1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible 327/250

Description

Tales of the creation of the 1963 Corvette are both legion and legend: Seductive aerodynamic design by Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda incorporating innovative rotating headlights and mounted upon a thoroughly redesigned chassis, featuring Corvette’s inaugural four-wheel independent suspension (developed by the talented Zora Arkus-Duntov), and powerful 327 cu-in V8 engines in multiple states of performance tune from 250 to 360 horsepower. The result was a Corvette that truly was new and was engineered from top to bottom to become the world-beating sports car that chief engineer Duntov, later revered as the “Father of the Corvette,” had always known it could be. 

While the automotive press gushed over the higher horsepower variants, the vast majority of Corvette buyers in 1963 chose the base model. Rated at 250 hp, the standard 327 cu-in V8 was more than enough performance and was offered with three- and four-speed manual and Powerglide automatic transmissions. As Road & Track magazine stated in 1963, “As a purely sporting car, the new Corvette will know few peers on road or track.” The 10,919 Corvette convertible buyers that year already knew that. 

Highlights 

• Highly original first-year Sting Ray convertible 

• Believed original paint and mileage 

• 327 cu-in V8 with single four-barrel carburetor delivering 250 horsepower  

• Uncommon Powerglide two-speed automatic transmission (1,115 built with 250 hp engine) 

• Finished in Riverside Red over the standard Black vinyl interior and White soft top 

• The chassis number (30867S109292) decodes as: 

  • 3 – 1963 

  • 08 – Corvette 

  • 67 – Convertible 

  • S – St. Louis, Missouri, final assembly plant 

  • 109292 – Production number with an approximate build date of July 1963 

• The Body by Chevrolet tag decodes as: 

  • Style: 63 867 – 1963 Corvette convertible 

  • Body: 4236 – Body production number 

  • Paint: 923A – Riverside Red  

  • Trim: BLK – Standard Black vinyl interior 

Features 

• Restored in 2015 by D&M Corvette Specialists in Downers Grove, Illinois  

• New convertible top under previous ownership 

• Electronic ignition added 

• Factory power steering 

• Factory power brakes 

Known Imperfections 

• The seller has endeavored to keep this Corvette as original as possible and the paint, which is believed original, displays the slight patina and paint imperfections that come with age and enjoyment 

• Passenger side dash has a split above the glove box 

Included 

• Weatherstripping kits for the convertible top and the body 

• Restoration photos and receipts 

• Extra muffler and tailpipe 

• Extra radio in box believed from 1964 

Ownership History 

The consignor of the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Convertible has owned it since 2015. He reports, “The mechanics of this vehicle were completely restored in 2015 by D&M Corvette Specialists in Downers Grove, Illinois. We have records and invoices of all work performed to bring the car back to its original specs. We also have many pictures of the restoration process as it occurred. We have less than 1000 miles since the restoration.”