THE FIRST CORVETTE STINGRAY

In 1963 Chevrolet Division of General Motors introduced a new automobile into its lineup called the “Corvette Stingray”. A radical design that really looked like a sports car. At only 2600 lbs total weight and with the standard 327cu. V8 engine with 300hp It was built for speed. This was the early stages of the muscle cars of the 1960’s. The fiberglass body, the aerodynamic design, the low sleek look, ot was the sexiest car on the road in 1963.

I was in high school when the “Stingray” came out and I lived in the “Motor City”! The home of all this testosterone pumping power generated by the auto industry in the U. S. of A. Every young man in the country was being nursed on horsepower and chrome. I was just like the rest, I loved the sounds the smells the neck wrenching acceleration of those years. This was the boomers generation, ‘full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes’, a time of power and heady national pride. This “car” epitomized all that was good from Detroit and was unique in American auto manufacturing.

I was not old enough to have a driver’s license yet. A fate worse than death for a motorhead in high school. The next year I had my license and started maneuvering to get me a Corvette. By 1965 I could do it! I could now afford a two year old 1963 Stingray. There were the newer ones but they were too expensive for me, almost $5,000.00 delivered, as much as a new Cadillac! But the 63’ was the lightest one of the bunch and thus the fastest 327 on the road. I got one for only $3,000.00 taxes and title included.

This was a life changing event. I was still a senior in St. Anthony’s and driving something that was only what could be described as a dream. I was able to buy it because my grandfather, mother and father along with me opened a small delivery Pizza joint. We made money, I paid for my car myself. The guys turned green with envy and the ladies swooned. Can you imagine the ego trip this car was in 1965? To me there was nothing more I needed to complete me, I had what I wanted.

Needless to say the next few years were filled with incredible stories of drag racing, sex and just plain fun. The first month I took two of my friends and we went to Grand Bend in Canada just across the Blue Water Bridge. We arrived there a little late in the afternoon and drove around for hours and could not find a place to stay. We drove another 40 miles to some small town on Lake Huron. We settled in for the night and got up early the next day. When I went downstairs for tea the owner asked “is that your little silver car outside?” Yes I exclaimed. “There is a crowd gathered around it.”, maybe somebody hit it!! Oh my god! I ran out the door and indeed there was a crowd around my car and I rushed in. There was no damage. I looked around and asked “is there something wrong?” someone replied “Is that your Car?” Yes I said. Then they all started to ask questions, What kind of car is that? Where is it made? How much did it cost? And on and on. I proceeded to tell everyone it was a Chevrolet made in America, The body was fiberglass, it had a v8 engine, etc etc. almost everything I told the crowd they did not believe. I must have spent a half hour lecturing them and then they insisted on buying us all breakfast at the local eatery. I was in a foreign country in my foreign car having a ball.

It seemed things like that happened to me all the time since buying that car. After we finally got to Grand Bend the traffic was bumper to bumper all the way down the main drag. As we crept down the street everybody seemed to know us and waved and called out to us. In particular the females. This car was what is known in the vernacular as a “chick magnet”. And a good time was had by all.

For a test run, that weekend was a huge success and proved to be unexceptional for the rest of that summer.

There is a famous street that runs from the Detroit river in downtown Detroit all the way to “Ted’s Drive-In” in Pontiac Michigan about 30 miles known as “Woodward Avenue”. When it crosses 8 mile Rd, the northern city limit, it became the cruising capitol of north America. To this day there is a yearly event known as “Cruisin Woodward” that is an awesome display of the “The Motor City’s” best products from over the years to the present day. From Model T’s to Shelby Cobras they all make it to “Woodward”.

This was my ultimate test, if I could be accepted on Woodward I could make it anywhere. I joined the likes of the “999” Pontiac GTO, “The Dodge Boys” Ramcharger Dodge, the ‘409’ Chevys and all the drag racing legends of the day for my piece of the action. Stop light to stoplight drags for beer and money were common place every weekend and I jumped in to find out where I stood. Held my own and beat every Chevy V8 in my class (327) and some of the big boys. Made it through that year with no moving violations by some strange twist of fate. But that car was also a “Cop Magnet” and I would get pulled over just for fun. Because they knew I was breaking some law somewhere and they wanted to get me. Even if they couldn’t prove anything, they just wanted to make sure that we all were aware of the real authority on the street.

A hundred more stories both good and bad filled the years that I owned that vehicle. I ended up trading that legend to a friend of mine after I blew out the rear end in a race. I gave him the 63 Vette for a Yamaha 350 motorcycle, $700 and a classic 1952 Jaguar XK120 Drop Head Coupe! But that’s another story.