1963 Corvette

Chevrolet's Corvette was beginning to get shaky by early 1961. It had not been very popular through out the 50's in the first place. But, with the introduction of Jaguar's XKE, the Corvette was beginning to look like a pile of junk. Before unveiling their new model, the GM of Corvette Zora Arkus-Duntov was working overtime. It was make or break for Corvette with its 1963 model. The 1963 Corvette rolled out in late 1962, and was rightly named the "Corvette Sting Ray".

The swanky, new design that rolled out of the factory lines in 1962 had a superb design. Sleek, flashy and innovative, the 1963 Corvette quickly caught the imagination of many. It was a hit. Corvette had struck back, and how!

Bill Mitchell was the head of the design staff at GM. He and his team did an excellent job with the design of the 1963 Corvette, modeled as it was on a racing car. The overall design of the 1963 Corvette was a completely new one, and a totally American design. The 1963 Corvette got its aggressive and sleek angular lines from a racing car that had been designed by Mitchell earlier. Cool colors and the Sting Ray's distinctive split rear window made the 1963 Corvette a resounding success. For the first time in its history, the Corvette came in both the coupe and convertible forms. "Vents" purely for the looks but otherwise non-functional were put in. The engine hood had dual vents. The dual front fender vents along with the dual vents on the "B" pillar were all put in just to enhance the look of the vehicle. 

1963 saw the best sales in the Corvette with 10,919 roadsters and 10,594 split window coupes being sold in a single year. Only the steering, the various engines, the front suspension and the fiberglass material in the bodies were what the 1963 Corvette had in common with the preceding models. Even though

there were a few fake stylistic touches here and there, superb functional touches also added to the popularity of the 1963 Corvette. The reverse rotational hidden headlights were a striking addition and were to remain a Corvette feature till 2004. These hidden headlights were very aerodynamic when they are closed. The door opening that is cut into the roof makes entry into this low-slung model an easy and comfortable one. An independent rear suspension, an alternator and self-adjusting drum brakes were other functional masterpieces in the 1963 Corvette. The 6.70x15-inch tires provide plenty of grip.

Chevrolet also changed the optional package codes in 1963. The new package codes contained one or two letters combined with one or two numbers, and specific models were often called by their package codes. Some of the most popular among these were the Z06 and the L88; both considered to be performance enhancing.

About 22,000 units of the 1963 Corvette were produced every year in the 5 years from 1962-67. One of the most striking features of the 1963 Corvette was the divider in the rear window of the coupe. But, this split window was removed from subsequent models of the Corvette due to complaints from owners. Some found that the divider blocked the view from the back, and could prove dangerous. Eventually, the 1963 Corvette with the split windows or the 1963 Split Window Corvette became a collectible, both rare as well as prized.

Today, the 1963 Corvette is one if the favorites among Chevrolet enthusiasts. The sturdy engine, the compact and sleek body along with the powerful tires makes it a popular artifact to own. It is now purely a collector's item, bringing with it a rich history of battles fought and won, and of a great innovation in style.