A Cool Vette

I saw the “Epic, Awesome ’63 Corvette! ” (Even better, a Fuelie!) And, yes, it was cool.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­In 1963, the Corvette was redesigned.  After almost 10 successful years of the first generation, the aging Chevy Corvette was in need of a redesign.  So, Chevrolet had their chief designers, Bill Mitchell and Larry Shinoda, design a new Vette.  The distinctively designed Corvette was made fun of by critics (now it is one of the most sought-after Corvettes ever made!  Ironic.). 

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The Corvette Sting Ray had a two-seater cabin like other Vettes, but it had a two-piece rear windshield.  The 1963 Corvette Sting Ray had engine choices ranging from a 327 cubic inch V8, to a 396 cubic inch V8, and the best, a 427 cubic inch V8.  The 396 was offered from 1964-1966.  The 327 had a very rare “Fuelie” option.  Very few Fuelies were ever made, and these pictures are actual ones I took at the American Graffiti salute (look at my previous post, “Where Were You in ’62?”) of a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Fuelie.  The second picture may look like it has a carburetor, but it is only a massive cold-air intake! 

This particular Sting Ray has the optional AM/FM radio option, along with the standard four-speed manual.  The sloping rear deck was meant to reduce drag, and increase styling.  Larry Shinoda had the rare talent of designing beautiful cars that were very aerodynamic.  The fuel-filler is behind the rear deck. (They did this because of the fuel tank being underneath the cargo area.) 

The Fuelie Sting Ray made 250 bhp (brake horsepower), a lot less than the 375 bhp carbureted version!  Even though bigger disc brakes were available on the Fuelie, many people chose the carbureted version because of its cheaper price (the Fuelie option cost $538).  The Fuelie could be optioned with any of the normal options available on Corvettes.

Talk about a beautiful car…

Trivia moment!  Did you know that the ’63 Vette Sting Ray Fuelie could go up to 152 mph!  VROOM!