This iconic 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Split Window Coupe is an incredibly rare matching-numbers example boasting a three-owner history, with its most recent ownership dating back to 1969. Only a true classic can evoke that level of commitment, but that has always been the strength of GM Design Chief Bill Mitchell’s timeless design. A daring departure from the smoothly rounded contours of the first generation, the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray was a dream car made real like never before. Mitchell himself had foretold the new car’s arrival with his Sting Ray racer and numerous mouthwatering styling exercises, but the public and the motoring press were still taken aback by this radical new design, which introduced the first hardtop Corvette in the form of the Split Window Coupe. While the basic coupe body style would remain unchanged throughout the second generation, the split rear window feature would distinguish only the 1963 edition, making it especially collectible. The coupe’s bold styling is the perfect canvas for this example’s brilliant Riverside Red paint and Black interior, both renewed as part of a body-off restoration to excellent condition with a no-hit factory front end and rust-free frame. Produced in March 1963, the car is powered by the optional L75 327/300 HP small-block V-8 teamed with a BorgWarner T10 4-speed and 3.36 Positraction rear end, all of which, significantly, are matching-numbers. Nicely equipped with power windows, aluminized exhaust, Wonderbar AM/FM radio and Blackwall radial tires, the car is documented with the factory original body/trim tag. It is documented with ownership history, copies of the title and registration from 1969, restoration receipts and photos, and features most all factory correct type components including the spare, jack and tools, washer system, shifter, shielding, air cleaner, alternator, distributor, spark plug shields, hoses and hose clamps, hood alignment blocks, carburetor, valve covers, fuel filter, expansion tank, roller gas door assembly, long base Bowtie mirror, “cookie tin” hood, owner’s manual and sales brochure.
