A 1963 Corvette Split Window Fuelie with one owner, real competition history, and nearly every original part still accounted for doesn’t come around often. Yet that’s exactly what’s surfaced on Bring a Trailer — a Sting Ray that’s been in the same hands for 63 years, raced hard in its youth, stored for decades, and carefully revived without losing its identity.

The story starts in San Diego, where the owner first spotted the Ermine White coupe as a demonstrator at Guarantee Chevrolet. A salesman was showing it to a neighbor across the street, and the moment he saw it, he knew. He bought the car shortly afterward and spent the next decade running slalom and hillclimb events, modifying the car just enough to compete while keeping its soul intact.

When life shifted, the Corvette went into storage — not for a season or two, but for more than three decades.

In 2008, the owner brought the car back out and began a careful mechanical restoration. The original 327ci L84 Fuelie was rebuilt with a 0.030 overbore, Edelbrock aluminum heads, a Crower roller cam, headers, side pipes, and a seven quart oil pan. The Rochester mechanical fuel injection system was rebuilt, the fuel tank replaced, and suspension and brake components refreshed.

Despite the upgrades, the car remains remarkably complete. The sale includes the original cylinder heads, camshaft, oil pan, exhaust, and other removed parts — meaning a return to factory spec is entirely possible.

The frame is rust free, the body shows honest chips from real use, and the shaved wheel well lips and side exit exhaust still hint at its competition past. It’s not a museum piece. It’s a Corvette used the way Zora intended all along.

Inside, the seats and carpet were refreshed during the revival, but the rest remains original, other than the woodgrain plastic steering wheel sourced from a later model and a bolt in roll bar and racing harnesses that nod to its slalom days.

It’s a driver’s cabin, not a show car — and that’s part of the appeal.

Finding a split window Fuelie is rare.

Finding one with competition history is rarer.

Finding one still owned by the original buyer after 63 years is almost unheard of.

That longevity has sparked plenty of debate among Bring a Trailer commenters — especially after the owner declined a $150,500 high bid during an April 2026 listing.

Some applaud the owner’s loyalty: “A fuelie split window that was used for its intended purpose and has had 1 owner for 63 years. I would rather have this and drive it than a perfect trailer queen locked in the garage.”

Others question the expectations: “So, someone offered you $150,000.00 for this and you turned them down. I don’t think you really want to sell it.”

And still others argue the car could bring more with a return to factory configuration: “If he were to get rid of the aftermarket headers and pipes and wheels… this car would be closer to $200K.”

As of now, the auction sits at $85,500 with three days remaining.

This ’63 Fuelie isn’t flawless. It isn’t over restored. It isn’t frozen in time.

It’s better than that.

It’s a Corvette that was bought, raced, stored, revived, and kept — by the same owner — for more than six decades. A car that carries its history proudly, imperfections and all.

And for the right buyer, it’s a chance to become only the second name on a title that began in 1963.

Source:
Bring a Trailer

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