Chevrolet marked the 10-year anniversary of the Corvette with the introduction of the 1963 Sting Ray. Styled by a team led by Larry Shinoda and Peter Brock under the supervision of GM design chief Bill Mitchell, the new Sting Ray’s styling was revolutionary, evolved from the experimental XP720 coupe and Mitchell’s own Sting Ray racer of 1959-1960. The customary convertible was joined for the first time by a coupe model distinguished by a vertically split rear window. Chief Engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov argued against the feature as hampering the view to the rear, but Mitchell’s design remained intact for the first model year. Arkus-Duntov, however, prevailed in another aspect of the new Corvette’s specification, introducing the competition-purposed RPO Z06 Special Performance Equipment Group. The potent and reliable L84 327/360 HP Rochester fuel- injected V-8, Muncie M20 4-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear end formed the core of the Z06 package, which also comprised heavy-duty front and rear springs, shock absorbers and a front sway bar, sintered metallic brake linings, heavy-duty finned drums, forward-operating self-adjusters, brake cooling scoops on vented backing plates, and an exclusive vacuum-powered, dual-circuit master cylinder. Offered at a whopping $1,818.45, the Z06 package initially also included the oversized N03 fiberglass 36.5-gallon “Big Tank” and five finned, aluminum, knock-off wheels. Both were later dropped from the package, the wheels having proved unserviceably porous and the big tank made a separate option to somewhat lighten the Z06 price tag. The Z06 debuted at the Riverside L.A. Times Grand Prix in October 1962 and, while victorious, the first contingent of factory Z06 racers were jolted by their encounter with Carroll Shelby’s first racing Cobra, prompting Arkus-Duntov to admit that further development was drastically needed. A second, this time fatal blow was dealt by GM itself when management, reasserting its commitment to a self-imposed racing ban, pulled the plug on the Z06 (and a mortified Arkus-Duntov) after the 1963 Daytona Continental, leaving the dedicated Z06 racers to fend for themselves without the promised factory support. In the end, only 199 Z06 Corvettes were produced, with likely fewer than 60 also equipped with the N03 Big Tank option; these are among the rarest and most desirable of all production Corvettes in the marque’s storied history. One of just 63 N03 “Tanker” coupes and one of the 199 Z06 Corvettes produced in 1963, this sharp Riverside Red-on-black split window coupe is one of the most extensively honored Corvettes in existence. Produced on April 30, 1963 and delivered new by B.F. Chevrolet in Commack, New York, it has been driven fewer than 200 miles since renowned specialist Andy “Mr. 63” Cannizzo personally completed a meticulous five-year restoration to exacting standards primarily using NOS parts. In addition to its matching-numbers drivetrain, Z06 and N03 options, it remains as new with Off Road exhaust, Soft Ray tinted glass, an AM/FM radio and full-size spinner wheel covers over vintage 6.70x15 blackwall tires on red-painted steel wheels. The car’s painstaking restoration has garnered an extensive collection of prestigious awards, including an NCRS Regional Top Flight and AACA Senior National First Prize Awards in 2012; Chip’s Choice at the Corvettes at Carlisle Z06 Display and AACA First Senior Award and nomination for a National Award in 2013; Bloomington Gold Certification in 2014; and inclusion in the Bloomington Gold Special Collection at Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2016. The car has also earned numerous Best in Class Awards on the concours d’elegance circuit, including at Monmouth County, New Jersey; Saratoga, New York; Greenwich, Connecticut; French Lick, Indiana; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Amelia Island, Florida; and Pinehurst, North Carolina. It was also featured in the November 2014 issue of Muscle Machines and the September 2016 issue of Corvette Magazine. This Sting Ray Tanker Z06 retains the factory-original body/ trim tag as affirmed by Al Grenning’s Classic Car Affirmation Service, LLC and is further thoroughly documented with the Z06 Tank Registry, owner’s manual packet, mechanical receipts from Jeff Reade of American Motoring Memories in Culver City, California, a copy of a previous owner title showing theft recovery, Corvette Magazine and Muscle Machines magazines, an NCRS/GM Shipping Data Report and a three-ring binder. Today, the one-year-only 1963 Corvette Sting Ray split window coupe remains one of the most iconic designs in the history of the American automobile and, as a result, the 199 factory-built Z06s are simply in a league of their own—the ne plus ultra of collector Corvettes.
