{"id":94299,"date":"2024-01-03T15:50:46","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T23:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=94299"},"modified":"2024-09-05T16:56:01","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T23:56:01","slug":"bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruce Gregory&#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.racingjunk.com\\\/news\\\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\\\/\"}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-94299 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min-e1704325834892-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-94301\" data-attachment-id=\"94301\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min-e1704325834892.webp\" data-orig-size=\"640,368\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;click__begin&quot;&gt;Click Here to Begin Slideshow&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;The 1963 Corvette Stingray was a harbinger of the ways things were going to be. \u00a0&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;The C2 Corvettes shared a basic body shape: a sharp horizontal edge ringing the body about midway with peaks and dips like NASDAQ daily ratings. The coupes added a gradually descending roofline that met the flat rear deck in a boattail-like point. But only the \u201963 coupe possessed the re-defining coup de grace: the raised knife\u2019s edge that runs from just behind the windshield header over the centre of the roof and down the isthmus of bodywork that bisects the rear glass. This Stingray is, as Daniel Pund for Road &amp;#038; Track put it in 2021: \u201cLike the best of mid-century designs, at once soothingly familiar and bracingly radical.\u201d Aside from its dramatic restyling from its predecessors, the \u201963 Corvette will always be remembered, and sought by serious collectors, for its decision to have a highly contentious split back window as penned by the press. Aesthetically pleasing in its streamline addition, but pragmatically questionable, hampering the driver\u2019s rearview visibility. \u201cIt\u2019s a very special car, only made for one year,\u201d says car owner, Bruce Gregory emphatically. \u201cOne of the most beautiful cars ever made, and a fantastic enthusiast community with so much information available on the car and the history. The \u201963 split window design was always an icon for me, even when I was a kid. My brother had a Tonka car transporter that came with a couple of model split windows, even then, I was enthralled with the radical shape of the car.\u201d&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Prior to the debut of the \u201963 model, Corvette was in dire shape, financially submerging due to the penetrating competition from Ford\u2019s Thunderbird causing General Motors to consider an early retirement of its sports car. If it weren\u2019t for the inspiration and determination of three men: Bill Mitchell (GM\u2019s Chief of Styling), Zora Arkus-Duntov (GM\u2019s Director of High Performance Vehicles), and Larry Shinoda (GM\u2019s Special Styling Projects\u2019 designer for Studio X), the \u201963 Corvette would never have developed further than a blueprint, if that. Arkus-Duntov, known as the \u201cfather of the Corvette,\u201d stepped in at the last moment to save the Corvette and to recast it as Chevrolet\u2019s saving grace. He incorporated novel design ideas, evolving the Corvette from a gutless two-seater into a world-class sports car. He introduced stiffer frames, independent rear suspension and disc brakes. Power and performance climbed thanks to fuel injection, multiple carburetors, large V8s, and tougher four-speed transmissions. The second-generation Corvettes he masterminded not only sold well, they earned GM profits that has\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0remained consistent for 60 years. Years later, Ed Cole, head the GM Car and Truck Group noted, \u201cZora managed to bootleg more things through Chevrolet than any other engineer I\u2019ve ever known.\u201d\u00a0&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;The famous \u201csplit\u201d window for the new Corvette almost never came to be. Bill Mitchell\u2019s design department created the unique window for the 1963 model year. It was immediately despised by Arkus-Duntov because of its impaired rear visibility and prodigious aerodynamic lift. Mitchell argued that removing the split-window spine would destroy the purity of the whole design. Arkus-Duntov prevailed and got rid of the glass partition after only one model year but never fully resolved the midyear (1963\u201367) Stingray\u2019s poor aero performance. Arguably, the split window was never adapted again. Nevertheless, Shinoda\u2019s futuristic design was, in one word, stunning. Everything from its muscular bulges to its doors that curved into the roof was endorsed by the press, who drooled over the design at its launch at the Detroit Auto Show. Just the name alone, Stingray, an axiom deliberately given to Corvette\u2019s conceptual race car because of its resemblance to the actual marine sting ray, stuck and further defined the Corvette. It caused a sensation. Sales catapulted through the roof. Even Chevrolet\u2019s St. Louis factory had to add a second shift to keep up with the public demand. It was hailed unanimously for its superior handling, road adhesion, and unrelenting horsepower. Car Life magazine presented its annual Award for Engineering Excellence to Corvette that year. Not only was the new\u00a0C2\u00a0viewed as prodigiously better than its predecessor, but it was considered Mt. Everest in comparison to many of Europe\u2019s best sports cars.\u00a0\u201cFor the last five years, we\u2019ve been bombarded with rumours of an \u2018all-new\u2019 Corvette that was supposed to be just around the corner,\u201d wrote Roger Huntington in Motor Trend\u2019s January 1963 issue. \u201cIt was going to feature just about everything that was new and exciting in modern sports car design. We waited anxiously.\u201d From an automotive journalist\u2019s perspective, the waiting ended when Chevrolet unveiled its startling Stingray coupe for the press at GM\u2019s Milford Proving Grounds. Rave reviews quickly followed. \u201cThis is the one we\u2019ve been waiting for,\u201d gushed Huntington. \u201cAnd it\u2019s all the rumours promised &amp;#8211; and more. This is a modern sports car. In most ways it\u2019s as advanced as the latest dual-purpose sports\/luxury cars from Europe &amp;#8211; and this includes the new Jaguar XK-E, Ferrari GT, Mercedes 300-SL, and all the rest. The new Corvette doesn\u2019t have to take a back seat to any of them, in looks, performance, handling, ride and comfort.\u201d Although considerable ink would flow in praise of the 1963 Stingray, perhaps its arrival was best summed up by Zora Duntov himself after the car\u2019s introduction to the press. Duntov beamed like a new father. \u201cFor the first time, I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.\u201d I ask Bruce what he feels when he sits\u00a0 behind the wheel. \u201cMy first thought is\u2026\u201d He ponders before continuing, \u201cHow bizarrely proportioned were people in the early 60s? This car doesn\u2019t fit anybody! Of course, then I start it and it is visceral. This is a car you feel and listen to and pay real attention to while driving it. I kicked in the secondaries in third gear getting on Highway 417, and at about 100 km\/h the rear tires leaped to the occasion. Just pure raw fun. It grips corners like an Olympic luge.\u201d This car needs no introduction to the tarmac whether it is a straightaway, a meandering country road or a race circuit where its DNA originated.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Most distressing for Bruce was that his Stingray was advertised as a numbers-matching car. \u201cThe car was an older restoration when I bought it in 2001,\u201d states Bruce. \u201cIt turned out to be a complete joke once I got the car and learned a ton about C2 Corvettes. I have to admit, with it clocked over 100,000 miles, I didn\u2019t pay top flight prices for the car, but still, I was shocked that a reputable dealer would pull this off, and worse, blow me off after the purchase when I asked about it. All I know about the car was that it was built in St. Louis. In hindsight, I really cut my restoration\/modification teeth on it. I made mistakes, fortunately none of them permanent, but I learned a ton.\u201d Bruce has restored a stable of cars that looks like a Rolodex of classics, including a \u201969 Pontiac Firebird, a \u201969 Jaguar E-Type, a \u201969 Dodge Dart, a \u201970 Plymouth Roadrunner, a \u201976 Porsche 935 500 hp Twin Turbo, a \u201990 Mustang LX 5.0, a \u201990 Nissan 240 SX, a \u201995 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, a \u201996 Camaro SS, a \u201902 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo and a \u201902 factory built racing Porsche 911 GT3, as well as a \u201902 BMW M3 track built model. The scariest car he drove was his \u201903 Superformance 500 hp Cobra with 515 lb\/ft of torque. His \u201904 Porsche 911 GT3 paled in comparison. With the \u201963 Corvette, Bruce left the body on the frame while the entire car was taken apart. Every addition was a recipe for speed. Bruce added new suspension aimed to keep the integrity of the original design but with more adjustability. \u201cWith the new rear suspension it\u2019s super solid, and it has seemingly endless power, but is very progressive and easy to drive. It\u2019s perhaps a little stiff, and definitely too loud, but anyone can drive this car as long as they don\u2019t stomp the accelerator too hard. Before I changed the rear suspension out, well, it was not fun \u2013 the rear end had incredible bump steer as there were crazy directional changes over every bump. I put hours into aligning the rear suspension, but in the end I swapped it out from something more modern.\u201d He converted to \u201967 four wheel disc brakes, aluminum rad accompanied by an electric fan, and to put Tabasco sauce in its zip, a GM ZZ4 350 crate motor. Bruce bought the car with a 327 V8 with a 4-speed Muncie. The 350 is married to a Tremec 5-speed transmission for a more controllable ride. And if you\u2019re going to move like a racing car, Sparco racing seats are mandatory. Hooker side pipes and American Racing 200S wheels were added to make sure everyone is aware that this car is at home on and off a race circuit. But that wasn\u2019t enough. Bruce later upgraded to Wilwood four-wheel disc brakes and a dual master cylinder. He added Ridetech coil over the rear suspension, changed the 200S wheels to American Racing Torque Thrust II wheels, replaced the Sparco seats to Kirkey to complement his long lanky frame, and a GPS speedometer. \u201cMy only concern was that Fibreglass is hard to work with. It can crack so easily. I haven\u2019t touched the body &amp;#8211; it\u2019s a little worn now, but when you have a real diamond, why replace it with custom jewellery? The car is still spectacular. I rewired most of the car and that was a big job,\u201d confesses Bruce who did all the work himself and it\u2019s still an ongoing process. \u201cI didn\u2019t repaint the car since I love the Daytona Blue that the previous owner did. Originally it was tan which is about as pretty as dung on hot pavement, so I\u2019m happy it was repainted.\u201d&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;I ask Bruce if there is a difference between Corvette owners and other car owners. \u201cOoh, that\u2019s a can of worms. There are always three classes of classic car owners,\u201d Bruce muses. \u201cPeople like me who love them but want to improve them; people who love them and want to keep them completely original; and fanatics who demand that everyone keep them original and no one has the right to modify even a hose clamp. I don\u2019t really enjoy the company of that last group, and yes, I\u2019m being a little facetious about them, but some folks can get pretty riled up. There is a strong sense of community across all generations of Vette owners \u2013 we all wave at each other, love to get together and just talk cars. I\u2019m not sure Vette owners are different as much as classic\/muscle\/hot rod car owners are different from cars as transportation owners.\u201d&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;Speaking of owners, the late author, P.J. O\u2019Rourke wrote in Driving Like Crazy, \u201cAmericans are big people from a big country. We like our elbow room so well that we carry it around with us. We can\u2019t stand to be squished together as if we were sitting in the backseat of a Nissan Micra or living in England. And in our big country, we\u2019re in a big hurry. When we drive an immense Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon XL, Ford Expedition EL, or a Dodge Durango &amp;#8211; all having names that imply leviathans and are the size of the U.S. deficit, we get to where we\u2019re going sooner, or at least the front part of our car does, though it may be a long walk to the bumper.\u201d But I would prefer to drive a classic Corvette over a SUV any day. I mean why has Corvette been so successful over the past 60 years? It didn\u2019t become a sedan or a SUV or a minivan. It stayed true to the original concept. It didn\u2019t give in to social pressures and became a 4-door sedan. This is why Corvette is a success story, a flagship for Chevrolet, and an American icon.&lt;\/p&gt;\n&lt;p&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;click__begin&quot;&gt;Click Here to Begin Slideshow&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min-e1704325834892-300x173.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min-1024x681.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-94301'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"click__begin\">Click Here to Begin Slideshow<\/a>\n\nThe 1963 Corvette Stingray was a harbinger of the ways things were going to be. \u00a0\n\nThe C2 Corvettes shared a basic body shape: a sharp horizontal edge ringing the body about midway with peaks and dips like NASDAQ daily ratings. The coupes added a gradually descending roofline that met the flat rear deck in a boattail-like point. But only the \u201963 coupe possessed the re-defining coup de grace: the raised knife\u2019s edge that runs from just behind the windshield header over the centre of the roof and down the isthmus of bodywork that bisects the rear glass. This Stingray is, as Daniel Pund for Road &#038; Track put it in 2021: \u201cLike the best of mid-century designs, at once soothingly familiar and bracingly radical.\u201d Aside from its dramatic restyling from its predecessors, the \u201963 Corvette will always be remembered, and sought by serious collectors, for its decision to have a highly contentious split back window as penned by the press. Aesthetically pleasing in its streamline addition, but pragmatically questionable, hampering the driver\u2019s rearview visibility. \u201cIt\u2019s a very special car, only made for one year,\u201d says car owner, Bruce Gregory emphatically. \u201cOne of the most beautiful cars ever made, and a fantastic enthusiast community with so much information available on the car and the history. The \u201963 split window design was always an icon for me, even when I was a kid. My brother had a Tonka car transporter that came with a couple of model split windows, even then, I was enthralled with the radical shape of the car.\u201d\n\nPrior to the debut of the \u201963 model, Corvette was in dire shape, financially submerging due to the penetrating competition from Ford\u2019s Thunderbird causing General Motors to consider an early retirement of its sports car. If it weren\u2019t for the inspiration and determination of three men: Bill Mitchell (GM\u2019s Chief of Styling), Zora Arkus-Duntov (GM\u2019s Director of High Performance Vehicles), and Larry Shinoda (GM\u2019s Special Styling Projects\u2019 designer for Studio X), the \u201963 Corvette would never have developed further than a blueprint, if that. Arkus-Duntov, known as the \u201cfather of the Corvette,\u201d stepped in at the last moment to save the Corvette and to recast it as Chevrolet\u2019s saving grace. He incorporated novel design ideas, evolving the Corvette from a gutless two-seater into a world-class sports car. He introduced stiffer frames, independent rear suspension and disc brakes. Power and performance climbed thanks to fuel injection, multiple carburetors, large V8s, and tougher four-speed transmissions. The second-generation Corvettes he masterminded not only sold well, they earned GM profits that has\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0remained consistent for 60 years. Years later, Ed Cole, head the GM Car and Truck Group noted, \u201cZora managed to bootleg more things through Chevrolet than any other engineer I\u2019ve ever known.\u201d\u00a0\n\nThe famous \u201csplit\u201d window for the new Corvette almost never came to be. Bill Mitchell\u2019s design department created the unique window for the 1963 model year. It was immediately despised by Arkus-Duntov because of its impaired rear visibility and prodigious aerodynamic lift. Mitchell argued that removing the split-window spine would destroy the purity of the whole design. Arkus-Duntov prevailed and got rid of the glass partition after only one model year but never fully resolved the midyear (1963\u201367) Stingray\u2019s poor aero performance. Arguably, the split window was never adapted again. Nevertheless, Shinoda\u2019s futuristic design was, in one word, stunning. Everything from its muscular bulges to its doors that curved into the roof was endorsed by the press, who drooled over the design at its launch at the Detroit Auto Show. Just the name alone, Stingray, an axiom deliberately given to Corvette\u2019s conceptual race car because of its resemblance to the actual marine sting ray, stuck and further defined the Corvette. It caused a sensation. Sales catapulted through the roof. Even Chevrolet\u2019s St. Louis factory had to add a second shift to keep up with the public demand. It was hailed unanimously for its superior handling, road adhesion, and unrelenting horsepower. Car Life magazine presented its annual Award for Engineering Excellence to Corvette that year. Not only was the new\u00a0C2\u00a0viewed as prodigiously better than its predecessor, but it was considered Mt. Everest in comparison to many of Europe\u2019s best sports cars.\u00a0\u201cFor the last five years, we\u2019ve been bombarded with rumours of an \u2018all-new\u2019 Corvette that was supposed to be just around the corner,\u201d wrote Roger Huntington in Motor Trend\u2019s January 1963 issue. \u201cIt was going to feature just about everything that was new and exciting in modern sports car design. We waited anxiously.\u201d From an automotive journalist\u2019s perspective, the waiting ended when Chevrolet unveiled its startling Stingray coupe for the press at GM\u2019s Milford Proving Grounds. Rave reviews quickly followed. \u201cThis is the one we\u2019ve been waiting for,\u201d gushed Huntington. \u201cAnd it\u2019s all the rumours promised &#8211; and more. This is a modern sports car. In most ways it\u2019s as advanced as the latest dual-purpose sports\/luxury cars from Europe &#8211; and this includes the new Jaguar XK-E, Ferrari GT, Mercedes 300-SL, and all the rest. The new Corvette doesn\u2019t have to take a back seat to any of them, in looks, performance, handling, ride and comfort.\u201d Although considerable ink would flow in praise of the 1963 Stingray, perhaps its arrival was best summed up by Zora Duntov himself after the car\u2019s introduction to the press. Duntov beamed like a new father. \u201cFor the first time, I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe.\u201d I ask Bruce what he feels when he sits\u00a0 behind the wheel. \u201cMy first thought is\u2026\u201d He ponders before continuing, \u201cHow bizarrely proportioned were people in the early 60s? This car doesn\u2019t fit anybody! Of course, then I start it and it is visceral. This is a car you feel and listen to and pay real attention to while driving it. I kicked in the secondaries in third gear getting on Highway 417, and at about 100 km\/h the rear tires leaped to the occasion. Just pure raw fun. It grips corners like an Olympic luge.\u201d This car needs no introduction to the tarmac whether it is a straightaway, a meandering country road or a race circuit where its DNA originated.\n\nMost distressing for Bruce was that his Stingray was advertised as a numbers-matching car. \u201cThe car was an older restoration when I bought it in 2001,\u201d states Bruce. \u201cIt turned out to be a complete joke once I got the car and learned a ton about C2 Corvettes. I have to admit, with it clocked over 100,000 miles, I didn\u2019t pay top flight prices for the car, but still, I was shocked that a reputable dealer would pull this off, and worse, blow me off after the purchase when I asked about it. All I know about the car was that it was built in St. Louis. In hindsight, I really cut my restoration\/modification teeth on it. I made mistakes, fortunately none of them permanent, but I learned a ton.\u201d Bruce has restored a stable of cars that looks like a Rolodex of classics, including a \u201969 Pontiac Firebird, a \u201969 Jaguar E-Type, a \u201969 Dodge Dart, a \u201970 Plymouth Roadrunner, a \u201976 Porsche 935 500 hp Twin Turbo, a \u201990 Mustang LX 5.0, a \u201990 Nissan 240 SX, a \u201995 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta, a \u201996 Camaro SS, a \u201902 Porsche 911 Twin Turbo and a \u201902 factory built racing Porsche 911 GT3, as well as a \u201902 BMW M3 track built model. The scariest car he drove was his \u201903 Superformance 500 hp Cobra with 515 lb\/ft of torque. His \u201904 Porsche 911 GT3 paled in comparison. With the \u201963 Corvette, Bruce left the body on the frame while the entire car was taken apart. Every addition was a recipe for speed. Bruce added new suspension aimed to keep the integrity of the original design but with more adjustability. \u201cWith the new rear suspension it\u2019s super solid, and it has seemingly endless power, but is very progressive and easy to drive. It\u2019s perhaps a little stiff, and definitely too loud, but anyone can drive this car as long as they don\u2019t stomp the accelerator too hard. Before I changed the rear suspension out, well, it was not fun \u2013 the rear end had incredible bump steer as there were crazy directional changes over every bump. I put hours into aligning the rear suspension, but in the end I swapped it out from something more modern.\u201d He converted to \u201967 four wheel disc brakes, aluminum rad accompanied by an electric fan, and to put Tabasco sauce in its zip, a GM ZZ4 350 crate motor. Bruce bought the car with a 327 V8 with a 4-speed Muncie. The 350 is married to a Tremec 5-speed transmission for a more controllable ride. And if you\u2019re going to move like a racing car, Sparco racing seats are mandatory. Hooker side pipes and American Racing 200S wheels were added to make sure everyone is aware that this car is at home on and off a race circuit. But that wasn\u2019t enough. Bruce later upgraded to Wilwood four-wheel disc brakes and a dual master cylinder. He added Ridetech coil over the rear suspension, changed the 200S wheels to American Racing Torque Thrust II wheels, replaced the Sparco seats to Kirkey to complement his long lanky frame, and a GPS speedometer. \u201cMy only concern was that Fibreglass is hard to work with. It can crack so easily. I haven\u2019t touched the body &#8211; it\u2019s a little worn now, but when you have a real diamond, why replace it with custom jewellery? The car is still spectacular. I rewired most of the car and that was a big job,\u201d confesses Bruce who did all the work himself and it\u2019s still an ongoing process. \u201cI didn\u2019t repaint the car since I love the Daytona Blue that the previous owner did. Originally it was tan which is about as pretty as dung on hot pavement, so I\u2019m happy it was repainted.\u201d\n\nI ask Bruce if there is a difference between Corvette owners and other car owners. \u201cOoh, that\u2019s a can of worms. There are always three classes of classic car owners,\u201d Bruce muses. \u201cPeople like me who love them but want to improve them; people who love them and want to keep them completely original; and fanatics who demand that everyone keep them original and no one has the right to modify even a hose clamp. I don\u2019t really enjoy the company of that last group, and yes, I\u2019m being a little facetious about them, but some folks can get pretty riled up. There is a strong sense of community across all generations of Vette owners \u2013 we all wave at each other, love to get together and just talk cars. I\u2019m not sure Vette owners are different as much as classic\/muscle\/hot rod car owners are different from cars as transportation owners.\u201d\n\nSpeaking of owners, the late author, P.J. O\u2019Rourke wrote in Driving Like Crazy, \u201cAmericans are big people from a big country. We like our elbow room so well that we carry it around with us. We can\u2019t stand to be squished together as if we were sitting in the backseat of a Nissan Micra or living in England. And in our big country, we\u2019re in a big hurry. When we drive an immense Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon XL, Ford Expedition EL, or a Dodge Durango &#8211; all having names that imply leviathans and are the size of the U.S. deficit, we get to where we\u2019re going sooner, or at least the front part of our car does, though it may be a long walk to the bumper.\u201d But I would prefer to drive a classic Corvette over a SUV any day. I mean why has Corvette been so successful over the past 60 years? It didn\u2019t become a sedan or a SUV or a minivan. It stayed true to the original concept. It didn\u2019t give in to social pressures and became a 4-door sedan. This is why Corvette is a success story, a flagship for Chevrolet, and an American icon.\n\n<a class=\"click__begin\">Click Here to Begin Slideshow<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-aerial-view-rear-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-aerial-view-rear-min-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-attachment-id=\"94302\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-aerial-view-rear-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-aerial-view-rear-min.webp\" data-orig-size=\"1500,998\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-aerial-view-rear-min-300x200.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-aerial-view-rear-min-1024x681.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-front-angle-1-copy-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-front-angle-1-copy-min-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-attachment-id=\"94303\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-front-angle-1-copy-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-front-angle-1-copy-min.webp\" data-orig-size=\"1500,1021\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-front-angle-1-copy-min-300x204.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-front-angle-1-copy-min-1024x697.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-rear-view-copy-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-rear-view-copy-min-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-attachment-id=\"94300\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-rear-view-copy-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-rear-view-copy-min.webp\" data-orig-size=\"1500,998\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-rear-view-copy-min-300x200.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-rear-view-copy-min-1024x681.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-profile-shot-2-copy-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-2-copy-min-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-attachment-id=\"94306\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-profile-shot-2-copy-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-2-copy-min.webp\" data-orig-size=\"1500,998\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-2-copy-min-300x200.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-2-copy-min-1024x681.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-profile-shot-1-copy-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-1-copy-min-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-attachment-id=\"94305\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-profile-shot-1-copy-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-1-copy-min.webp\" data-orig-size=\"1500,998\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-1-copy-min-300x200.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-profile-shot-1-copy-min-1024x681.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-interior-shot-copy-min\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-interior-shot-copy-min-150x150.webp\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"Bruce Gregory&#039;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-attachment-id=\"94304\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/bruce-gregorys-1963-chevrolet-stingray-coupe\/1963-corvette-interior-shot-copy-min\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-interior-shot-copy-min.webp\" data-orig-size=\"1500,998\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bruce Gregory&amp;#8217;s 1963 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-interior-shot-copy-min-300x200.webp\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-Corvette-interior-shot-copy-min-1024x681.webp\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The 1963 Corvette Stingray was a harbinger of the ways things were going to be. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":94301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3447,5044,3700,3697,3470,4879],"tags":[413,3629,10120,7782,813,41,135],"class_list":["post-94299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classic","category-cool-cars","category-featured-vehicles","category-galleries","category-news","category-slideshow","tag-chevrolet-corvette","tag-clive-branson","tag-featured-vehicle","tag-featured-vehicles","tag-gallery","tag-news","tag-stingray"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1963-aerial-view-1-copy-min-e1704325834892.webp","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-owX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94307,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94299\/revisions\/94307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}