For Sale: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette in Clifton Park, New York

1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split-Window CoupeOriginally Owned by (and Raced by) Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney, "The First lady of Drag Racing"Originally Delivered to Marsh Hallman Chevrolet in Albany, NY(Verified by NCRS Shipping Data Report)The History of the Woman Behind This CorvetteShirley Muldowney: From Local Corvette Racer to the First Lady of Top Fuel Few figures in American motorsports embody grit, defiance, and raw competitive instinct quite like Shirley Cha Cha Muldowney. Long before she became a three-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion and a household name in drag racing, Muldowney's story began not on the national stage, but on the modest eighth-mile strips and back-road circuits of upstate New York often behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Corvette. Born Shirley Ann Roque in 1940 and raised in Schenectady, New York, Muldowney gravitated toward speed at a young age. By her late teens, she was already immersed in street racing culture, encouraged and mechanically supported by her husband, Jack Muldowney. Her formal drag racing debut came in 1958 at Fonda Speedway in upstate New York, a venue that would become central to her early development. In an era when women were largely excluded from motorsports, Muldowney forced her way into competition through persistence, mechanical ingenuity, and a willingness to race anyone, anywhere. One of the most intriguing and often overlooked chapters of Muldowney's career centers on her early 1960s racing activities with a silver 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray.  This car represents a critical transition point between informal street racing and organized drag competition. By 1962/ 1963, Muldowney was regularly campaigning this very split-window Corvette, part of the newly introduced C2 generation prepared by her husband with typical grassroots modifications:  Slick rear tires bolted on for traction Open exhaust for improved flow and sound Minimal but effective tuning for short-track acceleration The 1963 Corvette itself was a cutting-edge performance machine for its time, featuring a lightweight fiberglass body and available high-output 327 cubic-inch V8 engines, making it a formidable presence on early drag strips. Muldowney recalled that this Corvette was raced frequently on local circuits, particularly: Fonda Speedway (Fonda, NY)Saturday night racing on an eighth-mile strip was a regular routine, where she would bolt the slicks on and go racing. Lebanon Valley Dragway (West Lebanon, NY)She competed in stock classes, reportedly running both 1962 and 1963 Corvettes against regional competitors. Milton Drag Strip (Vermont)While better documented with another car, this track was part of her early northeastern circuit in 1963. These were not high-profile national events but intensely competitive grassroots venues where reputations were built. Muldowney's Corvette outings were characterized by consistency and aggression traits that would define her later professional career. Importantly, these races also brought her early attention from sanctioning bodies. In one anecdote from this period, she performed dramatic fire burnouts, drawing the ire of NHRA founder Wally Parks, who formally reprimanded her - evidence of both her showmanship and her growing visibility. By 1965, Muldowney had transitioned from stock-bodied cars like the Corvette into purpose-built dragsters, becoming the first woman licensed by the NHRA to drive a gas-powered dragster. Her early experience racing production-based performance cars, especially the Corvette, was crucial, giving her a mechanical understanding of traction and launch dynamics, confidence in head-to-head competitions and, perhaps most importantly, local notoriety that helped her break into larger events. Throughout the mid-to-late 1960s, she continued racing across northeastern tracks, including match races and regional events, steadily building a reputation that would carry her into national prominence. Shirley Muldowney would go on to: Become the first woman to earn a Top Fuel license (1973) Win three NHRA Top Fuel world championships (1977, 1980, 1982) Redefine the role of women in professional motorsports Surely, the foundation of her legendary career can be traced directly to those early 1960s nights in upstate New York when a young driver in a modified 1963 Corvette lined up against anyone willing to race. The image of Shirley Muldowney behind the wheel of a silver split-window Corvette, staging under the lights at Fonda or Lebanon Valley, captures a pivotal moment in drag racing history. It was there, far from the national spotlight, that she forged the skill, toughness, and identity that would ultimately make her the First Lady of Drag Racing. Her Corvette years are more than a footnote: they are the origin story of a motorsports pioneer who refused to be told where she did or did not belong.