It may seem unAmerican, but I’ve never truly wanted to own a Corvette. I’ve respected them, cheered for their LeMans-winning race teams, helped my neighbor work on his ’65 roadster, and driven a 2015 Z06 on the banks of Michigan International Speedway, but I’ve never had much of an inkling to sign the title to one. My tastes skew Corvair rather than Corvette, and the C2 especially is perfumed a little too heavily by its “every third car” status at Barrett-Jackson for my inclining-toward-quirky tastes. Plus, Corvettes are usually expensive, and I’m cheap. Last August, however, I found the perfect Corvette for a guy who’s never wanted a Corvette, and somehow, it’s the most iconic Corvette of all time.
Every car show in the world has a “best of show.” For me, it’s the one that makes me abandon my lovely bride mid-conversation, making a beeline to get a better look. It’s odd that it would be a Split-Window Corvette, but it was the color that hooked me first. It’s my favorite color on a car, Silver Blue in this case. Midyear Corvettes are so ubiquitous that I rarely even notice them anymore. After all, I don’t often rush toward early Mustangs (even though I own one) or ’69 Camaros or SS Chevelles. Upon my first glance toward this ‘Vette, however, I saw the image you see here. It really is a beautiful car.
It also didn’t emit the common Corvette vibe. Normally, Corvettes are so rarely used and so car-covered and so waxed with a diaper that they’re unrelatable. This one had older paint, a few chips, and the general aura of a car I’d own. Plus, the owner was a super nice guy who was happy to explain the work he’s put into it (a new frame, if I’m remembering correctly) and how long he’s had it (1980s, I believe). He was the kind of guy who could singlehandedly dispel the typical “Corvette guy” stereotype. OK, so we have a gosh-darned American icon in a perfect color and in used-but-loved condition. That can’t be enough for a weirdo’s best of show, can it?
Nope. As you might have inferred by the title of this work, this is the only Corvette I can remember seeing with this particular driveline.
It’s a three-speed Split Window! As I said, the owner was a really nice guy, and he explained to me (and I’m sure I was overly excited) that it’s one of 900 ’63 Corvettes built with a three-speed transmission. This Corvette also had the base 250-horsepower 327, although the 1963 Corvette brochure claims that one could order any engine with the three-speed.
Here’s is a screenshot of that brochure, and the 1964 brochure shows similar transmission availability. I spent some time combing internet forums, and from what I can tell, the three-speed transmission used up through the 1965 model year was a Saginaw three-speed with an unsynchronized first gear, the same type of three-speed they used way back in the 1955 Corvette. Our own Vince C wrote an article on Corvette transmissions that verifies the usage of the Saginaw in Corvettes; I heretofore assumed that Corvettes used a Borg-Warner of some sort, since Saginaw transmissions seem to have a reputation of being a far more fragile transmission than their later Ford and Muncie counterparts.
I would imagine that many three-speed cars have been converted to a Borg-Warner or Muncie four-speed (or a Tremec five or six speed, considering the trend toward restomods). That the current owner has kept it stock for so long shows you how cool he is.
Even from the front, a 1963 Corvette is easily identified; the silver trim on the hood is, like the split window in the rear, a one-year-only identifying trait. To recap: We have arguably the best-looking Corvette, if not the best-looking American car of all time, with a neat trick up its sleeve, and its owner seems to regularly give it lots of exercise. You can keep your 427/435-powered ’67 for which you just paid 200 grand – I’ll take this base ’63 all day long. What a neat car.
Postscript: As we jumped into my Acapulco Blue T-Bird to drive home, a thought crossed my mind. Based on my screen name, it may not come as a surprise that 1965 is my favorite model year. On the other hand, 1963 might be a close second. Ponder the cars of 1963: C2 Corvette, Grand Prix, Riviera, Avanti, T-Bird, Porsche 356 (with disc brakes, if I’m not mistaken), 409 Impala, Super Duty Catalina, Max Wedge Dodge and Plymouth…Is 1963 the best year? It’s something to think about.
I have never wanted a Corveet, Crapmaro, or any other GM hubris. Best thing they ever built was the 215 aluminum V8..only to sell it across the pond
You don’t know much about GM vehicles. You really think the 215 was their best? My dad would vehemently disagree. His new 63 F85 lasted little more than a year. Piece of cwap!
My kinda C2!
A fine article, Aaron! It really “hit home” for me.
Never a “slip-N-slide” Powerglide lover (sorry, Paul!) so this 3 speed manual would suit me just fine. In this light weight fiberglass body the base 327 would have more than enough “ooomph” for me.
With it’s lighter-than-steel fiberglass body, would this C2 be easier to steer (without power steering) than other cars of it’s size and from it’s era?
IF only it had factory air conditioning, so desirable here in always humid and usually hot New Orleans…..
Thanks! I can’t remember if my neighbor’s ’65 had power steering or not (he sold it five or more years ago), but it felt similar to any smaller American ’60s car (I only drove it once). I do remember that the seating position felt significantly lower than in any other old car I’ve driven. His was a 4-speed with a 365-horse 327 and 4:11 gears, so it was quite fast.
I don’t think these Vettes were that much lighter than something like a Mustang or a Camaro, so the manual steering probably felt about the same.
Like you, I was never much of a Corvette man. However, seeing an original 3-speed is neat. Given the SBC’s wide power band and willingness to rev, I wonder how much 4-speed added to performance. Anyone ever run across a comparison?
The rare still-original stripper Corvette. Kudos to the owner for leaving it that way.
Although I rail about the lack of four speed manuals behind small American sixes, the three speed is actually a good combination with this engine. The 250 hp 327 was superbly flexible, and the an additional intermediate gear was rather wasted on it. The lack of syncro on first is a bit of a bummer though.
I had a friend in grade school whose dad was the daytime announcer at the local radio station (a very different job back then), and drove a ’61 or ’62 Vette with the base V8 and three speed. The first time I saw that, I was a bit disappointed, but it was the perfect setup for how he used it, as his daily driver.
We all used the Saginaw three-speeds in our short-track circle track cars for decades. I don’t know the version used in this Corvette, but the truck transmission was the one to have. Finding a three-speed gearbox in an early sixties Chevy truck made for a good day when junkyard diving. We generally just put them in gear and went, and didn’t shift the thing once going, but the gearboxes seemed bulletproof for going around in circles and leaving it in gear.
Apparently, there was a decent business in setting up Saginaw three-speeds to survive Shoebox Chevy Junior Stock drag race cars back in the ’60s. You work with what you’ve got!
Prompted by a similar post on 1st-gen F-bodies, I did my research and found out that the upgrade to a 4-speed was a sub-$100 option, and wondered aloud in the comments that I thought it was a weird place to cheap out (and even more so in a Corvette).
But then I got schooled by other commenters… and reminded how (most) American engines of the era had wide-flat torque curves, and that unless one was trying to eke out every last second on a race track, more gears usually only meant more shifting.
Lovely C2! Love the color – I had Nassau Blue on my ’66, which is close to this.
I’m not sure about wanting the 3-speed, though, as the T10 4-speed in my ’63 has a lovely action.
The condition of this one is perfect – smart and original (look at those nice cut lines), not “afraid to park it” show condition.
Cars are there to be driven and this owner obviously enjoys driving his C2 – hats off to him!
I have similar thoughts on Vettes, the new C8 is more interesting with the mid-engine layout. I had no idea there was a 3 speed option, should have been a three on the tree to make it a real stripper.
The other option is another knocker, nothing says “sports car” more then a 2 speed Power Glide.
First, that is one of my favorite car colors too. And somehow, after 45 years and 29 cars I have never managed to own one painted that shade.
I am like you on Corvettes – I like them, but I have not really been that interested in them, mainly for the same reasons you cite. I do love the oddball powertrain in this car. It’s too bad that an OD unit was not offered in combination with the 3 speed. That would have been an extra-sweet combination.
If a car does not look good in that color, it is a hopelessly ugly machine.
An R&T review of a ’67 327 Corvette (reprinted in CC last September) mentioned “now that the standard 3-speed has been redesigned and includes a synchronized first, we can see no good reason for ordering the four speed for general use”
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-reviews/1960s-vintage-reviews/vintage-rt-review-1967-corvette-sting-ray-300hp-327-the-best-corvette-yet-and-for-some-time-to-come/
This surprised me until I thought a bit about the power characteristics of American V8s, and how 3 gears might be perfectly adequate for a car with ample torque and a fairly low redline.
People weren’t cruising at 80 mph in most of the US back then.
I donno about that. This list shows a lot of pre-1974 speed limits of 70, 75, or “no daytime limit”, and I don’t think it’s far-fetched to imagine people exceeding a 75 by 5 mph or a 70 by 10 mph.
I wasn’t around back then to witness but I do wonder if more drivers were self regulating of their speeds back then in the days before overdrive, based on there car’s capabilities/comfort level, where the speed limit is really taken as “the limit”, eg, you can go that fast if you could manage it. By contrast every car on the road today is capable of cruising at 80 with minimal wind noise, low engine speeds, and return good fuel economy.
I would think an all-synchro three-speed with a 300-horse 327 for would be perfect for almost any driving situation one is likely to encounter.
It’s amazing that it took until ’66 (or ’67) to synchronize that first gear in a Corvette!
I think Chrysler was late to the 4-speed musclecar party, but those early sixties, downsized 383 Mopars ran just fine with floor-mounted 3-speeds.
The 1965 Barracuda (including the muscular Formula-S) could be had with a 4-speed. So could the 1966 Dodge Charger. And so could the 400-horsepower 1960 Chrysler 300F, so…I don’t think Chrysler were late.
Here’s a pretty good article on four-speed firsts:
https://www.hagerty.com/media/market-trends/four-speed-changed-american-muscle/
Chevy was using a T-10 in full-size cars as a factory option in ’59, Pontiac in ’60, and then most of the others filtered in by ’63.
An R&T review of a ’67 327 Corvette (reprinted in CC last September) mentioned “now that the standard 3-speed has been redesigned and includes a synchronized first, we can see no good reason for ordering the four speed for general use”
Using that logic I can’t see no good reason for ordering a Corvette for general use.
Minnesota – 1970 – IIRC – 70 day time – 65 night time on Inter-state – 65-55 on most state highways. With some variations.
Today – 70 on Inter-state – 60-55 on most state highways. With some variations.
Big difference is back then we had troopers & police and they enforced the law and you respected it. Now you rarely see a trooper or cop so lets go seems to be the motto.
Talk about an off-the-beaten-path version of an icon!
I’ve always loved this kind of silver-blue and on this ’63, it’s perfect. I, too, am not into big block-powered ‘Vettes ‘cuz handling and braking. The lighter small-block yields a much more balanced car. Not that they existed this year, anyway.
But I’m pretty sure that a 3-speed was the base trans up ’til ’69.
My favourite Corvette also, and the only one I’d want. I want one a lot.
Having been born in 1963, I’d have to agree with you on some of the great cars that came out that year. The split window Corvette, the Riviera, the Grand Prix, the Avanti, the 409 Impala…all favourites.
Unusual for early 60’s American cars except for ‘vettes to have a 4 speed. Will forever regret not buying a 1961 Hawk with a factory T-10 for $300 in 1970. Had some body damage, could be driven and ran well. Gear lever on that one reminded me of a telegraph key for some reason..
I’m confused. Consensus is that this a 3 speed with non-synchro 1st gear. But the 1963 brochure describes it as “Synchro-Mesh” (gotta get the capitalization and hyphenization correct). So in 1963 it was OK to call a transmission with only 2 synchronized gears “Synchro-Mesh”? Otherwise, it certainly seems fine to have only 3 speeds with a flexible V8. And in fact a few decades later, when Corvettes had 6 speeds, didn’t they have a shifter feature that encouraged skipping a few gears for better fuel economy? I seem to recall driving a C5 thus equipped.
Chevy had been calling their manual transmissions “Synchro-Mesh” for quite some years (1938 or possibly earlier). Back then, nobody even pondered the possibility of a syncro first gear. And it really wasn’t necessary, because final drive ratios were low (high numerical) and engine torque peaked very low, so second gear starts were both readily accomplished, and not uncommon. So “Synchro-Mesh” was all about being able to shift down into second without double-clutching.
Chevy also called their engines “Turbo-Fire”, and “Turbo-Thrift” and “Turbo-Jet”, but there was no turbo in any of them. Oddly enough, the only Chevy engine with a turbo, the Corvair’s, was called “Turbocharged 145” and not “Turbo-Air” as were its non-turbo engines.
Such were the times.
Thanks. I knew about the Turbo and Jet naming, not to mention Rocket, but figured that was just jet-age marketing. I had assumed a specific automotive term like synchromesh had to be more accurate, especially as fully synchronized gearboxes we’re not uncommon by then.
I’m not certain I remember correctly (someone verify this, please) but the fully synchronized 3 speeds offered on the later GM cars were supplied by Ford, I think. They had been used in Ford cars and pickups for several years and proved to be unbreakable and GM had such a low take rate on standards in their larger vehicles, it was more practical for them to source 3 speeds rather than tool up and manufacture them, at least for several years. Right?…..
That’s true! I know Buick used them on some GS models and Pontiac used them in some full-sized models. I don’t know the break down of years, but GM called it a “Dearborn” transmission rather than “Ford.” Eventually, I believe they switched to a homemade Muncie three-speed.
The sharing went both ways; Ford used a Rochester Quadrajet on some 429s in the early ’70s, in addition to Saginaw steering gears.
Say all you want bout gm cars..I ve own a 396 66 chevelle.for 55 years and put a lot of other post 60 brands in my rear view mirror..as my cuz.said bout his 68 z28 camaro with a .z302 motor..he.said.you want a piece of his 68 z28..you better take a wrench with the doors..z car is coming thru..r
Cool Corvette Aaron and thanks for the shout out. I always appreciate rare or oddly equipped original cars even if it isn’t necessarily my preference or something I’d own. This 3-speed Vette is a very cool find, even though I would prefer the more common 4-speed and a higher output engine if I were buying a Vette. That said, I’d take a 3-speed over a PG any day of the week. I am Corvette fan and have driven many but C2 has long been my favorite Corvette generation. I don’t know if I’d ever own one, simply because a two seater is so limiting. However, I am lucky enough to have access to my Dad’s Vette.
That C2 is the only Corvette I really care for at all, and even at that i don’t like the light blue color. Oh well.
I guess they’d done it long before any truth in advertising laws, but if it says synchromesh 3 speed, it should be, not just on some gears. I’d still rather than it than the powerglide, but a nice wide ratio 4 speed would be oh so much better.
I like Corvettes and even thought about getting one someday until I drove a C3. Even though it had a four speed (the only one so equipped I had seen) it was a tremendous dissapointment. I know there were C4s that would force a first to fourth shift under certain circumstances, in order to get a few more MPG in testing. Has that no doubt infuriating trick been tried elsewhere? I guess a shift light that comes on suggesting you lug your vehicle around barely above idle, like on my ’94 Sonoma, wasn’t gonna cut it. Did that actually work by the way? Did the drivers that did the testing obey those lights, and more to the point, did anyone actually think enough owners would to make a meaningful difference in how much fuel was burned?