Split rear window
The coupe's rear window is split in two by the windsplit. From 1964 it is one piece of glass.15one source
Class of '63 · Chevrolet Corvette · 1963 body · second generation (c2)
1963Chevrolet Corvette
The first Sting Ray: an all-new body and chassis, the first Corvette coupe with its split rear window, hidden headlamps, and 21,513 built.
The year in brief
Chevrolet redesigned the Corvette's body and chassis for 1963, and for the first time there was a coupe. A center windsplit ran over its roof and through the rear glass, splitting the rear window in two.1one source
The headlamps were hidden in rotating housings, the first on an American car since the 1942 DeSoto by Wikipedia's account, and Zora Arkus-Duntov's new chassis had independent rear suspension.2one source
10,594 coupes and 10,919 convertibles were built, by the Black Book's count. The coupe cost more than the convertible: $4,252 against $4,037 on GM's own price schedule of June 1963; the Black Book has $4,257 for the coupe (see the ruling).13sources disagree
The story of the year
The Z06 and the Grand Sport
The Z06 special performance equipment was a coupe-only racing package at $1,818.45, with fuel injection, special brakes and a 36.5-gallon tank (36 gallons in the Black Book); 199 were built, by the Black Book's count (Wikipedia has the same). A later version, $1,293.35 on GM's price schedule of June 1963 ($1,293.95 in the Black Book), dropped the knock-off wheels and the big tank and could be ordered on a convertible.1234
Duntov planned 125 lightweight Grand Sports to qualify the car for international racing. GM stopped the program after five, by Wikipedia's and Over-Drive's accounts.24
How to spot a 1963
What tells it apart from a 1964.
Trim panels in the hood
Two recesses at the front of the hood carry rectangular trim panels. The 1964 hood keeps the recesses without the panels.15one source
Dummy vents on the roof pillars
The coupe's rear-pillar vents are decorative. In 1964 the left one works.2one source
Production124
21,513 cars, by body.
Every trim line
| Body | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Sport coupe | Corvette | 10,594 |
| All sport coupes | 10,594 | |
| Convertible | Corvette | 10,919 |
| All convertibles | 10,919 | |
| Total | 21,513 | |
The Black Book's split, reprinted in GM's kit; Wikipedia gives the same total. Consumer Guide's table has the same rows, so it is not counted as a third source. Over-Drive prints 10,954 coupes, which does not add up to the total; see the ruling.
Engines136
4 engines. Chevrolet's regular production option (RPO) code from GM's own option and engine lists; «Std.» is the standard engine. The 1963–67 VIN carries no engine code.
Gross ratings and RPO codes from GM's own option list, price schedule and engine page; GM's price schedule and Consumer Guide's table give the carburetors. The Black Book's option list prints 375 hp for the L84, but its own engine table and GM say 360; see the ruling.
Price when new136
Base retail prices in 1963 dollars, before options.
GM's own price schedule of 14 June 1963 (manufacturer's suggested retail price): $4,252 and $4,037. The Black Book has the same convertible price and $4,257 for the coupe; Consumer Guide's table has $4,252. See the ruling.
Colors13
7 factory colors, by number of cars. The color names are confirmed by two sources13; the swatches are approximate screen colors, not paint matches.
Riverside Red923
Sebring Silver941
Daytona Blue916
Tuxedo Black900
Silver Blue912
Saddle Tan932
Ermine White936
Seven colors, on GM's own color chart and the Black Book's list, with the Black Book's codes. The Black Book has counts for only three of them, so the other four are left empty.
Reading the VIN13
A 1963 VIN has 12 characters. Type one in, and the decoder reads it against the code tables on this page.
30837S1020003one source · GM's own example for 1963: the 2000th Corvette of the year, a sport coupe. For 1964 the year digit is 4.
The code table
| Position | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 3 | Model year (1963) |
| 0837 · 0867 | Model: sport coupe · convertible |
| S | Assembly plant: St. Louis, Missouri |
| 100001 → | Unit number, counted for all Corvettes of the year |
Where to find it: Not in our sources for 1963. The 1966 kit puts it on a metal plate riveted to a horizontal body support under the glove box door.7one source
Questions about the 1963
How many 1963 Chevrolet Corvettes were made?
Chevrolet built 21,513 for the 1963 model year: 10,594 sport coupes, 10,919 convertibles.124
How can you tell a 1963 Corvette from a 1964?
Three signs, each explained under «How to spot» on this page: split rear window; trim panels in the hood; dummy vents on the roof pillars.125one source
What engines did the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette have?
Four engines, from the 327 cu in V8 to the 327 cu in V8. The engine table on this page gives every code and rating, and the rulings cover the disputed ones.136
How much did a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette cost new?
Base retail prices, before options: convertible $4,037; Sport coupe $4,252 or $4,257 (open ruling).136
What colors did the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette come in?
Corvette Black Book (Michael Bruce Associates), reprinted in GM's 1963 kit counts 7 factory colors. The most common was Riverside Red, on 4,612 cars.13
Where is the VIN on a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette?
Not in our sources for 1963. The 1966 kit puts it on a metal plate riveted to a horizontal body support under the glove box door.7one source
Where the sources disagree
Every conflict we found for 1963, and how we settled it. All rulings.
Settled
The 1963 fuel-injected 327: 360 or 375 hp
Our ruling: 360 hp. GM's own option list, price schedule of June 1963 and engine page give 360, and so do Consumer Guide's table and text. The Black Book prints 375 in its option list, but its own engine table says 360; 375 is the 1964 rating.
What each source says (2)
- 360 hp (RPO L84)36
- 375 hp in its option list, 360 hp in its engine table1one source
Open
The 1963 sport coupe's base price
Our ruling: Unresolved, leaning to $4,252. Chevrolet's own price schedule of 14 June 1963 gives the sport coupe at $4,252.00, and Consumer Guide's table has the same; the Black Book gives $4,257. No source we have explains the $5 (our arithmetic); that $4,257 was an earlier price is a guess.
What each source says (3)
- $4,252 on its price schedule of 14 June 19633one source
- $4,252 in its table6one source
- $4,2571one source
Open
1963 coupes: 10,594 or 10,954
Our ruling: Unresolved, leaning to 10,594, the Black Book's count; with its 10,919 convertibles it makes the 21,513 total (our sum). Wikipedia and Consumer Guide repeat the Black Book, so it has no independent second source. Over-Drive's 10,954 looks like two digits swapped.
What each source says (2)
- 10,594 coupes, 21,513 in all1one source
- 10,954 coupes, with no total4one source
Sources
- 1963 Corvette: production, numbers, facts, options and colors Corvette Black Book (Michael Bruce Associates), reprinted in GM's 1963 kit · read 2026-10-11
- Chevrolet Corvette (C2) Wikipedia · read 2026-10-11
- 1963 Chevrolet Corvette – Vehicle Information Kit General Motors (GM Heritage Archive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1963 Corvette Fact Sheet Over-Drive Magazine · read 2026-10-11
- 1964 Corvette: production, numbers, facts, options and colors Corvette Black Book (Michael Bruce Associates), reprinted in GM's 1964 kit · read 2026-10-11
- 1963 Corvette HowStuffWorks (Consumer Guide Automotive) · read 2026-10-11
- 1966 Corvette vehicle identification number (explanatory page) Explanatory pages reprinted in GM's 1966 Corvette kit (publisher not named) · read 2026-10-11
Keep going
Three more years.
1964Chevrolet CorvetteOne rear window instead of two, a cleaner hood, 365 and 375 hp at the top, and 22,229 built.22,229 built
1965Chevrolet CorvetteDisc brakes on all four wheels, three working fender vents, the first big-block 396 from March, the last fuel injection until 1982, and 23,562 built.23,562 built (disputed)
1966Chevrolet CorvetteThe 427 arrives at 390 and 425 hp, fuel injection is gone, the grille turns to an egg-crate, and 27,720 are built, the most of the five years.27,720 builtSee the whole second generation (c2).
Dimensions, production year by year and every ruling, 1963–1967.