Some classic cars are renowned for their subtlety and ability to blend into the background. Then you have classics like this 1963 Corvette. This is not a subtle car, but it is one that shouts what it is from the roof-tops, and also happens to be in exceptional condition for its age. You look at the first photo, and there is simply no disputing what you are looking at. The Split Window Coupe is one of the most distinctive vehicles to ever roll off an American production line, and this stunning example has remained as part of a large private collection for many years. The owner has made the difficult decision to down-size, so the Corvette has been earmarked to go. The vehicle is located in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada, and has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has rocketed to $90,100, and this is entirely understandable when you consider that the Corvette is being offered for sale with No Reserve.
The presentation of the Corvette is extremely nice. It has received a repaint in its original Riverside Red, but that was way back in 1974. This has survived exceptionally well and still holds a very nice shine today. There are no signs of any cracking or issues, while the trim and chrome, all of which is original, is in very nice condition for a survivor. The underside of the Corvette can best be described as spotless. There is no evidence of any rust or corrosion, and it presents in a nicely detailed state. One really desirable inclusion is the aluminum knock-off wheels. At $322.80 in 1963, these were considered to be anything but cheap. It isn’t clear just how many buyers chose to fit them, but conventional wisdom says that it wasn’t many. This Corvette has them, and they appear to be in great condition. In addition, all of the glass is in good order, with no sign of any significant chips or faults.
I’d love to be able to tell you that this is a numbers-matching car, but that is one thing that I can’t do. What you get here is the L76 version of the 327ci V8, producing 340hp. The Corvette has been owned by the same family since new, and while it isn’t clear when the engine was replaced, the block stamp indicates that it was a dealer replacement. Given how careful the owner appears to have been maintaining the car’s overall originality, I have every reason to believe that the replacement engine is of the same specifications as the original. With the optional 4-speed manual transmission bolted behind the 327, one thing that the Corvette shouldn’t want for is performance. With a 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds and a ¼ mile ET of 14.3 seconds, this is a classic that could really haul the mail. The owner states that the vehicle performs well, and he also states that it has a genuine 40,442 miles on the odometer. It appears that he does hold evidence to verify this.
The interior of the Corvette is finished in Red vinyl, and the fact that the seats still wear their original vinyl is pretty impressive. The rest of the interior has been treated to a bit of a refresh, including new carpet, new door trims, and a few new components on the dash. The gauges are original, and the fact that the glass on these looks a bit cloudy and the whole gauge cluster looks like it would benefit from a careful detail clean is about all that I can be critical of. The rest of the interior looks very nice, and while it isn’t loaded with luxury appointments, the original AM/FM radio will provide some in-car entertainment if the next owner tires of the song being sung by the 327.
When you look at this ’63 Corvette, you can see why bidding has been pretty solid to this point. There were 10,594 Corvette Coupes built during 1963, which makes it a fairly respectable seller. There were some potential buyers at the time who did not like the Split Window feature, and there were dealers who offered their own option to cut out the rear window dividing strip and to install one-piece rear glass. It is probably fair to believe that any owner who chose to exercise that option in 1963 potentially feels quite nauseous when they reflect upon that decision today. Nice examples of the Split Window Corvette are now eagerly sought, and values continue to head upwards. This one is a nice example, and I can’t help but feel some pangs of jealousy that someone is about to become the proud new owner of this beauty. The question is, will that somebody be you?
Wow!! Very nice. Have a look at his other cars for sale on eBay… It’s like classic car porn.
I bet it hits 130,000
Love the car …. my all original split also a 340 hp 4 speed is ready for ermine white paint and done ✅
Nice car, not a fan of red on red but I wouldn’t walk away from it..
Imagine driving that in ’63. You must have looked like you came from another planet…
One thing Corvette experts seem to agree on is that no 1963 Corvettes were equipped by the factory with knock-off wheels. The option was announced and appears in documentation, but withdrawn before any production cars were built.
It’s a good thing they were recalled, these things are known to loosen up! I’ve seen some originals, soft aluminum, no locking pins on the knock-offs! ($7000.00) my car has Western made knock-offs with locking pins, excellent! there’s a lot of one year only stuff on a 63, master cylinder, console, steering column ect. better make sure it’s all there!
6 sets
Hmmm 90 large, is that in Canadian or us$$$?? Would be hard to find another this nice…do you guys think the Non matching engine lowers the value that much on a splitty this nice?? Good luck to the new owner!!
Cheers
GPC
Needs redline tires.
Yes. Lose the whitewalls please. I would go black…
Those white walls do a good job of contrasting all that red.
Red line tires weren’t introduced until 1967 so they would look out of place on this classic.
Red line tires were introduced before ’67.
They would look ugly on that car, anyway.
Now, my new Montero red ’65 GTO, came with them.
Looked good…..
You couldn’t dislike this car if you wanted to.
True Bobhess. I’m not a lover of Corvettes but if I were to decide otherwise in the future, then this is the only model I would buy. I couldn’t care less about it not being a numbers matching car either. (Or any other car for that matter) Gorgeous car.
Nice & my favorite Vette!
Love the red on red. No half stepping here. All the way. And white walls too that add to the beauty. How great is that? Sorry to see these things inch their way up to a hundred grand. Ruins the car’s intended value as we remembered them. Not 100 gees. And while I’m on this topic of how we remember them, the narrative above misses that ghastly peak inside. Looming up high it’s obvious the owner made the difficult decision, very difficult decision, to replace the to die for OEM shifter with a Hurst. The squeeze for reverse is gone. Long gone.
You had me at red car with red guts!
So what it has the wrong shifter, Aluminum K.O. Wheels, I still want it. Call me wrong for saying , but I’d drive it anytime & anywhere I wanted to.
This really make me miss the one I had long ago.
WOW Nice
The split window is on my Never Gonna Happen bucket list.so sad………..
Let me pick some nits……could be the lighting but the seats appear to have had recent Walmart dye job on the vinyl.
I find it concerning, being an internet vehicle sage, without any basis for my concern, that the engine has been replaced as well as having been repainted in 1974 ,
Sounds like a lot of wear and tear in 11 years..
Conspiracy theorists step forward. Whaddya got?
Car has been relisted on EBay with no reserve. But it now for only $125,900!
The csr has been on Ebay several times now over the last few months. The seller keeps playing games advertising it as no reserve, etc and still has it? How does that happen?
The guy’s a flake…
What else is he hiding?.
Buyer beware..
I suspect the reason the seller isn’t offering to sell the car, despite no reserve is, he’s holding out to see how high the offers go. Greed???
Does anyone here think $90,100 is a respectable bid?
I love the car. Red on red & a split window, it doesn’t get better than that. IMO
The owner of this museum and the cars in it is John Staluppi. The museum is located in North Palm Beach, Florida. Cars of Dreams is a private museum and is only open to the public during special events. If you grew up or were young during the 50’s and 60’s this is a “must see”….the most fabulous collection of cars of that era you’ll ever see…!!! ENJOY
http://www.youtube.com/watch_ popup?v=WbN_BAn55a4&pop_ads= null
Try this….Or copy & paste in your search engine.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WbN_BAn55a4