1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible

Registration no. ATL 528A Chassis no. 30867S113501

Footnotes

'The Sting Ray hit the American sports car market like a thunderclap, reminiscent of the knock-'em-dead debut of the Jaguar E-Type two years previously; comparisons were not slow to materialise. For the first time in history the Corvette was a sell-out success.' – Richard M Langworth, The Complete Book Of The Corvette.
To say that the Sting Ray's arrival in 1963 caused a sensation would be grossly understating its impact on the North American sports car market. Indeed, such was its runaway success that the St Louis factory hired a second shift but still could not build cars fast enough to meet demand. Styled in General Motors' Art and Colour Studio under Bill Mitchell, the new Corvette featured radical styling pioneered on Mitchell's successful Stingray sports-racer, and for the first time there was a Gran Turismo coupé in the range. Beneath the skin was an all-new ladder-frame chassis with independent rear suspension, the adoption of which enabled the centre of gravity to be significantly lowered, improving both roadholding and ride. This new frame was the work of Corvette Chief Engineer, Zora Arkus-Duntov who said: "For the first time I have a Corvette which I am proud to use in Europe".
As had been the case with the previous (1956-62) generation of Corvettes, development proceeded slowly, being characterised by annual facelifts and few engineering changes of note. All '63 Corvettes were powered by Chevrolet's 5.4-litre V8 engine, which was available in four different stages of tune. A little over 21,000 Sting Rays were made in 1963, the production split being roughly 50/50 coupé/convertible. As is the case with most American cars of this period, the Corvette buyer could choose from a host of factory options with the result that seldom are two cars exactly alike. Now recognised as representing a 'golden age' for the Corvette, the Sting Ray version was manufactured from 1963 to 1967 and has since gone on to become a highly collectible modern classic.
The present owner purchased this manual transmission Sting Ray convertible in October 2018 from a friend who had imported it from California, USA. UK registered, the car is described by him as immaculate throughout, having been kept garaged since its arrival in this country. Strikingly finished in yellow with contrasting black interior, this landmark American sports car is offered with a V5C Registration Certificate.