BUYER’S GUIDE
1963-’ 67 Chevrolet Corvette
Hunting for a C2 bargain? Don’t bother.
Save your coins and buy the best you can find
BY MIKE McNESSOR
PHOTOGRAPH Y BY JEFF KOCH
The pages of Hemmings are brim- ming with 1963-’ 67 Corvettes — mid- year, Sting Ray, C2, call ’em what you
will—at prices ranging from what you’d
pay for a used minivan to what you’d pay
for a nice four bedroom house.
The sweet spot for these cars seems to
be somewhere between $40,000–$70,000—
in other words, if you can commit to
spending that much, you will have a sweet
selection of Corvettes to choose from.
If you’re reading this, you likely know
the back story and the popular lore: How
Zora Duntov hated Larry Shinoda’s split
rear window design in the ’ 63 coupe; how
the C2’s suspension was such a departure
from the truck/buggy underpinnings of
its predecessor; how the Sting Ray name
first appeared on the C 2 as a nod to Bill
Mitchell’s Stingray show car, etc., etc.
You likely also know that Corvettes of
any vintage aren’t Mustang- or Camaro-
cheap to restore, and mid-year ’Vettes
can be particularly pricey. Face it, some
cars — even when they’re Chevys — just
command a premium and always will.
BODY/FRAME
The C2 is built on a stout perimeter frame
with ball joints in the front replacing the
previous car’s kingpins, and an independent rear suspension with a transverse
rear leaf spring. This setup remained
under Corvettes for two decades, so parts
aren’t a problem, but the chassis is one
