Vehicle Description
-A Certified Milestone Car JUST SOLD from 'The Mount Dora Museum of
Speed' floor- A great, original, Dark Metallic 'Daytona Blue'
"Survivor candidate" w/ Navy bucket seats. A 'real' number's
matching orig. California car with the 327/360hp solid lifter fuel
injected motor, four speed, with optional positraction, signal
seeking AM/FM, plain Navy Blue steering wheel (not replaced w/
Woodgrain), AM/FM radio, 'Whitewall' Nylon Bias Ply Tires, original
(now yellowed) orig. Plastic Floormats and an incredible 60,326
'ACTUAL' Miles Title. Standard equipment included: circular gauges,
hidden electric headlights, tachometer, dual exhaust, 1- exterior
Chevy rear view mirror, , heater & defroster, 'Chevrolet' safety
belts, vented cabin, electric clock (works), fake hood louvers and
split rear window (this year only). Plus, the orig. Trigger chrome
shifter, and beautiful 'spinner' hubcaps. Offered in just seven
exterior colors this one in it's original color of "Daytona Blue".
The 1963 Story: It was Friday 12:53pm, November 22, when President
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, 'Little Stevie Wonder'
released his first LP album, Liz Taylor got paid $1mil for starring
in the film "Cleopatra", Joan Baez and Bob Dylan performed together
at the Newport Jazz Festival, Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens
starred in the hit movie "The Nutty Professor", Kodak developed the
first "Instamatic Camera", Johnny Depp (actor) was born while Patsy
Cline, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Robert Frost (poet) all expired. With
seeds planted by Bill Mitchell, Larry Shinoda and Zora Duntov, who
designed the Corvette Sting Ray special racer and experimental
XP-720, they layed the groundwork for the legendary 1963 Corvette
Sting Ray coupe and then the Sting Ray convertible. Their dream car
was designed with pivoting headlights, smooth fastback profile,
doors that cut into the roof line, belt line dip, and Split Rear
Window ....turn's out, despite Zora Duntov's objections, all those
features ended up in the production line 'Sting Ray' that followed.
Although this Vette was 4"shorter than any previous model, had no
trunk lid, less fiberglass, twice as much steel and luggage space
sacrificed for sheer beauty.....The new Sting Ray coupe was born!
Now considered a Milestone Car by the Milestone Society, as well
as, by any red-blooded American Car Lover...The 1963 Corvette Coupe
is seen as a pivotal car for any classic car collection. General
Motors designer, Larry Shinoda, takes credit for 'holding the line'
on the dorsal spine that began at the hood and continued at the
crease-line across the roof and down the tip of the boat-tail
canopy. History has it, the only nay-sayer of the original design
was Zora Argus Duntov himself, who criticized the rear visibility.
The 'real' working hood vents originally intended for production
were also sacrificed 'to make production-line budget' and were
replaced by the chrome fake vents (some see as, the only fault in
design). Today, the 1963 Corvette Split-Window is viewed as a
coveted classic for not only it's distinctive silhouette but, rare
production numbers and performance. Underneath, the new ladder
frame replaced the old "X" braced chassis but, far more noticeable,
was a new independent rear suspension...A three-link set-up with
double jointed drive shafts on either side and a transverse leaf
spring. Power steering was available for the first time and even
air conditioning (except on the more powerful performance motors).
Only 1,114 Vettes got leather ("Saddle" was the only color avail. )
and only 2,610 total got fuel injection ( both coupe and
convertibles). Four speeds were the most popular, with 4 out of 5
cars opting-out for the 2-speed automatic (4 -spds only for
Fuelies). Output from the carbureted 327 V8 ranged from 250hp To
340hp, while the $430 fuel injected version belted out 360hp.
Performance was 'stellar', with the 'Fuelie' hitting 60 mph in just
5.6 sec., blasting through the quarter mile in 14.5 sec at 102 mph.
Road and Track Magazine bragged "The Corvette sticks with great
gripping gobs of traction". The Sting Ray's debut was heralded with
as much bally-hoo as the E-type Jag, debuted just a few years
earlier, as the public screamed "Yes..yes" to it's revolutionary
design and performance. Sales, of course, followed suite with
10,954 coupes sold, edging-out 10,919 convertibles. Only 12% of
production in 1963 were fuel-injected cars! . This car is almost
all original, save one lacquer paint job, having been 'painted in
1978 but, still showing extremely well. However, it just completed
an expensive rebuild of the fuel system including Fuel Injection,
Fuel Head, Fuel Pump, Spider, orig. OLA Gas Tank, Heads (ALL orig),
Fan Clutch and Brakes...using all N.O.S. parts. I'm offering it for
the first time in 22 years, direct from the car Museum floor SOLD
$165,000 FIRM.