Every one of us dreams of that moment when we open a barn door to be confronted by a desirable classic begging to be liberated. That was the case for the previous owner of this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe. When he chanced upon this classic, it had spent more than four decades in isolation. It was tired and dusty, but he saw the potential locked away in this American icon. As you will see, its transformation has been pretty incredible, but the time has come for it to find a new home. Located in Templeton, Massachusetts, the current owner has listed the Coupe for sale here on eBay. Intense bidding has seen the price rocket to $150,000, but that figure remains short of the reserve. That figure may seem steep for the car as it appears in this photo, so read on to understand why it has generated so much interest.
Once the previous owner trailered the Corvette home, his first course of action was to treat it to a well-deserved clean. However, that was when the fun started. He felt the car deserved to return to its former glory, so he stripped it for a frame-off restoration. With many years of prior experience restoring cars and fiberglass boats, he removed the tired paint to reveal a body with no evidence of knocks or previous accident damage. He addressed any minor imperfections before turning his attention to the frame.
The Corvette’s frame proved to be in a sound state, but the previous owner elected to strip and powdercoat it to ensure it remained that way. It presents well, and the buyer shouldn’t face any issues with frame rot if they continue treating the ‘Vette with care and respect. With the drivetrain and fuel system in place, the moment had arrived when the restorer married the frame with the freshly painted body.
Talk about a marriage made in heaven! The restorer refinished the flawless fiberglass in the Corvette’s original shade of Riverside Red before returning it to the frame. The paint shines magnificently, and its overall condition makes it feel like the Coupe has just rolled off a showroom floor. When you begin to examine the extent of this restoration, it seems the previous owner left no stone unturned in his quest for perfection. With the paint and panels complete, his attention turned to the shiny bits. Every chrome component found its way to the platers for triple-coating, and their condition does this exterior justice. The glass wears its correct date codes and presents well for its age. The aluminum knock-off wheels aren’t original to this car, but the factory wheels and a set of immaculate NOS hubcaps are there for those seeking a factory-fresh appearance. The owner believes that the tires on those wheels may be original, and if so, the fact that they look good and hold air is pretty amazing. I wouldn’t trust them on the road, but they would serve perfectly for show duties.
The original owner ordered this Split Window with a pretty desirable drivetrain combination. They selected to spend an additional $107.60 over the sticker price to slot the L76 version of the venerable 327ci V8 under the hood. Its 340hp finds its way to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. While many people focus on the performance potential offered by the iconic Fuelie or Z06 Corvettes from this model year, a ¼ mile ET of 14.3 seconds is by no means shameful. We’ve reached the point of the story where we may have found the only genuine chink in this Corvette’s armor. The owner indicates that the car is no longer numbers-matching. It isn’t clear when the original motor and transmission disappeared, but things might not be as bad as they first seem. The engine and transmission carry the correct date codes for this car, so while some purists may not consider this a genuine restoration due to that factor, it could be viewed as a faithful refurbishment to the highest standard. The car runs and drives well and has accumulated 5,000 miles since returning to active duty.
When you consider this Corvette’s recent history, it is no surprise that its interior presents superbly. The restorer undertook a complete retrim in its original Black vinyl, and there’s nothing to fault. The upholstered surfaces are perfect, there is no wear on the carpet, while the plastic and bright trim items appear factory fresh. The previous owner despatched the gauge cluster to a professional for restoration and calibration, electing to have the odometer returned to a zero reading. It now shows a mere 5,000 miles, representing little more than break-in miles for a vehicle of this type. Everything works as it should, including the clock and factory AM/FM radio.
When an owner lists a classic car for sale, and it receives sixty-nine bids in less than three days, you can be sure that you’re dealing with something pretty special. Such is the case with this 1963 Corvette Split Window Coupe. After opening at $1,000, it has taken a mere 2½ days for the bidding to reach its current level. That begs the question of how far it is likely to climb in the auction’s remaining seven days. Its lack of numbers-matching status may have some bearing on the final result, but I would still expect the price to surpass $170,000. Even if owning this Split Window is nothing but a dream for you, it would still be worth watching the auction to see how the results pan out.
151k and reserve not met. Damn….
Very nice car and looks as though the restoration was quite extensive. Myself never could understand the love for the split window coupe. GM realized there was a visibility issues and the coupe in warm weather is a bear. Air doesn’t move around too well, at least the 65 my brother owned. But I suppose they are loved for the one year off. Looks like it will bring some very well deserved money.
The most beautiful car ever to come out of the big three !
Nice but bad paint finish. Either orange peal or rough fiberglass. That car deserves a better job than that.
I’m one of those Corvette people who never liked the look of the split window, but it is a pretty car and a well done restoration.
I do find it interesting that the seller chose to call this car a “survivor”, when virtually every part and piece of the car has either been refinished or replaced, and the original motor is long gone.
$150K for a wrong motor split, no matter how nicely restored, seems nuts to me. It is interesting that over half of the current 70 bids are all by the same person, often repeatedly raising their own bid over and over??????
In true Ebay fashion, they will bid and bid until they find the sellers reserve then retract it the day before the auction ends returning the price to nearly nothing. Happens all the time.
Oh I’m aware that that goes on. I’m also aware that sellers often have friends repeatedly bid up prices, to get a car close to it’s reserve. It was just sort of funny looking at the bid history on this car, and seeing the same person raising their own bid, 8, 9, 10 times in a row!
I agree, GB…it is NOT a ‘survivor’, nor is it restored. It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong, just call it what it is: a mild custom, or resto-mod. Frame and suspension powder coated? Late 1962 stamped motor and BW 4speed, when it probably had a Muncie originally? Knock off wheels when virtually NO 1963 vettes were factory equipped?
Again, it’s a beautiful car that, to me, seems like a long term investment at that price. And the price climbed a few more thousand in the few minutes I was reading the ad. SMH
“… and the coupe in warm weather is a bear. Air doesn’t move around too well..”
Here in South Carolina, today, May 4th, we are expecting a high of 92 ….. The above quote from ‘Cadmanls’ about says it all…. and if you live south of the Mason-Dixon line, as I do, the lack of A/C in the coupe is a killer.
The Seller is ecstatic! The Buyer may never see a profit and may see a loss in the future.
The Car Collector,(smart ones) know when its time to reduce their collection. The collector market is on its way down according to what I’ve read in the past year. The auction houses, Classic Cars, Mecum, Barrett Jackson and a few others have been making big money. This is just car sales in 1 month!
Classic Car Auctions, April 2018 and April 2022
Comparing auction activity during the month of April ONLY.
2018 Sales $97.98M. Selling 2,129 vehicles.
2022 Sales $260.76M. Selling 7,122 vehicles.
So is it really booming or are people getting out while its highly profitable?
You just proved your own theory wrong there Frank. The classic car market is growing and has been for many years. Until we start seeing a drop in values, I wouldn’t get too nervous.
Jesse,
It was a question to your viewers. It is my observation, the numbers are real numbers. I think the market is close to the top. I think the Auction houses have damaged the Collector car market for younger generations and the economy is another factor.
I know for a fact, this has happened in the Full-Auto machine gun market. As a Class 3 dealer I purchased guns for a few thousand dollars back in the late 70’s. Today that HK MP5 is now $40K plus. Auctions and a few big time dealers have pushed prices to the top. Today the market is slow. I see the same firearms for sale for months.
Always on shaky ground disagreeing with the boss, and I don’t mean any disrespect, Jesse, but of course you are going to say classic cars are booming, you have a vested interest in the hobby.
It’s probably no surprise that I happen to agree with Frank. Classic car business IS great for those that attend auctions, but unless you’ve been under a rock lately, or wealthy, the world is melting down, and I do indeed think people are bailing out while the gettin’ is good. Everyone knows, you don’t wait for the market to crash, and crash it will, , THEN try and sell your “split-window Corvette”, or whatever. For regular schmoes, just trying to pay the gas bill, and there’s a lot of us, interest has already begun to wane, for regular classics, especially the ones needing restoration. Who among your readers here are going to spend $175 grand on something you’d be a fool to use, when they can’t sport a couple bucks to be a member? These high end vehicles simply get traded amongst the rich, while we sit and watch. Franks figures are misleading. Reason, I read, why an increase in vehicles sold, people with money are running out of places to spend it on, can you imagine? And are creating a false market effectively eliminating people without money that might get in the way of them making MORE money. It’s a twisted game, but with money, it’s always been that way. Wouldn’t it be a darn shame it someone with not a lot of money, bought a classic for a PLAUSIBLE amount, actually USED the car, but removing it from the profit sector. Can’t let that happen,,
Thanks for the support and your input. Those figures I listed are from Classic Car Auctions. What I was presenting was actual figures of the increase in car prices at two auctions in April five years apart. I was attempting to spark an interest in pricing and auction houses. Has pricing gone astray? The winners are the Auction houses and the Sellers. Presently I see no bargains at auctions unless the car does not sell. I have gone directly to the seller before the vehicle has crossed the block and after the auction.
I’m sure some monthly car magazine has addressed this issue regarding selling collections while the market is hot. I’ve read it in two financial articles in the past year.
@Howard – I don’t have a vested interest in the hobby. This site will continue to do well until they outlaw internal combustion engines and I don’t see that happening in any of our lifetimes. We may not like where values are headed but there is nothing we can do about it. There are still bargain classics out there. You just have to stop wanting what everyone else wants.
Up over 175K now, Reserve Not Met.
The total in my bank just ran out, damn!
To the comment about the orange peel and what he believes is lousy paint. To all the NCRS guys who covet awards, so they can sell their cars for a million dollars, this is the way GM painted these cars new. I have a friend who owns a 1965 coupe originally owned by Peter Fonda. He found one of the best painters around to replicate the lousy paint finish with the orange peel. The car is a Bloomington Gold car. The facts are that paint was terrible from the St. Louis factory. I worked at a very busy Chevy dealer in the 70s. It was one of my duties to check in new cars as they rolled off the carriers. The Corvette paint jobs were awful, like kids did them. You could see grinder marks, blotchy spots, even runs at the bottom of the doors. Panel fit was awful. A very good customer ordered a new SIlver Anniversary L82 4 speed car and it finally arrived. I remember the customer, service manager and dealership owner in a rather loud conversation in the body shop talking about the crap paint on his new toy. He would not relent. GM was called in and it was agreed to strip the car and repaint it. As for the ridiculous price this car is going to, well, it’s not ridiculous. First of all, it costs about $150,000 to restore these cars properly. The new Corvette is absolutely a pile of garbage, so nobody with any brains wants one and the bottom line is if some rich Internet dude wants a 63, well it’s worth what someone is willing to pay. End of story.
“The new Corvette is absolutely a pile of garbage, so nobody with any brains wants one…”
Wow, I’m seeing quite a few piles of garbage heading down the road with brainless drivers behind the wheell. OMG!
Don’t know what Corvettes are bring I just think that a car tats not all there and still needs some doing but I think the money is to high for what it is .
Interestingly just before I looked at this listing, I was on Craigslist Phoenix Az..
There is a red 63 split window ,that the seller claims, is an actual survivor. It appears possible, but not with out an in person inspection. It is the same car,it is red, black guts, same drive train etc. It is listed at 119 K. I would be curious to know how, a true Corvette expert, would compare the two cars. I know I am not knowledgeable enough to do it.
And therein lies the dilemma. Do you want a beautiful, although nonoriginal/modified, SWC for $180-190-200 (unknown reserve) or WHAT APPEARS to be an original/unmodified SWC for $119?
Quite frankly, and I’m no purist, I would take the cheaper route: do the mechanicals, and preserve the Phoenix car as it is…a survivor. As an investment I think there is a better upside as well.
Ruxvette, I appreciate your answer and not just, because I agree with you, it just makes sense as long as you get to inspect all three cars and they are as advertised. I also think ,Frank,Jesse and Howard have some very good points, and all could be correct in one way or another. I have been involved in this hobby ( or business as it can be) for about 60 years, and it has never totally crashed. That doesn’t mean it won’t, but I think what it really does is change and fluctuate, because of the people who are the buyers. Their wealth and what they want establishes the market. Basically its supply and demand. That is a concept that is very hard to predict,
Joe and the other posters are why I stay with this site, SWC ‘s have a special demand in their many forms, like an XKE or a 308, they will have a special following although the ” car hobby” is shrinking in many categories, demand and price points for special types will continue for the foreseeable future, just pick the “right” car! Having been at it for 40 years, as Joe said, the market is fickle.
Auction was pulled from EBay without a trace – maybe a scam?