Corvette History

Better Than New: 1963 Corvette Split Window Coupè

J. Michael Hemsley··
Last updated:
1963 Split Window Corvette Coupe

A young Art Center College of Design student, named Peter Elbert Brock, became the youngest designer ever hired by Bill Mitchell, the Vice President of Design at General Motors. He rewarded Mitchell in November 1957 by making a sketch of what Mitchell chose to be the bases for the next generation of Corvettes, the C2 Sting Ray. Thanks to the engineering efforts of Zora Arkus-Duntov and styling boss Mitchell, the Sting Ray came to fruition.

One of the styling cues Mitchell wanted on the car was a “spine” theme. He was influenced by several cars, including the Bugatti 57SC “Atlantique” coupe, the 1937 Adler Trumpf Rennlimousine, and Harley Earl’s Oldsmobile Golden Rocket concept car, each of which had a “spine” that ran through the car, including through the rear window.

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