1963 Corvette Pricing, Factory Options, & Colors

1963 Corvette Price & Options

The C2 Corvette was maturing as both a performance platform and as an aesthetic knockout. It had many available factory options as well as a large aftermarket community with plenty of C2 mods and performance parts made available.

Base Corvette Coupe (837)

• The base price of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe without any optional equipment.
• A 327 cubic inch, 250 horsepower engine, a 3-speed manual transmission, and a vinyl interior were included in the base price.
• For 1963, the Corvette’s body and chassis were completely redesigned for the first time.
• 1963 marked the first time that a Corvette coupe was made available.
• A center wind split on the coupe roof divided the rear glass creating a “split window” unique to this year.
• The new chassis featured an independent rear suspension with a single transverse leaf spring.
• The 1963 exterior doors had raised pads for the for the door handles.
• Coupes had stainless steel trim forward of the vent window.
• Inside door release knobs and shift knobs were black plastic.

Base Corvette Convertible (867)

• The base price of the 1963 Corvette Convertible without any optional equipment.
• A 327 cubic inch, 250 horsepower engine, a 3-speed manual transmission, a vinyl interior trim, and a soft top were included in the base price.
• For 1963, the Corvette’s body and chassis were completely redesigned for the first time.
• The new chassis featured an independent rear suspension with a single transverse leaf spring.
• The 1963 exterior doors had raised pads for the for the door handles.
• Coupes had stainless steel trim forward of the vent window.
• Inside door release knobs and shift knobs were black plastic.

Genuine Leather Seats (898)

• Optional leather upgrade to replace the standard vinyl seats on the 1963 Corvette.
• Sebring Silver Exterior Paint (941)
• Optional paint upgrade

Soft Ray Tinted Glass, All Windows (A01)

• Window tint applied to the upper portion of the windshield and all other windows.
• Originally manufactured by Libby-Owens-Ford (LOF) the glass plate was specially etched with the LOF logo and date code. It also included the words “Soft-Ray” or “Soft-Ray Tinted” in the etching.
• Soft-ray is factory manufactured window tint.
• Soft-ray tint is a bluish-green in color.

Soft Ray Tinted Glass, Windshield (A02)

• Factory window tint applied to the windshield only.
• Originally manufactured by Libby-Owens-Ford (LOF) the glass plate was specially etched with the LOF logo and date code. It also included the words “Soft-Ray” or “Soft-Ray Tinted” in the etching.
• Soft-ray tint is a bluish-green in color.

Power Windows (A31)

• Factory installed power driver and passenger windows.

Auxiliary Hardtop (for convertibles) (C07)

• An optional hard-top that could be installed in lieu of the convertible top.
• Of the 5,739 Corvette convertibles sold that included this option, 1.099 Corvettes had the removable hard top installed in place of the factory installed soft top.

Heater and Defroster Deletion (credit) (C48)

• Deletion of the factory installed heater and defroster.
• Corvettes that included this option were generally built for racing and rally driving. Often ordered in conjunction with the RPO Z06 option.

Air Conditioning (C60)

• Factory installed air-conditioning.
• Only accounted for/installed in 1.3 percent of all Corvettes in 1963.

Positraction Rear Axle, all ratios (G81)

• Of the 17,554 Corvettes ordered with this option, 2,259 included a 3.08:1 ratio, 6,855 included a 3.36:1 ratio, 613 included a 3.55:1 ratio, 2,570 included a 3.70:1 ratio, 4,506 included a 4.11:1 ratio, and 751 included a 4.56:1 ratio.

Special Highway Axle, 3.08:1 ratio (G91)

• Highway driving gear ratio.
• Generally utilized in combination with 4-speed transmission.
• One of the standard ratio for positronic rear axle.
• 2,259 of the 1963 Corvettes were originally equipped with this option.

Powered Brakes (J50)

• Hydraulically assisted braking system.

Sintered Metallic Brakes (J65)

• Alternative braking material for improved stopping performance.

327ci, 300hp Engine (L75)

• Alternate engine with improved 300 horsepower output.
• Included a larger intake and exhaust valves, and a bigger four-barrel Carter AFB aluminum carburetor with dual snorkel air cleaner.
• Utilizes the same camshaft as the 250 BHP engine.

327ci, 340hp Engine (L76)

• Alternate engine with improved 340 horsepower output.
• Utilized a 11.25:1 compression ratio, large port heads with a high speed valve train, mechanical lifters, domed aluminum pistons, special performance camshafts, and bigger oil pans that hold 5 quarts of oil.
• Could only be purchased with either a 3 speed manual or a 4 speed close ratio manual.

327ci, 360hp Engine (fuel injection) (L84)

• Utilized a 11.25:1 compression ratio, large port heads with a high speed valve train, mechanical lifters, domed aluminum pistons, special performance camshafts, and bigger oil pans that hold 5 quarts of oil.
• Featured a larger aluminum intake manifold for better fuel flow.
• The tachometer included a buzzer on the redline.
• Could only be purchased with either a 3 speed manual or a 4 speed close ratio manual.

4-Speed Manual Transmission (M20)

• The 4-speed manual transmissions manufacturer changed from Borg-Warner to Muncie Transmissions during the 1963 model year.

Powerglide Automatic Transmission (M35)

• Of the 2,621 Corvettes that were ordered with this option, the quantity was split with 1,116 Corvettes that came equipped with a 250 horsepower engine, and 1,505 with a 300 horsepower engine.
• Powerglide automatic transmissions had staggered shift gates.

36 Gallon Fuel Tank (for coupe) (N03)

• Larger, optional, 36 gallon fuel tank.
• Included as part of the Z06 option, the 36 gallon tank was specifically intended for endurance racing.

Off Road Exhaust System (N11)

• Recessed exhaust system designed to eliminate rubbing in varying road conditions.
• The mufflers include double-wall construction with a special, raised area on the outer shell that conceals the inner seam crease.
• Originally made of carbon-steel components.

Wood Grain Plastic Steering Wheel (N34)

• Faux wood-grain steering wheel.

Power Steering (N40)

• Hydraulically assisted power steering.

Cast Aluminum Knock-Off Wheels(5) (P48)

• Two-bar (early in the model year) and three-bar spinner styles were made available.
• Finish between the wheel fins was a natural color.
• Knock-off wheels were made available as a 1963 option, though delivery of a Corvette with this option is questionable.
• Porosity of the aluminum combined with rim seal difficulty in early wheels caused tubeless tires to leak.
• Delivery of a Corvette with this option to a consumer has never been verified.

Blackwall Tires, 6.70×15 (nylon cord) (P91)

• When blackwall tires were ordered, the standard wheels were painted to match the body color of the car.(White exteriors had black wheels regardless of the tire type.)

Whitewall Tires, 6.70×15 (rayon cord) (P92)

• When whitewall tires were ordered, the standard wheels were painted black. (White exteriors had black wheels regardless of the tire type.)

Back-up Lamps (T86)

Signal Seeking AM Radio (U65)

• Early 1963 radios were AM signal-seeking only. Later units would seek both AM and FM.
• Even after the introduction of RPO U69, this option remained available as supplies permitted.

AM-FM Radio (U69)

• An optional radio that gave consumers the option of both AM and FM radio frequency bands.
• This option was phased in around March, 1963, though both these and the U65 Signal Seeking AM Radio were made available simultaneously as supplies permitted.
• Special Performance Enhancement (Z06) –
• The Z06 option was initially offered as a coupe-only option.
• Later in the production run, the cost of the Z06 option dropped to $1,293.95, and excluded knock-off wheels and the optional 36 gallon tank. It was also offered as an option for convertibles.

Notes

• The outside rearview mirror was revised to a taller design with a smaller base about midway through the 1963 model year.
• The 1963 hoods had simulated air-vent panels which were mounted in two forward recesses.
• The glovebox in the 1963 Corvette was made of fiberglass and its face was covered with clear plastic.
• In early 1963 Corvettes, the dash surface around the radio and speaker bezel was painted instead of vinyl covered.
• Early 1963 Corvettes used roller -type catches for the gas filler doors. Later, changes were made that utilized nylon slide catches instead.
• Most 1963 Corvettes had fiberglass headlight buckets. Late 1963 Corvettes (and all 1964-1967 Corvettes) had steel headlight buckets.
• All 1963 Corvettes had built-in adjustment mechanisms for the bottom seat cushions. Early 1963s had under seat.

Exterior Color Templates