SPLIT-WINDOW ICON | 1963 CHEVROLET CORVETTE STING RAY: WOULD YOU LET JETHRO DRIVE YOURS?

Have you ever seen a 1963 split-window Corvette thrashed by a British journalist on a canyon road in Southern California? No? Well, neither have we. However, on this episode of Sports and Exotic Car presented by Gullwing Motorcars, host Jethro Bovingdon does this very thing when he gets ahold of an exceedingly rare, 4-speed equipped, 340 horsepower version of one of the most important Corvettes ever made.
Back in 1963 the Corvette was America’s sports car, and it was the first one that famed Corvette and General Motors engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov felt could go toe-to-toe with some of its European rivals. Even now, 60 years after it was released, the Corvette’s performance numbers are truly respectable. 60 mph comes up in just a hair over six seconds with it running sub-15 second ¼-mile times. This is the car that also laid the groundwork for all subsequent performance Corvette’s that followed, be it for the road, or for racing. Therefore, not only does it hold a place in the world of Sports and Exotics Cars, but it also opened the eyes of the American sports car enthusiast that their time in the fast lane was now wide open.
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Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car is presented by Gullwing Motor Cars. Visit gullwingmotorcars.com.
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‪@GullwingNY‬
#Corvette #Chevrolet #Chevy #1963 #splitwindow #stingray #midyear #C2

[@billshoe22191]

It’s refreshing to see an early gen Corvette properly driven. Keep up the great work Jethro!

[@hemmingsmotornews]

🙌🙌🙌

[@jethrobovingdon1375]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

[@riverviewmortgagecorp8829]

He mentions a number of times how balanced the car is and you can see with how easily he can get it to slide. Balance was everything in these cars back then because they didn't have grip or brakes like they do now. But the engineers COULD design the car to be well balanced and the more balanced it was, the less the driver actually had to use the brakes and grip from the tires. These cars were all driven sideways through the corners back then. Nowadays it's ALL about grip and power, very rarely do reviewers rave about balance.

[@adrianlukestylist]

Go jethro

[@jethrobovingdon1375]

👍

[@duane4972]

An American reporting on a Corvette would have been better, I wouldn't have had to multiply the liters by 61 to find the engine size, 327 ci., it's Americans answer to sports cars.

[@Vampirebear13]

If you were a true car guy, you'd have known it was a 327 as soon as Jethro said 340 horsepower.

[@duane4972]

I was just passing on the way to calculate the c.i. from the liters, helping the future motorheads learn. Better than being a troll like you. I'm sure you don't have a very happy life there in your parents basement.

[@billshoe22191]

I actually prefer an unbiased opinion that Jethro offers along with his amazing driving skills. His ability to describe how a car feels to drive is second to none.

[@jethrobovingdon1375]

As far as I can see no manufacturer in the US quotes cubic inches any more. I guess my own metric habit is hard to break… but seems US has gone to litres - or liters - anyway.

[@NoPrivateProperty]

327 is the only engine. if you were a car guy you wouldn't wait for hp to guess@@Vampirebear13

[@gnws6]

But you missed one crucial point of this car; it's a car of its time, for its time, for the young American buyers of the time. You focused a bit too much on its driving dynamics in the corners, as if it were a more modern, focused, sports car. But it isn't. I've only driven one C2 in my life. It happened to be a '67 427 3x2 4-speed. I drove it on the same day I test drove one of the very first LPE-tuned C7 Z06s to ever hit the streets. The C7 would have mopped the floor with the C2, twice over, but the C2 would have been my preference if I had to take one home with me to keep. It made you FEEL cool. It made you FEEL special driving it. It made you FEEL as if you were transported back to the '60s, and you were Steve McQueen behind the wheel. To me, that's what it's all about with a car like this.

[@jethrobovingdon1375]

But you would know that already. I could have told you what you already know. Or I could try to describe the car as it performs and why it feels so critical in the Corvette’s story from a dynamic point of view. That’s what this series is about.

[@icsbay7932]

Sorry, but put frankly, this is nonsense. Literally every single person, doesn't matter how old they are, knows what you want to hear already, just as you do. And we certainly don't need the 111k_ndst video of a stingray driven around like a painting, because it's not. You're missing the point, that "in it's time" it was conceived as a sports car. And what we want to know, is how does a properly maintained "drivers" stingray feel, when you drive it as originally intended! That you never see - a part from some heavily modified ones - but they obviously don't count.

[@AlanKacsor]

63 Porsche had 130hp. This car has 340hp. I think the Corvette would have performed very well against the Porsche

[@Vampirebear13]

Porsche's were lighter & would handle in the curves, Vette's only advantage were long straightaways.

[@davide8641]

this series is perfect i think youtube didnt suggest it much... i been subscribed and just figured it out by chance

[@Vampirebear13]

I'd let Jethro drive anything in my collection (if I had a car collection). He's a stand up, top shelf guy.

[@jethrobovingdon1375]

Thank you. Please buy a McLaren F1 GTR and loan it to me!

[@TheGetawayer]

​@@jethrobovingdon1375 Appreciate your work so much Jehtro. You inspired my road to Motor Journalism. Sad we never spoke at a press drive

[@barrykemp6153]

Don't sit on the Hood 😮

[@4672-m9f]

brave bicyclist!!!

[@afoolandhismoneychannel]

I'd let Jethro drive my 996 but since he already owns one.... *shrug* 🤷🏼‍♂

[@hemmingsmotornews]

😎😎😎

[@jethrobovingdon1375]

Video on my 996 coming up…

[@CORVAIRWILD]

1st view!!!

[@CALLAHAN19]

1963 split window corvettes were designed from another planet about 50 million light years away

[@evangravitz4029]

No mention of Pete Brock?

[@dustbull70]

@14:00 ish: “You might need to get yourself a really good sports car too like a Porsche…” go back to England and live in your mini coopers, maybe get yourself an opel too

[@sputumtube]

Gorgeous to look, but that's where the good stuff ends. An upgraded 'restomod' would be great I suspect.