After 12 model years, the Corvette was finally a sales success. 1961 sales hit a high mark of 10,939 units. Two years later, the stunning 1963 Corvette was sold to 21,513 customers. Now that made the GM bean counters happy! The demand for new Corvettes was so high that Chevrolet had to start a second production shift. Finally, there was a waiting list for Corvettes.

Normally, when a car hits the showroom floor, the manufacturer already has changes in the works. The new Sting Ray was no exception. What little criticism the '63 Corvette got, Chevrolet heard loud and clear. The biggest complaint was the Bill Mitchell split-rear window. One magazine said that it was just wide enough to conceal a motorcycle cop! So the split-window was soon history, making the '63 "Split- Window" Coupe one of the most valuable cars in Corvette history. The over-done, fussy, 1963 chrome trim was removed. Gone were the fake hood grilles, and the chrome trim from the A- pillars. The vents at the B-pillar were made functional. However, the vents on the front fenders still didn't function. The interior was toned down by eliminating the bright-center dials on all of the instruments.

There was also exciting new hardware offered in '64. Most obvious was the new optional knock-off aluminum wheels. The $322.80 wheels were only ordered on 806 Corvettes. The suspension was improved by adding new variable-rate springs that gave the car a reasonably soft ride under normal driving, but stiffened up when pushed in heavy cornering. Body and interior noise was reduced with improved insulator mounts, foil-backed firewall insulation and thicker fiberglass in the body's rear section.

Under the hood, buyers had their choice of four small-block engines. Power ratings of 250, 300, 365 and 375 horsepower were available. The hot setup was the L84 Fuel-Injection version for a stiff $538!

Ordered with the 188.30 four-speed and the $43.05 Posi rear, the '64 Corvette could be a potent customer. One automotive publication tested a fuel-injected '64 Corvette with 4.11:1 gears, clicking off 0-60 in only 5.6 seconds and ran the quarter-mile in 14.2 seconds at 100 mph! The Corvette Sting Ray was coming into its own in 1964, with more in store for 1965.

Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 23 - 1964 CERV II -
"Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle"

CERV II was Zora Arkus-Duntov's most exotic experimental car. Like the CERV I, this car was built with one thing in mind, competition.

For many years, Duntov's little rocket car held the Milford Proving Ground track record with an average speed of 206 mph! With short gearing, the CERV II would run 0-to-60 in 2.8 seconds. With Duntov's patented 4WD power train, the car wanted to be driven faster!

The original plan was to build six cars, three for competition and three spares. The construction of the car was truly ahead of its time. Some of the advanced features included four-wheel drive using a Powerglide torque converter for each end of the car, side-mounted fuel cells, a monocoque frame, low profile Firestone racing tires, and a 377 cubic-inch all aluminum V-8 using Hilborn injection, single overhead cams, making 500 horsepower.

The body was styled by Larry Shinoda and Tom Lapine. Unlike the Grand Sport, the CERV II was stable at speeds over 200 mph. It only needed a small spoiler on the rear deck. The wheelbase was only 90 inches, front and rear tracks were 53.5 inches, making the CERV II a short, wide car.

Jim Hall and Roger Penske both liked the car's unique handling and driver's position. When pushed to the limit, the CERV II would go into a very fast, flat spin. Much of the CERV II's technology was later used in the Chaparral 2D.

In 1970 a ZL-1 engine was fitted into the car for some "tire testing." Later, in 1989, the car was valued at over $1.5 million. All I can say is those dragster headers must have sounded awesome!

Here's the story:
lIlustrated Corvette Series No. 42 - 1964 XP-819
"Experimental Rear-Engine Corvette"

Car companies make prototype cars all the time. Most of these machines are never shown to the public. Corvette prototype cars often become very high-profile machines. Only a few were never shown, for good reason. The XP-819 was an engineering study used to prove a point concerning the correct direction for future Corvette development.

The XP-819 was the result of a clash between Zora Arkus-Duntov and engineer Frank Winchell, who'd been involved with the Corvair project. Winchell contended that you could make a balanced, rear-engine, V-8 powered sports car by using an aluminum engine and larger tires on the rear to compensate for the rear weight bias. Duntov adamantly disagreed. A loose design was drawn that received some very unflattering comments from Duntov and Dave McLellan. Winchell asked designer Larry Shinoda if he could make something beautiful with the layout, to which Shinoda told him that a tape drawing could be shown after lunch. Shinoda and designer John Schinella sketched out the basic shape shown here. Duntov asked Shinoda, "Where did you cheat?"

It didn't look "too bad", so a working prototype was ordered. Shinoda supervised the styling and Larry Nies' team of fabricators built the car. In only two months the XP-819 was on the test track.

It turned out that Winchell's theory about rear-engine, V-8 cars didn't work out very well. However, Shinoda's design was well received. They were obviously into the "shark thing" and picked up styling points from the Chaparral cars. It even had wheels from a Chaparral.

This car was definitely a Corvette, even though the back end was big. Unfortunately, with all that weight behind the rear axle, it was only a matter of time before it crashed during a high-speed lane change test. The question of stability was answered, and the XP-819 was send off the the scrap bin...almost.

Oddly enough, GM sent the car to Smokey Yunick's shop in Daytona, Florida. The chassis was cut in half and usable parts were removed. What was left was stored in an unused paint booth as just "old junk." Years later, a Corvette collector was buying some parts from Yunick and offered to buy the junked XP-819.

So the pile of car scrap was rebuilt and finished as a streetable car, like a kit car. A cast-iron V-8 was used in place of the original all-aluminun engine. We're talking serious rear weight bias here. It's quick and now does awesome wheelies!