1963 Corvettes

Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 128- 1963 Z06 Corvette
"The Original Z06"

Corvette racers never had a better friend than Zora Arkus-Duntov. For the most part, Zora was good at sidestepping GM’s “we don’t race” edict. For those who knew what to look for, there were always plenty of “heavy-duty” and “off-road” options for Corvettes. As the new Sting Ray was being prepared for the ’63 launch, Duntov assembled the most advanced Corvette box racer to that date - the Z06.

By the late ‘50s, the solid-axle Corvettes had established themselves as competitive race cars. Underneath the all-new Sting Ray body was the real breakthrough: a four-wheel, independent suspension. The fuel-injected small-block engine had been opened up to 327-cid in ’62 and now packed 360-horsepower. The all-new suspension of the Sting Ray was essential to better use the extra power on the race track.

Racing packages have never been cheap. The Z06 package was the most expensive Corvette offered to that date. Costing $1,818, the Z06 option was very pricey. But there were other options that were mandatory for the Z06. Those options included the L84 Fuel-Injected 327, the close-ratio 4-speed transmission, and the positraction rear axle. These goodies added an extra $661, for a complete price of $2,479, on top of the $4,252 base price of the car. Then, with a few other extras, tax, tags, registration, etc,. buyers were looking at a $7,000 Corvette in 1963! You could buy a loaded ‘63 SS Impala for just over $3,000.

The hardware included in the Z06 package was amazing advanced for its time. With plenty of power on tap, most of the Z06 extras were designed to enhance the suspension and brakes - critical elements for racing. The front suspension had stiffer shocks, beefier springs, and a thicker, .94-inch stabilized bar. The rear suspension had a 7-leaf transverse spring - two more than the stock setup. To fit the larger 7.75 x 15 racing tires, the rear inner wheelwells were wider. The knock-off alloy wheels were an on, and off, and on again part of the Z06 package. Not all Z06 cars had the knockoff wheels. To reduce the number of pit stops, a 36.5-gallon fiberglass gas tank was included. Interestingly, this part of the Z06 would remain an option through to ’67.

But the real advancement could be found in the car’s race-designed braking system. Many of the older Corvette race cars had less than inadequate brakes. The system was completely new, from its vacuum-assisted, dual-circuit master cylinder to its finned brake drums. Each brake had a cooling fan built onto the hub, and the front units were further cooled by external air scoops. To complete the new cooling system, each drum featured five vent holes. The cerametallix brake pads were not for street use and almost useless until heated up. While the ’63 Z06 was theoretically streetable, it was noisy, hard-riding car away from the race track.
For a mass-produced sports car, this was an impressive package that should have propelled the new Sting Ray into the winner’s circle with considerable frequency. Unfortunately, there was another race machine being built at the time by a Texas chicken farmer/racer named Carroll Shelby. Shelby’s little Cobra had as much power as the Corvette and weighed 1,000 pounds less. But because they were both considered “production cars,” the Vette and the Cobra competed in the same class. Mickey Thompson raced one of the first six Z06 cars and won the L.A. Times Three Hour International in October, 1963. It was a default win, however, as the leading Shelby Cobra broke.

The Z06 package had no external markings, so it never developed the kind of performance mystique enjoyed by the L88. Until the arrival of the ’01 Z06, the ‘63 Z06 Vettes were mostly forgotten. But the Cobra problem aside, Z06 equipped Corvettes did rack up wins. The official Z06 production count was 199 units, making the Z06 one of the rarest Vettes ever offered.

Meanwhile, back in his private skunkworks, Duntov was working on a Cobra-killer. It was called the “Grand Sport.”

Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 19 - 1963 Grand Sport Corvette
"Chevrolet's Cobra Killer"

The 1963 Grand Sport is undoubtedly the ultimate "could-have-been" Corvette. Had GM not pulled the plug, this 2,100 pound monster could have been a true snake-killer. But it wasn't to be.

Grand Sport's problem wasn't a lack of hardware or technical assistance, it was political. The problem began with the 1957 Automobile Manufactures Association ban on factory supported racing. At first, Ford, GM and Chrysler complied, but by 1960 Ford and Pontiac were developing racing programs despite the AMA ban. In June of '62, Ford and Chrysler announced that they would ignore the AMA ban and openly develop racing programs. At Chevrolet, Duntov was watching.

Zora figured that if Pontiac was developing the Super Duty program and other groups in Chevrolet were developing the Mark II Mystery Motor, he should be working on a real racing version of the 1963 Stingray. This car would be homologated in the FIA as a GT Class production car.

To be "legal" in the FIA, Chevrolet had to make at least 100 cars to qualify as "production cars." Unfortunately, only five coupes were built. Years later, two were made into open roadsters. The target weight was 1,900 pounds with an all-aluminum 377 small block making 550 horsepower! This was a 180 mph Corvette. Everything was strictly racing!

The body was almost stock except for the nose and rear window. After its intial outing in '63 the G.S. grew all sorts of flairs, scoops and bulges. Under the thin fiberglass body was a twin tube chassis with a stock independent rear and hand made front suspension. The interior looked stock, except for the racing bucket seats, roll cage, and 200 mph speedometer! The car's best effort was the 1963 Nassau Speed Week where they stunned the Shelby team and won!

GM gave all racing programs the axe in January 1963. The Grand Sports were sold and raced independently. Lacking real factory support, they were quickly obsolete by 1966. All five cars have been fully restored. 

Here's the story:
lIlustrated Corvette Series No. 20 - 1963 Grand Sport Corvette Roadster
"Chevrolet's Cobra Killer - Part II"

Road racing in America went through a tremendous growth period during the mid-'60s. A competitive race car could be obsolete in only two years. Duntov and his crew secretly designed and built five Grand Sports early in 1962. The three Grand Sport Coupes got enough attention at their debut race in Nassau, that GM brass ordered the program halted.

The three coupes were sold in 1964 and the two roadsters were supposed to be sent to the crusher. Somehow, Duntov managed to avoid that fate. In 1965 one of the roadsters surfaced at a car show at Notre Dame University. Someone in the press quipped that a Grand Sport with the new 427 NASCAR engine might be an interesting race car. Enter Roger Penske.

Penske was planning to race a 427 Coupe that year and added the two remaining Grand Sport Roadsters to his team. Assisting in the preparations was veteran Corvette racer, Dick Guldstrand. The team knew that the Grand Sport was getting tired, but it was too tempting to pass up. Guldstrand supervised the complete rebuilding of one of the roadsters and the necessary changes required for the Traco Engineering-built, 500-horsepower, 427 engine.

By the time the Grand Sport Roadster made it to Sebring in March 1966, the car was seriously outdated. But it was a valiant effort that might have had a chance with some factory support. The biggest problem was still the suspension and it's infamous front end lift.

Driver Delmo Johnson was quoted as saying, "As far as I'm concerned, if any driver ever says he had complete control of that car, he's lying to you." Between the front end lift and the power from the 427, Roger Penske said, "It was so light in the front end that when you really stood on the gas, the front end would come off the ground like a dragster."

Power was not a problem for the roadster. During practice, Guldstrand reported that he could easily blow off even the Ford Mark II cars. A. J. Foyt got dusted and was quoted as saying, "What's in that damn dinosaur? It went by me like I was stopped." During actual racing, the car was embarrassingly inadequate.

Penske sold roadster 001 to John Mecam and roadster 002 to George Wintersteen who raced the car unsuccessfully and later sold it for $6,700. George still regrets the sale.

The Grand Sports were the ultimate "could have been" racing Corvettes. Completely lost in the '70s, they have all been found and restored. 

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lllustrated Corvette Series No. 21 - 1963 Corvette Show Car - "Showing Off"

The 1963 Sting Ray was one of the few Corvettes that was a smash hit right out of the box. American car magazines were falling all over the new Sting Ray and rightfully so. There was nothing like it anywhere.

The car had almost everything a car enthusiast could ask for; speed, style and sophistication. Independent designers such as Pininfarina and George Barris, couldn't resist the temptation to design their own Sting Ray. The Rohm & Hass company made experimental parts like a clear acrylic roadster hard top, clear headlight covers, metal finished acrylic wheel covers, and fender-to-fender lighting strips across the rear of the car.

Several months after the 1963 Sting Ray made its debut, stylists unveiled a showcar version of the roadster. Like most showcars, this beauty had all sorts of one-off parts and items that were completely undo-able for a production car. Most notably, the outrageous chrome header/side exhausts. In the '60s, side- pipes were a favorite theme for experimental and showcars. Knock-off wheels were another option that that came from Corvette's racing experience. Other special touches were the modified front fender openings and racing stripe. The interior features modified leather covered white seats with blue stripes, modified door panels, floor grills, a prototype console, tight-weave carpeting and a special two-spoke steering wheel.

There were actually three versions of this car built. The first was the original showcar. The second car was a retirement gift for the Corvette's father, Harley Earl, and had non-functioning side pipes. The third version was street driven by Chevrolet general manger "Bunkie" Knudsen until 1967.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Bill Mitchell, Larry Shinoda and crew were finishing up the stunning 1965 Mako Shark II.

Here's the story:
Kit Car Profile No. 8 1963 Grand Sport Corvette
"The Ultimate Could Have Been Corvette"

The 1963 Grand Sport is arguably the ultimate "could-have-been" Corvette. Had GM not pulled the plug, this 2,100 pound monster could have been a true snake-killer. But it wasn't to be.

Grand Sport's problem wasn't a lack of hardware or technical assistance, it was political. The problem began with the 1957 Automobile Manufacturers Association ban on factory-supported racing. At first, Ford, GM and Chrysler complied, but by 1960 Ford and Pontiac were developing racing programs despite the AMA ban. In June of 1962, Ford and Chrysler announced that they would ignore the AMA ban and openly develop racing programs.

At Chevrolet, Duntov was watching. Zora figured that if Pontiac was developing the Super Duty program, and other groups in Chevrolet were developing the Mark II Mystery Motor, he should be working on a real racing version of the 1963 Stingray. This specially developed, all-out race car would be homologated in the FIA as a GT Class production car.

To be "legal" in the FIA, Chevrolet had to make at least 100 cars to qualify as "production cars." Unfortunately, only five coupes were built. Two years later, two were made into open roadsters. The target weight was 1,900 pounds with an all-aluminum 377 small-block making 550 horsepower! This was an all-out, strictly racing, not-meant-for- public highways, 180-mph Cobra eater!

The body was almost stock except for the nose and rear window. After its initial outing in '63 the G.S. grew all sorts of flairs, scoops and bulges. Under the thin fiberglass body was a twin tube chassis with a stock independent rear and hand made front suspension. The interior looked stock, except for the racing bucket seats, roll cage, and 200 mph speedometer! The car's best effort was the 1963 Nassau Speed Week where they stunned the Shelby team and won!

GM axed the car in January 1963. The Grand Sports were sold and raced independently, and are now fully restored. Kit versions are so right on, it's easy to mistake a replicar for the real thing. However, replicars can be made streetable.