacement and state of tune. A 327 ci V-8 engine was offered throughout the run. Model year 1965 was the first for four-wheel disc brakes and the last year that mechanical fuel injection was offered with the 327 ci engine. A 396 ci big-block mill also came on the scene, which was enlarged to 427 ci for the 1966 and 1967 model years.

These cars were monsters, and while they garnered bragging rights for horsepower and straight-line performance, they were not nearly as balanced and fun to drive as the small-block ’Vettes. As is sometimes said in business, “The first offer is the best offer.” That is definitely the case with the Corvette Sting Ray Coupe from 1963, which was the only year to feature the split rear window, a detail that Mitchell loved. Customers, however, complained about poor rearward visibility, and the feature was eliminated for the remaining years of C2 production.

The 1963 model year was also the first to offer a coupe; earlier Corvettes were two-seat convertibles. It was also the first ’Vette with independent rear suspension and, important for track competitors, the first to offer the race-ready Z06 package, the work of Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, known to the faithful as the “Father of the Corvette.” Today, a 1963 Z06 is valued anywhere between $350,000 and $850,000.

The good news is that nearly 118,000 Corvettes were built during the golden age of sports cars that encompassed the C2, and they are all worth owning to greater or lesser degrees. Coupe or Convertible? Small-block or big-block? Manual or automatic? (The latter is not as bad a choice as one might think.) It all depends on the intended use: “horses for courses” applies here. Look to spend anything from $50,000 to Powerball money, depending on the model, condition, matching numbers (hugely important to the Corvette community), and originality.

Regardless of one’s choice, these old ’Vettes are so much fun, a reminder of what driving—midnight drags on Van Nuys Boulevard, Sunday canyon runs, date night, even taking mom to the grocery store—was like in the mid-1960s. To get behind the wheel in a well-sorted Corvette C2 is one of the great pleasures of classic-car life.

Click here for more photos of this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray ‘Split-Window’ Coupe.