1963 Corvette. Famous 1972 IMSA GTO Champion

History

Here is a video of the IMSA GTO Championship winning 1963 Split Window Corvette in action. 

For a more detailed, chronological, history of this car and its achievements, please see below. 

1966-1969

7-1-66: Purchased used in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

5-14-67: First auto-cross race at airport, Gainesville, FL. 1ts Place Overall.

1967-1968: Over forty auto-crosses before first SCCA driver’s school.

4-20-69: Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Driver’s School at Steel Cities Raceway, Nelson Ledges, Ohio.

5-11-69: SCCA Driver’s School at Marlboro Speedway, Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

6-7-69: SCCA Regional race at Watkins Glen Grand Prix Circuit, Watkins Glen, New York. 1st Place B Production.

1970

3-15-70: SCCA Regional race, Sebastian, FL.

4-19-70: SCCA Regional race, Miami-Hollywood Speedway. FL.

7-5-70: SCCA Regional race, Summit Point, West Virginia.

7-18-70: SCCA Regional race, Talladega International Speedway, Talladega, Alabama.

7-19-70: SCCA National race, Talladega International Speedway, Talladega, Alabama.

8-22-70: SCCA Regional race, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia

1971

6-27-71: SCCA Regional race, West Palm Racetrack, FL. (later known as Moroso Speedway)

7-5-71: SCCA National race, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio.

7-31-71: SCCA National race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL.

8-22-71: SCCA National race, Lake Afton, Kansas.

8-29-71: SCCA National race, West Palm Racetrack, Florida.

9-19-71: SCCA National race, Steel Cities Raceway, Nelson Ledges, Ohio.

9-26-71: SCCA National race, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia.

10-10-71: SCCA National race, Summit Point, West Virginia.

11-21-71: International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) 200 mile race, Daytona International Speedway. 3rd in GTO, and 12th overall out of 54 cars.

1 1-28-71: SCCA American Road Race of Champions (ARRC), Road Atlanta Racetrack, Gainesville, Georgia. Finished 3rd in Southeast Division National Points to qualify for the ARRC. Finished 6th in the race.

1972

2-5-72: SCCA Midnight Challenge 200 Mile race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. DNF.

2-6-72: Federation Internationale de L’Automobile ( FIA) World Manufacturers Championship 6-Hour Race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL. Started race last (no qualifying time) and finished 6th in class and 21st overall out of 55. 2nd Corvette out of 7.

4-1-72: IMSA Camel GT Starlight 3-Hour race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. Qualified 5th of 48, but blew engine before race. DNS.

4-16-72 IMSA Camel G.T race, Virginia International Raceway (VIR), Danville Virginia. 1st Place GTO, and 6th overall out of 51 cars.

4-30-72: Auto Club Monterrey 5-Hour race, Monterrey, Mexico. 1st Place in class, 4th overall out of 35 cars.

5-29-72: IMSA Camel GT 200 Mile race, Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Connecticut. lst Place GTO and 3rd overall out of 33 cars.

6-11-72: IMSA Camel GT 3-Hour race, Donnybrooke International Speedway, Brainerd, Minnesota. 2nd Place GTO and 3rd overall out of 30 cars.

7-9-72: IMSA Camel GT 6-Hour race, Mid-Ohio, Lexington, Ohio. 11th GTO, and 27th overall out of 48 cars (crashed 15 minutes before the finish).

8-5-72: IMSA Camel GT 200 Mile race, Talladega International Speedway, Talladega, Alabama. 5th GTO and 9th overall out of 27 cars.

9-10-72: IMSA Camel GT 500 Kilometer race, Watkins Glen, Watkins Glen,

New York. 2nd GTO and 6th overall out of 54 cars.

9-24-72: IMSA Camel GT 3-Hour race, Bryar Motorsport Park, Laconia, New Hampshire. 5th GTO and 29th overall out of 37 cars (broken crankshaft).

11-19-72: IMSA Camel GT 250 Mile race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. 6th GTO and 12th overall out of 61 cars. Winner GTO Championship.

1973

3-24-73: IMSA Camel GT Sebring l2-Hour race, Sebring, Florida. 5th GTO and 11th overall out of 72 cars. 197 laps completed, 1,024 miles raced.

4-21-73: IMSA Camel GT Starlight 3-Hour race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. 7th GTO and 9th overall out of 55 cars.

6-10-73: IMSA Camel GT 500 Mile race, Pocono International Raceway, Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. 6th GTO and 11th overall out of 53 cars.

7-2-73: IMSA Camel GT Paul Revere 250 Mile race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. 8th GTO and 15th overall out of 44 cars.

7-15-73: IMSA Camel GT 6-Hour race, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio. 20th GTO and 42nd overall out of 53 (Broken L.F. axle).

9-30-73: IMSA Camel GT 200 Mile race, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia. DNS. Blew engine in practice.

10-14-73: IMSA Camel GT 3-Hour race, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Clermont, Indiana. 43rd overall out of 56 cars (Engine).

1974

4-21-74: IMSA Camel GT 6-Hour race, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia. Qualified 37th out of 40 cars, but did not race.

6-2-74: SCCA Regional race, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, FL. Used the event for for testing.

6-30-74: IMSA Camel GT 5-Hour race, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio. 10th GTO and 10th overall out of 51 cars. Phil Currin drove the full five hours, solo.

7-4-74: IMSA Camel GT Paul Revere 250 Mile race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. 26th GTO and 34th overall out of 43 cars (Fuel injection drive broke).

8-10-74: IMSA Camel GT ‘Bama’ 200 Mile race, Talladega International Speedway, Talladega, Alabama. 18th GTO and 22nd overall out of 32 cars (Oil pressure.)

8-18-74: IMSA Camel GT 300 Mile race, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Charlotte, North Carolina. Last professional race for the Corvette. 8th GTO of out 29 GTO cars, and 8th overall out of 33 cars. 1st finisher of all eight Corvettes entered… and as an eleven-old, small block, car.

9-2.74: Sold car to finance purchase of a new Greenwood Corvette.

1989 to Present: Vintage Racing Career

2-20-89: The Corvette was repurchased by the original race driver/owner for restoration. Restored to 1972 IMSA GTO Champion specifications. SVRA Medallion # 6-0208 awarded for “Certified Historic Racecar”.

7-11-93: Southeastern Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) 40th Anniversary Corvette Vintage Car Race, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio.

10-24-93: SVRA Vintage races, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia. Pole position and race win.

2-5-94: Daytona Legends Exhibition Laps, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, FL.

3-19-94: SVRA Vintage races, Sebring, Florida.

6-26-94: Bloomington Gold Corvette Show “Victory Lane” Special Collection Display, Springfield, Illinois.

7-10-94: SCCA Solo 1 Auto-Cross, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia. Fastest Time of the Day (“FTD”).

7 -24-94: Chicago Historic Races, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. 2nd Place overall out of 51 starters.

9-5-94: BMW Vintage Fall Festival, Lime Rock Park, Lime Rock, Connecticut. Qualified on Pole, but blew up engine during race warm-up. DNS.

9-11-94: SVRA Vintage Grand Prix, Watkins Glen International Raceway, Watkins Glen, New York. Ran with used Chevy truck engine rated @ 185 H.P. to replace the blown up race engine from Lime Rock. Finished 12th of 49 starters.

5-6-95: SCCA Vintage Regional race, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida. Test.

NO TRACK ACTIVITY FOR SEVEN YEARS

2-2-2002: Daytona Legends Exhibition Laps. Daytona International Raceway, Daytona, Florida.

3-16-02: SVRA Vintage races, Sebring l2-Hour 50th Anniversary Event, Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida.

4-14-02: SCCA Time Trials, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, FL. Fastest time of Day (FTD).

4-28-02: Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Walter Mitty Vintage race, Road Atlanta, Gainesville, Georgia. 2nd in class and 9th overall out of 48.

6-9-02 Gold Cup Historic Races, Virginia International Raceway, Danville, Virginia. Pole position and 1st place overall out of 20 cars.

8-17-02: Rolex Monterey Historic Races, Laguna Seca Raceway, Laguna Seca , CA. Qualified 3rd and was leading when hit from behind by a Cobra, cutting down a tire.

2-1-03 Daytona Legends Exhibition Laps, Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Florida.

3-15-03: SVRA Sebring 12 Hour Vintage Races, Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida. Overall winner of One-Hour Enduro Race with 29 starters.

6-22-03: SVRA Vintage races, Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course, Lexington, Ohio. 1st in B Production. Also, 4th overall out of 28 in All-Corvette Feature Race.

6-10-07: Gold Cup 50th Anniversary of Virginia International Raceway. Special invitation for previous race winners. Exhibition laps and car on display in the “barn”.

3-17 -12: SVRA Sebring 12 Hour Special Invitation Exhibition Lap for significant past 12-Hour race entrants.

This 1963 Split Window Corvette is probably the most-road-raced C2 Corvette in history, having competed in twenty-five professional series races with durations/distances from 200 miles to twelve hours from 1971 to 1974. In addition, the Corvette raced sixteen SCCA Regional or National race weekends and thirteen sanctioned Vintage race weekends. The car has raced on not less than 24 different race tracks, and completed over 2,600 pro-series racing laps. It also earned $9,237.00 in prize money. The Corvette has raced in SCCA, IMSA, and FIA events as well as Internationally in Monterrey, Mexico, where it won.

This 1963 small block Corvette has spent most of its racing life competing against newer, more powerful cars. These cars were often factory backed, big block, cars with pro drivers such as Sam Posey, Tony Delorenzo,John Greenwood, Craig Carter, Gene Felton (the winningest driver in IMSA history), Ed Lowther, Don Yenko, Jerry Thompson, and others. Yet in 1972, this 9 year old car, with a privateer owner/driver, Phil Currin, beat the best of these GTO cars, drivers, and teams to win IMSA’s GTO Championship. The Corvette thus became know as “The Giant Killer.”

In the 1973 Sebring 12 Hour Race, the now 10 year old car finished an amazing 11th overall, out of 72 starters. It was also the 2nd highest finishing Corvette out of the 18 that started.

After the Corvette was restored in 1993, by its original race car driver/owner, it claimed numerous pole positions and race wins in the thirteen vintage races it ran through 6-22-03. In 2003, the car was retired from racing with an overall win in the one-hour endurance race at the SVRA vintage event at Sebring, and a 2nd in class and 4th overall finish in the 30 car All-Corvette feature race at Mid-Ohio.

Since 2003, the Corvette has been used for significant event displays and exhibition laps including such honors as the Parade of Historic Sebring Race Cars at the Sebring 12 Hours Race. The Corvette is also one of only 16 cars to be included in the “Sebring Legends” display at the track. 

Some of the Corvette’s more recent honors and displays include the following:

March 2014: The Corvette won the prestigious Amelia Island Festival of Speed, Spirit of Road Racing Award.

March 2019: The Corvette was honored at the 2019, 12 Hours of Sebring in the Don Panoz Gallery of Legends building. The Gallery hosted some of the iconic IMSA GTP and GTO cars that competed in the 12 hour endurance race.

February, 2022: The Corvette was invited to, and appeared at, the SVRA Corvette Feature at the Sebring International Raceway SpeedTour race.

Description

The Corvette received a total restoration (not frame-off) in ’93. Since then it was raced with multiple victories in eight vintage events in ’93 and ’94. The car was then stored for seven years and raced in eight more vintage events in ’02 and ’03, again with winning results. In ’07 it was invited to be on display and to do some exhibition laps at the 50th anniversary of Virginia International Raceway. In 2012 it participated in a parade lap before the start of the Sebring 12 Hour race as a former Sebring entrant and finisher (1973).

The Corvette is in very good condition, and can be driven as is. However, it should be thoroughly race checked/prepared before serious competition use.

As new January, 1963:

• 327 C.I. Fuel Injected 360 HP.
• 4-speed; 4.11 posi traction.
• Signal- seeking AM radio; heater.
• Ermine White paint; red vinyl interior.

As of 2014:

• 350 C.I. bored .040″ over (359C.I.); Forged steel crank; Forged steel 6.0″ rods; Brodix aluminum heads; Holley race carb; Hooker headers with side pipes & mufflers; Weaver 3-stage dry-sump oil pump with Milodon oil pan and 12-quart remote reservoir; external oil cooler; steel braided lines; aluminum radiator.
• Muncie M-22 “Rock Crusher” 4-speed transmission; Hurst shifter; Ram triple disc race clutch; 3.55 H.D. Corvette posi-traction differential.
• ATL 32 gallon steel fuel cell with bladder; 11 lb. Halon fire extinguisher system; full roll cage and bracing; welded frame seams; instrument dash with tach, oil, water, amps; full bucket race seat.
• Adjustable front and rear sway bars; all suspension bushings are race type; 4-wheel Corvette J-56 disc brakes and calipers; driver adjustable brake proportioning valve.
• American Magnesium (real magnesium) wheels 15″X10″; extra long wheel studs.
• Eleven coats of Riverside Red lacquer paint, hand sanded & polished.

Photo Gallery

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