1963 Corvette Z06 Restored Barn Find
Daily Slideshow: This pristine '63 Chevy Corvette Z06/N03 appears to have driven here from yesteryear.
Shut the Barn Door After the Horse Has Bolted
Whether you’ve taken your favorite ride through the Pacific Northwest, the vast cornfields of middle America, or through the Green Mountains of the Northeast, you’ve likely seen a barn or two in your travels. What is it about barns that pique the interest of automotive collectors? Because not unlike storage spaces, garages, and warehouses nationwide, that barn you cruise by might just hold within an automotive gem that’s the stuff of dreams. Take this 1963 Chevy Corvette Z06/N03, for example. Stored in a barn for 51 years, this beauty is one of 199 original Z06 cars ever built —and 1 of just 63 manufactured with the large fuel tank option.
Photos courtesy of Mecum Auctions
A Vision in White
A complete body-off process restored this Chevy to its past brilliance, complete to its original 1963 factory specs. This Z06’s sharp white paint scheme (along with white steel wheels) was first unveiled for public viewing for the 2016 Bloomington Gold's Legends Row and then at Corvettes at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
>>Join the conversation about this rare C2 Z06 right here in CorvetteForum.com.
1 of 199
Why were only 199 of these American classics made? It was actually a result of Chevrolet management's budget cuts on the company-franchised race car enterprise and their early 1960's commitment to producing more family-oriented vehicles. The car’s Rochester fuel-injected small-block V8 is controlled by a four-on-the-floor manual transmission, complete with a new (for its time) rear-end differential.
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Street Appeal
A redesigned and more formidable suspension package and race-worthy brake technology helped to make this Chevy Corvette Z06 one of the most track-ready American sports cars of its day.
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Red Dead Racer
The car's striking blood-red interior is as unforgettable as its sparkling white exterior paint scheme, complete with a red leather steering wheel and maroon accents —all factory original. In fact, this model comes with its original dealer and factory paperwork as well as the original owner's 1963 deposit check, leaving no doubt about its genuine authenticity.
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Street Legal, Track Approved
In addition to being constructed with a thicker front stabilizer bar and larger diameter shock absorbers, this edition of the Corvette Z06 also featured higher rate springs to add to its ability to be both a premier racing machine and an everyday driver.
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A True Barn Burner
Originally priced at $1,818, this legend of American automotive engineering was expected to fetch quite a bit more than that when it hit the auction block earlier this month. Experts predicted the vehicle would command a barn-burning $550,000 - $650,000.
>>Join the conversation about this rare C2 Z06 right here in CorvetteForum.com.
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