| Model Year Highlights |
|---|
Exterior:
|
| 1963 Corvette Options and Production | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPO | Description | Price | Production | RPO | Description | Price | Production | |
| 837 | Base Coupe | $4,038.00 | 10,594 | L76 | 327ci 340hp Engine | $107.60 | 6,978 | |
| 867 | Base Convertible | $4,037.00 | 10,919 | L84 | 327ci, 360hp Engine - Fuel Injection | $430.40 | 2,610 | |
| 898 | Genuine Leather Seats | $80.70 | 1,114 | M20 | 4-speed Manual Transmission | $188.30 | 17,983 | |
| 941 | Sebring Silver Exterior Paint | $80.70 | 3,516 | M35 | Powerglide Automatic Transmission | $199.10 | 2,621 | |
| A01 | Soft Ray Tinted Glass, All Windows | $16.15 | 629 | N03 | 36-Gallon Fuel Tank (Coupe) | $202.30 | 63 | |
| A02 | Soft Ray Tinted Glass, Windshield | $10.80 | 470 | N11 | Offroad Exhaust System | $37.70 | NA | |
| A31 | Power Windows | $59.20 | 3,742 | N34 | Woodgrained Plastic Steering Wheel | $16.15 | 130 | |
| C07 | Auxiliary Hardtop (Convert.) | $236.75 | 5,739 | N40 | Power Steering | $75.35 | 3,063 | |
| C48 | Heater/Defroster Delete | -$100.00 | 124 | P48 | Cast Aluminum Knock-Off Wheels | $322.80 | NA | |
| C60 | Air Conditioning | $421.80 | 278 | P91 | Blackwall Tires, 6.70x15 nylon cord | $15.70 | 412 | |
| G81 | Positraction Rear Axle | $43.05 | 17,554 | P92 | Blackwall Tires, 6.70x15 rayon cord | $31.55 | 19,383 | |
| G91 | Special Highway Axle Ratio (3.08:1) | $2.20 | 211 | T86 | Backup Lamps | $10.80 | 318 | |
| J50 | Power Brakes | $43.05 | 3,336 | U65 | AM Radio | $137.75 | 11,368 | |
| J65 | Sintered Metallic Brakes | $37.70 | 5,310 | U69 | AM/FM Radio | $174.35 | 9,178 | |
| L75 | 327ci, 300hp Engine | $53.80 | 8,033 | Z06 | Special Performance Equipment | $1,818.45 | 199 | |
| Production: Coupes: 10,594 Convertibles: 10,919 Total: 21,513 | ||||||||
| Color Options | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPO | Exterior | Ditzler # | Dupont Lucite # | RM # | Interior | Soft Top | Production | |
| 900 | Tuxedo Black | NA | NA | NA | BK-R-S | BG-BK-W | NA | |
| 912 | Silver Blue | NA | NA | NA | BK-DB | BG-BK-W | NA | |
| 916 | Daytona Blue | DDL-12696 | 4395-L | A-1539 | DB-R-S | BG-BK-W | 3,475 | |
| 923 | Riverside Red | DDL-70961 | 2931-L | A-1138 | BK-R-S | BG-BK-W | 4,612 | |
| 932 | Saddle Tan | NA | NA | NA | BK-R-S | BG-BK-W | NA | |
| 936 | Ermine White | NA | NA | NA | BK-DB-R-S | BG-BK-W | NA | |
| 941 | Sebring Silver | DDL-32312 | 867-96417 | NA | BK-DB-R-S | BG-BK-W | NA | |
| Interior Color Codes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Color | |||||||
| STD | Black | |||||||
| 490J | NA | |||||||
| 490L | NA | |||||||
| 490P | Saddle | |||||||
| Note: The codes come from the vehicle trim tags. | ||||||||
| Soft Top Color | ||
|---|---|---|
| NA | Beige | 444 |
| NA | Black | 3,648 |
| NA | White | 5,728 |
| Performance Review | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magazine | GM Spec. | RT | CL | Motor |
| Pub. Date | NA | Oct. 1962 | Dec. 1962 | Dec. 11, 1963 |
| Model | NA | Convert. | Coupe | Coupe |
| Engine | NA | L84 | L75 | L84 |
| Axle Ratio | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Transmission | NA | Powerglide Auto. | Powerglide Auto. | 4-Spd. Manual |
| 0-30 mph | NA | 2.5 sec. | 3.0 sec. | 3.0 sec. |
| 0-40 mph | NA | 3.4 sec. | 4.2 sec. | 4.1 sec. |
| 0-50 mph | NA | 4.5 sec. | 5.6 sec. | 5.1 sec. |
| 0-60 mph | NA | 5.9 sec. | 7.2 sec. | 6.2 sec. |
| 0-70 mph | NA | 8.0 sec. | 9.8 sec. | 8.2 sec. |
| 0-80 mph | NA | 10.2 sec. | 13.0 sec. | 10.2 sec. |
| 0-90 mph | NA | NA | NA | 13.3 sec. |
| 0-100 mph | NA | 16.5 sec. | 22.9 sec. | 15.6 sec. |
| 0-110 mph | NA | NA | NA | 19.6 sec. |
| 0-120 mph | NA | NA | NA | 23.6 sec. |
| 1/4 Mile (sec/mph) | NA | 14.9 / 95 | 15.5 / 86 | 14.6 sec. |
| Top Speed | NA | NA | 130 mph | NA |
| Braking | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Handling | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Legend: RT - Road and Track, CL - Car Life | ||||
| Test Notes | |
|---|---|
| Autocar (British Mag.): | "...the refinement, particularly in respect of engine and transmission noise, is inferior to that of most of its European competitors and this gives the impression of the car being more powerful than it really is.... The performance is certainly vivid, but if more attention had been given to such items as tire adhesion in the wet and wipers that clear the screen effectively above 80 mph, instead of some [styling] gimmicks which only attempt to give an impression of engineering thought, the Sting Ray would be a better car." "Judged by the Sing Ray, the American manufacturers are still behind those of Europe when endeavoring to build a car combining real performance and refinement -- rather surprising when their more normal road cars are so good in the latter respect. No doubt the less highly tuned versions would be preferred by the majority of owners and give enough performance." "Nothing can be seen of the tail through the divided rear window, which makes reversing in confined quarters rather precarious." |
| Car and Driver: | "One glance at the new Corvette tells you that it is faster and sportier than its predecessors. Hiding independent rear suspension under its sculptured tail, the Corvette is now second to no other production sports car in road-holding and is still the most powerful." "The new all-independent suspension has completely transformed the Corvette in terms of traction and cornering power, but it still has some faults. The standard setup on the test car seemed a bit more suitable for race tracks than for fast back-road motoring. A rigid front anti-roll bar in combination with a relatively stiff transverse leaf spring in the rear reduces the resilience and independence of the suspension of each wheel with the result that even on mildly rough surfaces the car does not feel perfectly stable..." "There is some understeer but the car has such a tremendous power surplus, even with the next-to-bottom engine option, that the tail can be slung out almost any old time, and after a while throttle steering seems the natural way of aiding the car around a curve." "As an American car it is unique and it stands out from its European counterparts as having in no way copied them but arrived at the same goal along a different route. Zora Arkus-Duntov summed it up this way: 'For the first time I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.' We understand his feelings and are happy to agree that the Sting Ray is a fine showpiece for the American auto industry, especially since it is produced at a substantially lower price than any foreign...car of comparable performance." "Luggage space is surprisingly roomy but central window partition ruins rear view." |
| Car Life: | "Tricky, twisting roads are this Corvette's meat...With its new suspension it seems to lock onto them, going precisely where directed and sticking to the tightest corners without the shadow of a doubt. Where the old Corvette had an annoying penchant for swapping ends when cornered vigorously, the new one just sticks and storms. This suspension is the best thing since gumdrops!" "The bar down the center of the rear window makes it all but impossible to see out via the rearview mirror." |
| Motor (European Mag.): | "...one of the best [gearboxes] we have ever encountered in such a high-performance car. The change is smooth, fast, and astonishingly light, and the synchromesh can only be beaten by the most brutal methods, and then only in the lower two gears." "In most respects, the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray is the equal of any GT car to be found on either side of the Atlantic. It falls down on refinement (which is surprising in a model from a country where the most unpretentious cars are notably refined) and wet-road behavior, a shortcoming for which the cure might be [better] tires. The silhouette is good, but some of the styling details both inside and out seem fussy. The car is not free of gimmicks, but the performance needs no flattery, the handling is good, and the brakes superb." |
| Motor Sport (European Mag.): | "The test car was actually a 1963 model but the 1964 models have slight modifications, including the deletion of the central dividing strip in the rear window, which allows some measure of rearward vision." |
| Motor Trend, May 1963: | "The waiting period is at least 60 days, and dealers won't 'deal' a bit on either coupes or roadsters. Both are going for the full sticker price, with absolutely no discount and very little (if any) over-allowance on trade-ins." "From the important styling and all-around performance angles, the new Sting Ray is an even greater car than its predecessors. But for a car that sells in the $4500-6000 range, it dosn't reflect the degree of quality control we feel it should." "The rear window on the coupe is designed more for looks than practicality, and any decent view to the rear will have to be through an exterior side-view mirror." |
| Road and Track: | "Whether you slam the car through an S-bend at 85 or pop the clutch at 5000 rpm at the drag strip, the result is...great gripping gobs of traction. As a purely sporting car, the new Corvette will know few peers.... It has proved, in its 'stone-age form,' the master of most production-line competitors; in its nice, shiny new concept it ought to be nearly unbeatable." "Our only complaint about the interior was in the coupe, where all we could see in the...mirror was that silly bar splitting the rear window down the middle." |
| Sports Car Graphic: | "We were a bit spoiled, perhaps by testing the prototype first, as it had all the heavy-duty suspension items included and added up to a fantastic improvement over the '62 that was similarly equipped. The showroom model can't, quite naturally, perform the same tricks on a racing circuit, but it can come darn close. The ride and handling are great. We won't elaborate on how great; you've got to drive one to believe it." -- Jerry Titus |