Split Window

1963 was a big year for the General Motors,The C2 was introduced that year. The lineage of the car could be traced to two separate  projects. The Q-Corvette a design started in 1957 that got no further then a clay mock-up and the Corvette Stingray (concept car.) Designed by Pete Brock, Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda That  took its cues from the short lived Corvette SS racing project.

In 1959 elements from both the Q-Corvette and the Stingray race car  were incorporated into the project named the XP-720 at the GM styling studios. The idea was to build a production Corvette based on Bill Mitchell’s  race car. An early clay model was pretty much the Stingray concept car turned into a coupe,  in 1960 a second full size clay model done by Larry Shinoda

is approved by the GM management. This would be the 1963 C2 Split Window Corvette Sting Ray.

The designers felt 10 years was long enough, even for a much improved  design, so 1963 saw the big change from the original Harley Earl Corvette.

The C2 was the first production Corvette coupe and it sported an unusual design element for the period, a split rear window.Hidden headlights were also a new design feature,they were mounted on rotating sections that when closed fit perfectly with the sharp edged nose of the Vette. these would continue as part of the Corvette style till the C6 model. Doors with deep cuts into the roof allowed easier entry into the low roof sports car.

Inside, the dash had a new take on a motif that had been around since 1958, but with more room in the glove box and a better heating system and large round Tachometer and speedometer facing the driver,with a clock and vertically mounted radio taking there place in the center console. There was some room for luggage, but as there was no trunk lid it had to be put in behind the seats. The  round deck emblem now doubled as fuel filler flap.

Underneath a new chassis had also been added. Better handling came from a shorter wheelbase that altered the weight distribution giving the front wheels less weight for lighter steering and the rear wheels more weight for better traction. The standard cast iron drum brakes were now wider for an increase in braking area, finned aluminum drums were an option allowing better heat dissipation and a savings in  unsprung weight.

The independent rear suspension was the work of another Corvette legend Zora Arkus-Duntov

a design he took from the CERV1 concept car. it was a frame mounted differential with u-jointed half shafts linked together by a transverse leaf spring. Rubber cushioned struts carried the differential, this reduced harshness in the ride while improving grip, standard shock absorbers were used. this system  was a significant reduction in unsprung weight.

The C2’s front suspension would carry over from earlier models, steering was recirculating ball, but it was geared at a higher 19.6:1 ratio. Previous being 20.0:1 

Drivetrains were the same as previous models  four small block  327 V8s  were offered with a choice of three transmissions and six axel ratios. carbureted engines came in three flavors 250, 300 and 340HP topping these was the 360HP  Rochester fuel injected V8 which was a $430.40 extra.

The standard gearbox for the Corvette remained a three speed manual, but the preference for buyers was the Borg-Warner four speed.This came with wide ratio gears on the base motors and close ratio gears on the top two.

 The new Sting Ray was not only a major design change it was  lighter then the earlier Corvettes so acceleration was improved even though the engines had remained the same.

The new look for 1963 was a big success, GM sold  21,513 C2s, this was twice as many Corvettes as they had sold for the very popular 1962 model year. 

Sales of the new coupe almost equaled the convertible,but would never reach these levels again throughout  the Sting Ray years.

Sitting in this silver 63 Corvette on a warm fall day  is like being in a time machine. Not just because it’s a beautiful example of the marque, but because it reminds me of the first time I ever saw one, it was Lime Rock ,Connecticut 1963 my family was visiting Coby Whitmore and family. Coby along with his good friend John Fitch had designed the Fitch/Whitmore Jaguar and the Fitch Phoenix. There had always been cool cars running through the household, John and Coby had a single seat race car they used to run in Coby’s back yard when it wasn’t down at the track.

We pulled up in front of the Whitmore’s home and their son Tod was in the driveway with this amazing machine.

It was silver too and it looked like a space ship to my young eyes. Having neither the height to see over the steering wheel or required license do drive it, I could just look and dream about what it must be like to be behind the wheel of this machine. Fast forward  a few decades and that dream is coming true. Closing the door with it’s deep cut into the roof makes you feel like you  are truly  in a cockpit. The narrow rimmed steering wheel with it’s crossed flags on the horn doesn’t feel like it will be up to the job of controlling this beast ,but it does the job admirably .  Looking at the mirror image dash,everything you need to know is right there in front of you in large  round easy to read dials. Speedo to your left and a 6500 RPM redline tach to your right with the fuel, battery, oil and temperature gauges all visible at a glance . Turn the key and the Stromberg fuel injection does it’s job and the engine  fires up and settles into a low rumble. Get hold of the shift lever and through it into first and take off. This is a very elemental sports car. No AC, no power steering or power brakes , just the feel of barely controlled power. You leap forward with great ease, slowing down not to bad,but you are not going to be doing any heroics in the corners, after all this is fifty year old technology,but this car was the genesis of all Corvettes to follow. You can still see design elements that came from the C2 in the C7 today. The split window was a one year design,Zora Arkus-Duntov didn’t like the look and there were concerns about rear ward visibility, all this considered the 63 C2 is a milestone in Corvette history.

 This is a bucket list car for all gear heads to experience at least once in their life time.It was a long time from first seeing one of these machines to driving one and I can tell you it was well worth the wait.

Thanks to Wayne Carini and Mike Roberts of F40 Motor Sports for letting me loose with this memorable machine.
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