How the heck american automobile builder hate split window ? 😅😅 , nerds goes with this kind of misled propaganda vlog as they trully wants to ruins american History. I believe european elite still trying to rewrite "SPLIT🇺🇸WINDOW" heritages.
@john thonig That is a sweet car to. There was 65 with a 427 in a town I lived in Auburn Michigan. It was painted a light blue but I don't know if that was the original color.
@john thonig I guess I was off a year because when I checked up on what you said and I saw the picture of one. I was wrong because the picture of the 66 Corvette was the one I seen back in 1981 looked the same. Oh well I was off a year.
@john thonig I would love to own everyone of them. To me they are the best looking Corvettes ever made but my favorite is the 63 Split window and the 66 Corvette 427.There might be some quicker and have a higher top speed , but when you see a 60's Corvette all you can say is "WOW" I loved my uncles 78 6.6 Trans Am but it didn't come close to the 60's Corvette especially the 63 & 66 !
I have owned a few Vettes in my time and would love to own the 1963 Split Window coupe. To me regardless of the blind spot made by the split window, I agree with the designer it makes the car look great. The most Iconic Corvette ever.
I like the '57 in turquoise best, especially if it has the fuel injection badge to break up the body cove. . . But I'd still give $20 and my left nut for a '63.
Me too. This vlog based on zero evidence. Not recomended to be standar of history. Split window on corvette is still the most request for now adays rebuild corvette.
@FB REDSTAR My neighbor had a 63 split back in 1989,he bought it off some kid for $10,000,(a steal!).Didn"t run right,had the wrong intake manifold on it.Had the engine professionally rebuilt,all original,cork gaskets the whole deal.I loved that car,he eventually sold it.Told me the car was so aerodynamic that even with the windows down,the air didn"t come in,blew right by.Not a fun car to drive in the summer,lots of engine heat even with a small block .
PETER MAINWALD, Back in 1964, one of my teachers had a brand new 64 Corvette Stingray and a brand new 64 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. He was the coolest teacher ever...
'63 split window is the best looking car ever built by Americans! Who cares about a rear blind spot in a sports car!!! you need to be focused on what is in front of you in a vette!!!
My favorite Corvettes were the 1962 - 1967, and agree the spit windows is cool. It enhanced the appearance, structural integrity was optimal. Duntolph was a race car driver an wanted to see where other driver's were behind him. I can relate to this cause did do some racing a few years back. Those 62-67 were compact agile great handling cars until Shelby Cobra coupe, and Shelby GT350 came into the picture. GT40 was in a different class though also perfected by Shelby and to win the greatest endurance race of La Mans 4 times to beat Ferrari
Well i don't like the dual headlights on the 59-62 vettes always hated those. I'm also not a very big fan of the newer vettes but that ZR1 sure is beautiful. 0-60 2.85 sec, more than 750 hp and a top speed of more than 211 mph. God what a nice car.
If you hate a 63 hard top split back than you don't deserve to even drive the the shittyiest Chevy the 63 split back is one of the most beautiful vettes ever produced
@@Jeanie363034 Uh, the body is fiberglass.... And the frame certainly didn't rust on a show room floor. Not ever in real life, if you keep the underside clean
Jeanie363034 I fell in love with a 71 Vega wagon when I was in high school “90’s”.. It was in the neighborhood, idk it was primered and lowered on nice wheels. 🤷🏼♂️
I loved the split window, I remember being with my dad behind one at a traffic light and we thought it looked scifi like a rocket ship from a Godzilla movie or something.
I have been working on and driving my 1975 for the last two years and hope to do the motor this year, the first car I ever owned was a convertible and the Vtte will be the last, 77 year young loving it.
A list like this is incomplete without the 1980 305 powered California Corvette. Thats not a typo- a 305 putting out a yawn-inspiring 180hp and certainly not the torque of even a choked early-80's 350.
@@mykten187 incidentally, they're that much more rare because many owners had their rear window modified to install the '64 rear window. Such modified Vettes are now worth less than either unmolested '63s or the '64s.
The 63 split window was an ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE!! That was THE most beautiful Corvette that will ever be built. They should bring it back for a couple years.
@@robertstrobel2558 Thank you Robert for your reply. I had a chance to get one around 1978, a green one, for 5,000. I didn't have a garage for it and didn't get it. I've also sold very valuable cars for practically nothing. I've been pretty foolish when it comes to cars. Nice to hear from you.
I’ve owned every generation of Corvette except Gen 1 and Gen 6. I still own 4 of them. Really the only generation of Corvettes I wasn’t big on was Gen 4. I owned 2 of them and they had their problems. They were good cars for their time but not compared to the C5 and generations after. And I don’t know anybody that hates the 63 split window. Their prices reflect their popularity.
My Dad GAVE me a 77 with T-tops. It had a LOT of problems but for free I could look past them. Fast forward a few months and it was involved in a car accident which gomed the front clip. So I put an 82 front and rear bumper on it and got it repainted. Then the engine spun a rod bearing so I put an LS6 468 into it. When I got the car it was unoriginal, so I saw no problem in doing what I wanted to with the car. Purists may scream, but I don't want to sell the car. If nothing else, I can fire it up and rattle the neighbors windows.
I thought the '63 coupe was THE most loved Corvette of all time?! Utter nonsense, there is not a SINGLE Corvette fan who hates the '63 splittie. The argument between the designer and engineer is irrelevant.
For looks I would say the 58'-62', I think the 60' looked the best but a puny 283 engine, in 62' it got the FI 327@360hp as an option but the grill didn't look as nice. For performance it would be the 67-69 L88\ZL1 cars, they got the most powerful V8 GM ever used in production car in the muscle car era although only officially rated at 430hp it closer to 550hp.
Coles, your argument is irrelevant. None other than Zora Arkus Duntov did not care for the split window. And without him, the Corvette would have passed into history well before 1963.
I worked for a corvette shop in the 90s. Never once did I hear anyone say they hated any of the cars listed here. Especially the highly sought after one year 1963. The only negative I really ever heard was the electronics in the '84 and later. Mostly because if they fail they had to go to GM for a lengthy time to be refurbished.
How is a split window '63 a hated car? Today it is the most sought after body style. George Barris had a body kit that shaved the fin and replaced the window with a '64's rear window, available for the '63 split. Many owners did this to their car not knowing what they command today. BJ Auction had one break 350,000 this year.
The split window is not hated by anyone I know. Next to the '74-'77 models it is my favorite. The fact is there are probably more split window Vettes now than were ever made. Back in the early '90s when I owned a couple of mid '70s models, a number of places offered split window conversion kits, which could be used to restore a '63, but also fit any '63-'67 model.
I'm guessing you answered your own question and didn't realized it. It's back in the past when the 64 came out and people hated the rear split so much that they replaced it with a one piece. That's all I can think the narrater meant. PS, Is George Barris the person Jay Leno mentioned did this in his Corvette YT video?
You still had 380 ft. lbs of torque in the 74 BB Corvette. No mention of the L-82 SB available in the '74 and how it matched up against the BB. Chevy had lots of over the counter parts available and they knew people would hop-up these motors plus GM played with the HP numbers, quoting net and not gross HP numbers after '70. These engines weren't as weak as people think.
The reason the 53 corvette was "hated" was because it had an inline 6 and 2 speed autpmatic and crappy suspension, and trying to pass it iff as a sports car. If it had been offered with a v8 and a 4 speed, it would have been the mustang of its time.
Should have been number one. Just because the 305 car was available only in CA doesn't make it not-a-Corvette. That was the first car that popped into my head when I saw the title of the video.
Yes the 1982 corvette had an underpowered motor, but it was still a beautiful c3 corvette( 1982 was the last year of the c3). In my opinion all c3 corvettes are great looking cars
I dont mind the styling of the c3, but those intakes in 82, 84, & 85 dont take to mods. You need to get rid of the whole intake and computer. Its not like the later ones with upgradable runners, mass flow intake or whatever.
The crappy cars of 1975 were the first of the big government inspired cars; no power, horrible mileage, and environmentally unremarkable. It's amazing the auto companies survived that (first) round of obscene regulations.
Having grown up in Los Angeles, I can attest that the smog regs. were desperately needed. Computer controls have since enabled automakers to build cleanest-ever cars with great performance and fuel economy. One of the great technological triumphs, achievable only because government regulations pressured the automakers to do the right thing, and the industry eventually rose to the occasion.
pollution and destruction of the environment is obscene and without regulations, it would be far worse than it already is. But since when do people who yell and scream about big gov't ever know a damned thing about anything except their own masturbation? never.
Are you insane? I am the proud owner of a 1963 Riverside Red Split Window. I have owned her since 1990 and updated her with disc brakes and Bilstein gas shocks bigger anti sway bars and beefier coils.
That's awesome,63s are gorgeous and unique at that,people that talk about the rear visibility are the same ones that have never owned one and talk about the M1 Garand with its noise at the end of the clip being a liability, yeah right, one of the best rifles ever made, too much Gran Turismo and Call of Duty,lol
I don't know squat, but THE MARKET PLACE will tell you the "63 Split" is one of the most sought after Vettes out there. Saying 50% of the Corvette people hate it... caused you a huge credibility problem. Enough.
J Manning -- Back when they did it, the trend was to update your car to the most modern look and performance. This is also why many pulled original engines and dropped in 396s and 427s in the late '60s. Only in the mid to late '70s did originality begin to mean something. Don't judge the past with today's eyes.
Other than Duntov, who hated the split-window? I was in high school in the late 70s and we thought the split-window 63 was the ultimate Corvette, even cooler than the big blocks that followed.
@@benjaminbarrera214 We did too, but we "Corvette-Lover" kids were just fascinated by them. When one would go down the street....one of us would point and say "Vette" out loud to the others. We all turned, looked and drooled. It was every boy's "dream car" back then! I've had 7 of them over the years and am restoring an '82 right now. They just never get out of your blood system or dreams (really). You ought to see my shop and "man-cave".....I've got Vette photos, models, posters and paraphernalia all over the place. ;-)
I have instructions in one of my old custom car magazines on how to cut out the center bar from your '63 Vette's rear window. I wonder how many guys did that. I'll take it with the center bar any day. The first Corvette I ever saw in '64 was a '63 split window. Me and my brother were on the roof of our garage and i spotted it in a neighbor's back yard, three houses away. I grabbed my camera and had to get down there to take pictures, which I still have.
I worked at a body shop (summer job) in high school 64-65. I wish I had a dollar (well maybe not a dollar ) but I think 12 cars we cut the center bar out of their 63's. They wanted them to look like a 64.
not in the least interested in cars ,a friend of mine reffered me to this channel and said that the narrator has the best speaking voice ,incredibly therapautic ,glad to be a subscriber
The split window is one of the rarest stingrays. I remember when the '64s came out, virtually identical to the '63 but with a one-piece rear window. Some after-market companies offered a kit to transform the split into a one-piece. Butchery!
I owned a 1988 Corvette 35th Anniversary edition. Also one of the few serialized corvettes. The C4 was a little tough getting in and out. GM described it as falling in and climbing out and falling in. I got a goosebumb or two on the side of my head. I love every Vette made.
i don't know if my beloved Corvette Stingray was hated and i don't really care !!! If i could afford to buy and maintain such a beautiful car i would without second thoughts !!!! Personally i find it a masterpiece !!!!!
My uncle owns a 1963 split window 327/375. It's silver and has angle plug heads. I'm the proud owner of a 1990 ZR-1. I remember when these cars came out, they were way out of my price range and never thought I would own one. I found her May of 2019,close to where I live, had been sitting for several years. I bought her not even sure she would run. New fuel pumps, injectors, and a few other things. She fired up first time I turned the key. Now I'm driving her and enjoying bringing her back from the brink. Keeping the dream alive. 👍👍🏁🏁
C5 owner here, loving the C1,.. 6 cylinder is fine, as it was to compete against 4 cylinder MG and Healy imports.. It was faster and just as nimble.. perfect for its time. The far more expensive Jaguar cars were 6 cylinder, though double overhead cam hemi chamber engines.. not a direct competitor to the early Corvette. People need to put these cars into historical context. The 150 horse blue flame was right for the time...
And some Americans need to realize a V8 isn't the 'end all, be all'. It's just another shape, there are advantages and disadvantages. All else being the same, an engine of the same capacity will make about the same peak performance.
63-64 split coupe, and convertibles are absolutely TIMELESS ....Lord, how could you hate that design!..EXACTLY!!....ITS PURE ART!!!!...WAAY BEYOND ITS TIME♥️♥️♥️👍IT ‼️...This is a nicely informative video also. Thanks and 🎩s. Off ‼️
As pointed out in the video, at the time they were considered controversial, that's to be expected though - being so ahead of their time in terms of design.
Absolutely! I never owned one but a friend had the tri-power 435 HP in white. It was the scariest car I ever drove. I was on LBJ Freeway in Dallas one night doing about 60 or so and floored it in 4th gear. It immediately went sideways. Asphalt ripping horsepower!
The interiors on the '67 were the cleanest and the best designe d. It was the 'Vette that never was supposed to be because the '68 was supposed to debut that year. Grateful family owner of a '67 small block convertible.
According to Pete Brock; who actually sketched-out the original design of the 'Stingray' on a cocktail napkin ! Bill Mitchel's addition of the Split Window, was a homage to the Bugatti Atlantic. .
This video is silly. Nobody hates these cars, especially in the Corvette crowd. The 63 Coupe is one of the most valuable classics around. The 75 convertible and 74 big block are collectible as well. If you wanted to make an interesting video you should have referenced reviews from the time period.
Good, informative video with no unnecessary comments and unbiased. And yes the split screen is a piece of art and showed Europe they weren't the only ones who could design beautiful machines. For me this is desirable as an E-type.
Most Corvette haters are kids who had their MUSTANGS shut down at a stop light.
6 лет назад+4
Oh yeah! Back in the day, we called the Mustang a "daddy-bought hot rod" - an insult. I had a '57 'Vette with a '65 FI motor fed by a Holley on a 350 high-rise. 4.56 rear and 2.20 close-ratio 4-speed. I'd go cruising Fri and Sat nights on Forest Lane in North Dallas. Let my girlfriend drive once in a while. She would pick on a daddy-bought hot rod at a red light and always shut 'em down. Beat by a girl! The kids' jaws would hit the ground as they got their asses kicked by a girl driving a ten year old Corvette. Good times.
I don't know who's doing the hating. The '63 split window and the '53-'55 Vettes are valuable vehicles sought by those who can afford them as appreciating collector cars. Nonsense list.
Kind of a BS review. Each model is denigrated and then followed up with the admission that it is now one of the "most sought after." For me? That '63 split window coupe. Again, according to this video, another "most sought after" car.
At 2:57, I like the ‘63 2nd Gen’s “knock-off” spinner hub caps. They look classy and are easy to remove and lock tighten the wheels like the old European sport/racing cars and should be revived.
Can you imagine if General Motors introduced the all aluminum LS1 v8 making 325hp in 1975. It would have been on the front cover of every magazine for a decade.
As a Vette owner, I've never encountered any of this hate. The hate is just from people that hate vettes entirely. The cease-fire was never appreciated but most people know that a set of double hump heads and a carburetor swap would dust a TPI. However; TPI torque was impressive. Most complaints about 70's era vettes were due to lack of power across all years and the injection molding process. The 1963 was never hated by anybody. Probably the most respected Vette. Everything was hated from the 70's and 80's so it's hard to say that Vettes were a focal point from that era. The 1953 to 1955 blue flame? That's absurd. We would have vettes today if it was hated. I'm interested in knowing how the author of this video became convinced that this hate ever existed. All his references come from those from GM but it's doubtful that any of those opinions were ever shared by the public.
The problem with Crossfire Fuel Injection L83 was the intake manifold. Its flow was paltry. Put a Renegade or XRam intake on it, and it wakes up big time, surpassing a stock TPI L98 by a noticeable margin.
I own a crossfire 84. Crossfire is a very reliable system. If your skilled at fixing them, then its a piece of cake to work on. Also, its really not that difficult to make faster. Port intake manifoild, came, heads, bore out throttle bodies, fuel pump, and normaly 350 upgrades will increase hp. crossfire puts out around 600 cfms. its the intake that kills.
The 1953 Corvette was a watershed automobile for the U.S. car industry, irregardless of it's 'underpowered' 6-cylinder engine. It had a beautiful, simple body design. The C2 Corvettes of all years are beautiful. My favorite body style however is the C4, especially the slight softening of the front body corners and the redesign of the back end as of the 1991 model year. And the clam-shell hood of the C4 body style makes access to the engine compartment very easy. Mine is a 1992 C4 convertible with the base LT1 engine and auto transmission. It is a beautiful car and has more than enough performance for me and surprise; it really isn't all that bad on fuel consumption considering it's level of performance. The Corvette continues to be a great value in world-class sports cars.
I’ve always thought the C2 looked best as a hardtop with the split rear window... every year after the 63 just didn’t look as good as the first year original.
I'll never forget that, when my dad decided to buy another car instead of repairing the '72 Grand Prix 455 which had been in two accidents in 10 days in 1974, my mom said "no" to a neighbor's offer to sell a '63 'vette to him. Had it not been for her, perhaps I would not have purchased a '74 Mustang II and could have, instead, drove a vette.....
Absent in this critique is the fact that Chevrolet's GM rival, Pontiac Motor Division, produced the Super Duty 455 Firebird Trans Am from 74-75 that could obliterate all the Corvettes in the 1/4 mile. Pontiac continued to produce Trans Ams that were faster than the Corvette until 1979, when complaints from Chevrolet to the GM brass had the 400cid discontinued in favor of the lowly 4.6L turbo. Then in 1982 Pontiac was forced to use the Chev small block and their engine plant was closed. Point is, in the 1970s if you wanted speed you went to Pontiac. Corvette was a dog from 1974-1982.
I rented a brand new White 1984 Corvette with a Targa roof. Round trip for a few days from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. I must say it was great at the time. I managed to really heat the oil up. The oil cooler was too small for Florida. It didn't have a hood, per se. The entire front cowl tilted forward. It was an awesome display to see all that high tech suspension and the entire tires exposed. No vette previous to the 1985 model year handled GREAT, far as I was concerned. The 1985 handled brilliantly. It was not a powerhouse, but the handling was on par with almost anything today. And, at the time it seemed at least enough to get out of its own way. I really pushed the car to its limits on handling and was and still am duly impressed to this day. Ever since then the Corvette has been on my radar. But, the C8 is what I really want.
The 1963 Split window is highly sought after and brings a premium at auction. The 1964 is the red headed stepchild of the C2 years. Now the 1963 Roadster is not all that popular however.
In March of 1963, I took delivery of the first Sting Ray in my area. It was a Sebring Silver w/black interior Coupe. Had I arrived in a flying saucer, I would not attracted more attention. It drew a crowd wherever I went. And the cutest girls in town lined up for a ride. What more could a 19 year old guy ask for. I've had a couple more Sting Ray's, but that '63 will always have a special place in my heart. Of course the B Production '66 coupe race car wasn't far behind.
Despite the problematic visibility of the Split-Window coupe, it’s far from the most hated Corvette. If anything it’s the most liked and most desirable Corvette so it’s ridiculous that the car was even considered to be put on this list, let alone actually being on the list.
Anybody with a 63 split window they hate can drop it off at my house.
LOL this guy's been smoking too much bat guano. There's an idiot in every crowd.
Yeah really!
Hear hear,63 is a masterpiece!
How the heck american automobile builder hate split window ? 😅😅 , nerds goes with this kind of misled propaganda vlog as they trully wants to ruins american History. I believe european elite still trying to rewrite "SPLIT🇺🇸WINDOW" heritages.
Ahahahahahahahahahahaha awesome
Took me 40 years from the time I fell in love with the 63 coupe to finally getting one 2 years ago.....dreams do come true!
awesome, that's my favorite year, one day i hope to have one also!
Congratulations ! That is my favorite Corvette !
@john thonig That is a sweet car to. There was 65 with a 427 in a town I lived in Auburn Michigan. It was painted a light blue but I don't know if that was the original color.
@john thonig I guess I was off a year because when I checked up on what you said and I saw the picture of one. I was wrong because the picture of the 66 Corvette was the one I seen back in 1981 looked the same. Oh well I was off a year.
@john thonig I would love to own everyone of them. To me they are the best looking
Corvettes ever made but my favorite is the 63 Split window and the 66 Corvette 427.There might be some quicker and have a higher top speed , but when you see a 60's Corvette all you can say is "WOW"
I loved my uncles 78 6.6 Trans Am but it didn't come close to the 60's Corvette especially the 63 & 66 !
I have never met anyone who did not love the 63 split window Vette.
I did and still do. But by the time I grew old enough to own one the car was already 27 years old and hard to find a good one. 😫
Exactly what is this guy on
63 split is the only vette I want
The true “stingray.”
That's common for people who have only seen teh car but have you driven one?
I have owned a few Vettes in my time and would love to own the 1963 Split Window coupe. To me regardless of the blind spot made by the split window, I agree with the designer it makes the car look great. The most Iconic Corvette ever.
The 63 split window is one of the best looking Vette of all time.
Is Pete any relation , think he had one...
Definately agree... It was like a space ship................
Yessir. THE best-looking car EVER made, IMHO!
I like the '57 in turquoise best, especially if it has the fuel injection badge to break up the body cove. . . But I'd still give $20 and my left nut for a '63.
not one of,the best.the 427 tripower vette is my dream drivetrain
I was never the biggest corvette fan but i think the 1963 split window corvette is an absolute classic. Beautiful car.
Me too. This vlog based on zero evidence. Not recomended to be standar of history. Split window on corvette is still the most request for now adays rebuild corvette.
I only hate the '63 because I will never be able to afford it
And you don't need it...
@FB REDSTAR My neighbor had a 63 split back in 1989,he bought it off some kid for $10,000,(a steal!).Didn"t run right,had the wrong intake manifold on it.Had the engine professionally rebuilt,all original,cork gaskets the whole deal.I loved that car,he eventually sold it.Told me the car was so aerodynamic that even with the windows down,the air didn"t come in,blew right by.Not a fun car to drive in the summer,lots of engine heat even with a small block .
u can get a regular one and spray paint the split in the middle😂 it will look the same 😂😭
PETER MAINWALD, Back in 1964, one of my teachers had a brand new 64 Corvette Stingray and a brand new 64 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. He was the coolest teacher ever...
@@classic287 sounds like he was doing something more then teaching lol
'63 split window is the best looking car ever built by Americans! Who cares about a rear blind spot in a sports car!!! you need to be focused on what is in front of you in a vette!!!
Sarah Minifie. yea. untill you need to back up that corvette
Sarah Minifie a Cobra
Sarah Minifie no 53
Amen!
My favorite Corvettes were the 1962 - 1967, and agree the spit windows is cool. It enhanced the appearance, structural integrity was optimal. Duntolph was a race car driver an wanted to see where other driver's were behind him. I can relate to this cause did do some racing a few years back. Those 62-67 were compact agile great handling cars until
Shelby Cobra coupe, and Shelby GT350 came into the picture. GT40 was in a different class though also perfected by Shelby and to win the greatest endurance race of La Mans 4 times to beat Ferrari
The 63 split? Wow, just wow. Its one of the most sought classic corvette.
I thought they were - and still are ugly. My faves are the 59-60, 61-62 & 2000 & up.
Yeah, everyone hates the split window coupe. You should sell me yours for cheap... :)
John Ingle I'm with you if anyone wants to sell theirs cheap I'm a buyer also.
Well i don't like the dual headlights on the 59-62 vettes always hated those. I'm also not a very big fan of the newer vettes but that ZR1 sure is beautiful. 0-60 2.85 sec, more than 750 hp and a top speed of more than 211 mph. God what a nice car.
Pjmperez01 in it's time it was hated
If you hate a 63 hard top split back than you don't deserve to even drive the the shittyiest Chevy the 63 split back is one of the most beautiful vettes ever produced
shityest Chevy built ever - Vegas , they rusted on the show room floor-and burnt more oil than gas after 30k miles!
Mike Chad i agree. I don’t know where he saw that this is one of the most hated corvettes.
@@simonw2631 the 67 corvette was the cream of the crop!! way better car than the 63!
@@Jeanie363034 Uh, the body is fiberglass.... And the frame certainly didn't rust on a show room floor. Not ever in real life, if you keep the underside clean
Jeanie363034 I fell in love with a 71 Vega wagon when I was in high school “90’s”..
It was in the neighborhood, idk it was primered and lowered on nice wheels. 🤷🏼♂️
Did an anvil fall on my head? I thought I heard him say 63 was one of the most hated.
Ignore him.....he's nuts and probably never owned a Vette....and couldn't even if he wanted to. It's called JEALOUSY!!
Bait-click
Shocking to me as well. That is the best of all!
-I'll take that 1963 split window coupe, most definitely.
I loved the split window, I remember being with my dad behind one at a traffic light and we thought it looked scifi like a rocket ship from a Godzilla movie or something.
I have been working on and driving my 1975 for the last two years and hope to do the motor this year, the first car I ever owned was a convertible and the Vtte will be the last, 77 year young loving it.
Split window coupe w/ side pipes = pure badass
'63 wasn't available with side pipes IIRC.
yea but when people add them they look great
American badass!
Well Ken....I had a red 63 split....And added side pipes installed at the dealership for a total of $256.00...Now that was a deal
I agree!!!
Why on earth would anybody hate a Corvette? They have a massively important place in American Car history.
A list like this is incomplete without the 1980 305 powered California Corvette. Thats not a typo- a 305 putting out a yawn-inspiring 180hp and certainly not the torque of even a choked early-80's 350.
The '63 Split is the most Loved, not the most hated. No-one with testosterone in their blood hates that car! ;)
creek hed he mentioned that it is a great car. The Most sought out by collectors
I stopped watching when I saw it.
@@mykten187 incidentally, they're that much more rare because many owners had their rear window modified to install the '64 rear window. Such modified Vettes are now worth less than either unmolested '63s or the '64s.
. . . OR estrogen !!!!
The 63 split window was an ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE!! That was THE most beautiful Corvette that will ever be built. They should bring it back for a couple years.
If they maid the 63 Corvette it would be great but thats only something we can dream of !
@@robertstrobel2558 Thank you Robert for your reply. I had a chance to get one around 1978, a green one, for 5,000. I didn't have a garage for it and didn't get it. I've also sold very valuable cars for practically nothing. I've been pretty foolish when it comes to cars. Nice to hear from you.
I’ve owned every generation of Corvette except Gen 1 and Gen 6. I still own 4 of them. Really the only generation of Corvettes I wasn’t big on was Gen 4. I owned 2 of them and they had their problems. They were good cars for their time but not compared to the C5 and generations after. And I don’t know anybody that hates the 63 split window. Their prices reflect their popularity.
People who hate on the '74 LS4 are overlooking one important thing - Chevy Big Block motors SOUND a million times better than the small block.
My Dad GAVE me a 77 with T-tops. It had a LOT of problems but for free I could look past them. Fast forward a few months and it was involved in a car accident which gomed the front clip. So I put an 82 front and rear bumper on it and got it repainted. Then the engine spun a rod bearing so I put an LS6 468 into it. When I got the car it was unoriginal, so I saw no problem in doing what I wanted to with the car. Purists may scream, but I don't want to sell the car. If nothing else, I can fire it up and rattle the neighbors windows.
I thought the '63 coupe was THE most loved Corvette of all time?! Utter nonsense, there is not a SINGLE Corvette fan who hates the '63 splittie. The argument between the designer and engineer is irrelevant.
For looks I would say the 58'-62', I think the 60' looked the best but a puny 283 engine, in 62' it got the FI 327@360hp as an option but the grill didn't look as nice. For performance it would be the 67-69 L88\ZL1 cars, they got the most powerful V8 GM ever used in production car in the muscle car era although only officially rated at 430hp it closer to 550hp.
58 corvette is my wet dream !! but did they handle ? idk
I owned a 59 for a good number of years.Handle ? By today's standards it was a scary drive.By 1959 standards, not to bad at all.
yeps,, it often gets very high prices at auctions, and really is the most popular year for collectors.
Coles, your argument is irrelevant. None other than Zora Arkus Duntov did not care for the split window. And without him, the Corvette would have passed into history well before 1963.
I worked for a corvette shop in the 90s. Never once did I hear anyone say they hated any of the cars listed here. Especially the highly sought after one year 1963. The only negative I really ever heard was the electronics in the '84 and later. Mostly because if they fail they had to go to GM for a lengthy time to be refurbished.
How is a split window '63 a hated car? Today it is the most sought after body style. George Barris had a body kit that shaved the fin and replaced the window with a '64's rear window, available for the '63 split. Many owners did this to their car not knowing what they command today. BJ Auction had one break 350,000 this year.
Yeah that one surprised me as well. Any Vette aficionado that I've ever talked to has the '63 high on their ownership priority list.
The split window is not hated by anyone I know. Next to the '74-'77 models it is my favorite. The fact is there are probably more split window Vettes now than were ever made. Back in the early '90s when I owned a couple of mid '70s models, a number of places offered split window conversion kits, which could be used to restore a '63, but also fit any '63-'67 model.
I'm guessing you answered your own question and didn't realized it. It's back in the past when the 64 came out and people hated the rear split so much that they replaced it with a one piece. That's all I can think the narrater meant. PS, Is George Barris the person Jay Leno mentioned did this in his Corvette YT video?
Well, I just listened to all of that part...so "even today"? Yeah, everyone I know now loves the split...
Gilbert McGillicutty I would love a 1963 split window Corvette in the original calls which was silver or gunmetal interior hot
You still had 380 ft. lbs of torque in the 74 BB Corvette. No mention of the L-82 SB available in the '74 and how it matched up against the BB. Chevy had lots of over the counter parts available and they knew people would hop-up these motors plus GM played with the HP numbers, quoting net and not gross HP numbers after '70. These engines weren't as weak as people think.
The '61&'62 Corvettes are my favorites.
1974 LS4 454 big block Corvette did 0-60 in 6.4 seconds.
2018 Tesla Roadster 0-60 1.9 seconds.
I still want the Corvette.
NAILED IT ...
Yeah man, 1.9 seconds of tires screeching and nothing else, how fun!
Pha Q it's time for a e - corvette with a v8 sound out of the stereo
Pha Q..Anyone who wants a 74 Vette needs mental help. :-)
The finish line does care about sound. If all it took was sound to have fun, you might as well put on a set of good headphones and play a video game.
Having owned examples of all years up to the C5, I can say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. There are all fun.
The reason the 53 corvette was "hated" was because it had an inline 6 and 2 speed autpmatic and crappy suspension, and trying to pass it iff as a sports car. If it had been offered with a v8 and a 4 speed, it would have been the mustang of its time.
The 1980 California Corvette with its 305 didn't even make this list?
Trying to forget about . . . that.
Which is why I wrote "California Corvette" above. :)
That was a head scratcher. It deserved to be on the list whether or not it was available in California.
Should have been number one. Just because the 305 car was available only in CA doesn't make it not-a-Corvette. That was the first car that popped into my head when I saw the title of the video.
and only came with auto, non-roadster year, pretty grim
There is a mistake in the title of this video : you should read "Top 5 most wanted Chevrolet Corvettes"...
Yes the 1982 corvette had an underpowered motor, but it was still a beautiful c3 corvette( 1982 was the last year of the c3). In my opinion all c3 corvettes are great looking cars
I dont mind the styling of the c3, but those intakes in 82, 84, & 85 dont take to mods. You need to get rid of the whole intake and computer. Its not like the later ones with upgradable runners, mass flow intake or whatever.
RJIVHalo it's an engine, if it was a motor it would be electric
After the C3 lost that little "flip up" on the rear of the body they became ugly...
My dad sold a 82 cause he had a 77
@@aricsnyder5882 Ya.....but tell that to the MILLIONS of people who call it as such. ;-)
The crappy cars of 1975 were the first of the big government inspired cars; no power, horrible mileage, and environmentally unremarkable. It's amazing the auto companies survived that (first) round of obscene regulations.
Government is usually the root of all evil in any endeavor.
)
Rock on!
Having grown up in Los Angeles, I can attest that the smog regs. were desperately needed. Computer controls have since enabled automakers to build cleanest-ever cars with great performance and fuel economy. One of the great technological triumphs, achievable only because government regulations pressured the automakers to do the right thing, and the industry eventually rose to the occasion.
pollution and destruction of the environment is obscene and without regulations, it would be far worse than it already is. But since when do people who yell and scream about big gov't ever know a damned thing about anything except their own masturbation? never.
I love all Corvettes from all years, any model.
Ditto!
Agree 100%....
YEP You know what a vette is from a mile away! I love them ALL TOO !
I have never heard anyone, ever, in 50 years, say they did not like the '63 split window corvette.
As a matter of fact, many people who bought a '63 Vette Had the split put back into that model.
Are you insane? I am the proud owner of a 1963 Riverside Red Split Window. I have owned her since 1990 and updated her with disc brakes and Bilstein gas shocks bigger anti sway bars and beefier coils.
That's awesome,63s are gorgeous and unique at that,people that talk about the rear visibility are the same ones that have never owned one and talk about the M1 Garand with its noise at the end of the clip being a liability, yeah right, one of the best rifles ever made, too much Gran Turismo and Call of Duty,lol
Yeah, but it's still ugly.
You sir have a gem of a car. I wish I could purchase one, let alone find one that the owner would be willing to part with. It’s a keeper for sure.
@@frisbee544 and your fav car is ????? So we can critique it.
How much did one cost in 1990? Just want to see how sad it will make me how they used to be almost affordable
I don't know squat, but THE MARKET PLACE will tell you the "63 Split" is one of the most sought after Vettes out there. Saying 50% of the Corvette people hate it... caused you a huge credibility problem. Enough.
some of the moronic owners of the '63's cut the "split" out of the window and put in the 64 window to update the car...LOL bad taste never ends
J Manning -- Back when they did it, the trend was to update your car to the most modern look and performance. This is also why many pulled original engines and dropped in 396s and 427s in the late '60s. Only in the mid to late '70s did originality begin to mean something. Don't judge the past with today's eyes.
Other than Duntov, who hated the split-window? I was in high school in the late 70s and we thought the split-window 63 was the ultimate Corvette, even cooler than the big blocks that followed.
@@benjaminbarrera214 We did too, but we "Corvette-Lover" kids were just fascinated by them. When one would go down the street....one of us would point and say "Vette" out loud to the others. We all turned, looked and drooled. It was every boy's "dream car" back then! I've had 7 of them over the years and am restoring an '82 right now. They just never get out of your blood system or dreams (really). You ought to see my shop and "man-cave".....I've got Vette photos, models, posters and paraphernalia all over the place. ;-)
@@JM-ei7eb I've heard that urban legend for over fifty years....Never actually seen anybody stupid enough to have done it.
I have instructions in one of my old custom car magazines on how to cut out the center bar from your '63 Vette's rear window. I wonder how many guys did that. I'll take it with the center bar any day. The first Corvette I ever saw in '64 was a '63 split window. Me and my brother were on the roof of our garage and i spotted it in a neighbor's back yard, three houses away. I grabbed my camera and had to get down there to take pictures, which I still have.
I worked at a body shop (summer job) in high school 64-65. I wish I had a dollar (well maybe not a dollar ) but I think 12 cars we cut the center bar out of their 63's. They wanted them to look like a 64.
Very interesting. I wonder if any of the former owners of those cars are still around to admit what they did.
Love the 63 Split Window! We had one in our family - wish we still had it!!
So many people hate the 63 vette today that most people can only dream of owning one.
LOL!! I wish I had one!!
That car is beautiful
not in the least interested in cars ,a friend of mine reffered me to this channel and said that the narrator has the best speaking voice ,incredibly therapautic ,glad to be a subscriber
My favorite car is the 63 split window!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! got that one wrong.....
63 split window is the best vette in history. You know nothing about vettes buddy.
train jam yep same here!
The split window is one of the rarest stingrays. I remember when the '64s came out, virtually identical to the '63 but with a one-piece rear window. Some after-market companies offered a kit to transform the split into a one-piece. Butchery!
I owned a 1988 Corvette 35th Anniversary edition. Also one of the few serialized corvettes. The C4 was a little tough getting in and out. GM described it as falling in and climbing out and falling in. I got a goosebumb or two on the side of my head. I love every Vette made.
i don't know if my beloved Corvette Stingray was hated and i don't really care !!! If i could afford to buy and maintain such a beautiful car i would without second thoughts !!!! Personally i find it a masterpiece !!!!!
My uncle owns a 1963 split window 327/375. It's silver and has angle plug heads.
I'm the proud owner of a 1990 ZR-1. I remember when these cars came out, they were way out of my price range and never thought I would own one. I found her May of 2019,close to where I live, had been sitting for several years. I bought her not even sure she would run. New fuel pumps, injectors, and a few other things. She fired up first time I turned the key. Now I'm driving her and enjoying bringing her back from the brink. Keeping the dream alive. 👍👍🏁🏁
C5 owner here, loving the C1,.. 6 cylinder is fine, as it was to compete against 4 cylinder MG and Healy imports.. It was faster and just as nimble.. perfect for its time. The far more expensive Jaguar cars were 6 cylinder, though double overhead cam hemi chamber engines.. not a direct competitor to the early Corvette. People need to put these cars into historical context. The 150 horse blue flame was right for the time...
Oh, but that 2-speed powerglide was a deal-killer. It would take TWO powerglides inline to make a four-speed.
And some Americans need to realize a V8 isn't the 'end all, be all'. It's just another shape, there are advantages and disadvantages. All else being the same, an engine of the same capacity will make about the same peak performance.
63-64 split coupe, and convertibles are absolutely TIMELESS ....Lord, how could you hate that design!..EXACTLY!!....ITS PURE ART!!!!...WAAY BEYOND ITS TIME♥️♥️♥️👍IT ‼️...This is a nicely informative video also.
Thanks and 🎩s. Off ‼️
how can the 53 and the 63 coupe be among the most hated when they are so collectible??
The 53 was the best looking vet ever
They hate them because they can't afford them.
As pointed out in the video, at the time they were considered controversial, that's to be expected though - being so ahead of their time in terms of design.
As mentioned the love hate was with the designers...
Most any seventies or eighties performance cars suck. Nearly 20 years in a performance desert.
In 1992 the GMC Typhoon was faster than the Corvette. Something GM failed to mention for that production year.
correction: most seventies and eighties US performance cars sucked
1975 - 1996 WORST VETTES EVER !!!
My all-time favorite is the '67 427 Coupe.
Brenda S. With 4 spd.......
Absolutely! I never owned one but a friend had the tri-power 435 HP in white. It was the scariest car I ever drove. I was on LBJ Freeway in Dallas one night doing about 60 or so and floored it in 4th gear. It immediately went sideways. Asphalt ripping horsepower!
Yessirree. 427 power is hard to beat. Didn't they come with tri-power?
The interiors on the '67 were the cleanest and the best designe d. It was the 'Vette that never was supposed to be because the '68 was supposed to debut that year. Grateful family owner of a '67 small block convertible.
@@donnafromnyc those cars had 300+ horsepower 327's. Pretty badass
If you have a problem with the split window, drive a 64/ 65 etc and be quite.
I have a "love hate relationship" with the '63 split window. I love it - and hate that I don't own one.
How about the 1980 California Emissions 305 V8 Corvette?
I love the split window corvette coupe. More than it's updated version.
I bought my original 327 ci/ 350 hp ‘66 Coupe in 1983 from the original owner. I love that car.
I❤ split window corvettes!
Split window vettes
According to Pete Brock; who actually sketched-out the original design of the 'Stingray' on a cocktail napkin ! Bill Mitchel's addition of the Split Window, was a homage to the Bugatti Atlantic. .
This video is silly. Nobody hates these cars, especially in the Corvette crowd. The 63 Coupe is one of the most valuable classics around. The 75 convertible and 74 big block are collectible as well.
If you wanted to make an interesting video you should have referenced reviews from the time period.
Can anyone tell me the appreciation of the split windows? What were they like price wise in 1980, 1990, 2000...?
The split window vette still looks awesome! Especially when so many cars look alike!
Good, informative video with no unnecessary comments and unbiased. And yes the split screen is a piece of art and showed Europe they weren't the only ones who could design beautiful machines. For me this is desirable as an E-type.
Most Corvette haters are kids who had their MUSTANGS shut down at a stop light.
Oh yeah! Back in the day, we called the Mustang a "daddy-bought hot rod" - an insult. I had a '57 'Vette with a '65 FI motor fed by a Holley on a 350 high-rise. 4.56 rear and 2.20 close-ratio 4-speed. I'd go cruising Fri and Sat nights on Forest Lane in North Dallas. Let my girlfriend drive once in a while. She would pick on a daddy-bought hot rod at a red light and always shut 'em down. Beat by a girl! The kids' jaws would hit the ground as they got their asses kicked by a girl driving a ten year old Corvette. Good times.
@ mustang was, and always will be, a secretary car.
Should I try Royal Purple brake fluid conditioner?
I don't know who's doing the hating. The '63 split window and the '53-'55 Vettes are valuable vehicles sought by those who can afford them as appreciating collector cars. Nonsense list.
He's talking about at the time they came out.
So, you think the original "63 Stingray was hated when it came out?? Seriously, how old are you? Your "memory" is quite faulty.
Government smog laws ruined the horsepower. They are like wine, they just get more valuable as they age!
Great video....odd at the same time, with the '53-55 and the '63 on it....always liked the '53-67 Corvettes the best! 👍👌👏
Kind of a BS review. Each model is denigrated and then followed up with the admission that it is now one of the "most sought after." For me? That '63 split window coupe. Again, according to this video, another "most sought after" car.
At 2:57, I like the ‘63 2nd Gen’s “knock-off” spinner hub caps. They look classy and are easy to remove and lock tighten the wheels like the old European sport/racing cars and should be revived.
Love my 75 stingray!!
I had no idea that it was that quick to 60. The C3's are my favorites.
That's right. Nothing much easier than freeing up the breathing on a small block Chevy.
First year with cats, though
Can you imagine if General Motors introduced the all aluminum LS1 v8 making 325hp in 1975. It would have been on the front cover of every magazine for a decade.
The split window does look like a fighter jet when you look at it backwards.
As a Vette owner, I've never encountered any of this hate. The hate is just from people that hate vettes entirely. The cease-fire was never appreciated but most people know that a set of double hump heads and a carburetor swap would dust a TPI. However; TPI torque was impressive. Most complaints about 70's era vettes were due to lack of power across all years and the injection molding process. The 1963 was never hated by anybody. Probably the most respected Vette. Everything was hated from the 70's and 80's so it's hard to say that Vettes were a focal point from that era. The 1953 to 1955 blue flame? That's absurd. We would have vettes today if it was hated. I'm interested in knowing how the author of this video became convinced that this hate ever existed. All his references come from those from GM but it's doubtful that any of those opinions were ever shared by the public.
Why hate it? Each and every Corvette is beautiful masterpiece, just ❤😘💞😍 love it.
The problem with Crossfire Fuel Injection L83 was the intake manifold. Its flow was paltry. Put a Renegade or XRam intake on it, and it wakes up big time, surpassing a stock TPI L98 by a noticeable margin.
1968-1972 are, by FAR, my favorite years of Corvettes. Reminds me of a beautiful woman's body! How can you beat that?
I had 1970 coupe in Mulsanne blue. 350 4 speed in 1986. Stupidly sold it to buy honda cbr 600 f1 in 1990
It took me until I was 57 years old before I could get my 69 Vette. Better late than never right. LOL
The split window of the '63 coupe had its critics, but nobody I know really hated it.
I'd take any Corvette from 1953 to 1984 and want to own it ! In the mid 80's until present day, they are too high tech for me.
I own a crossfire 84. Crossfire is a very reliable system. If your skilled at fixing them, then its a piece of cake to work on. Also, its really not that difficult to make faster. Port intake manifoild, came, heads, bore out throttle bodies, fuel pump, and normaly 350 upgrades will increase hp. crossfire puts out around 600 cfms. its the intake that kills.
1974 big block LS4 would be great to have and do a head and cam swap on. I bet you could lay down some big numbers.
YES, a vert with chrome header side pipes and Cragar SS rims (10" rear, 8" front)
The 1953 Corvette was a watershed automobile for the U.S. car industry, irregardless of it's 'underpowered' 6-cylinder engine. It had a beautiful, simple body design. The C2 Corvettes of all years are beautiful. My favorite body style however is the C4, especially the slight softening of the front body corners and the redesign of the back end as of the 1991 model year. And the clam-shell hood of the C4 body style makes access to the engine compartment very easy. Mine is a 1992 C4 convertible with the base LT1 engine and auto transmission. It is a beautiful car and has more than enough performance for me and surprise; it really isn't all that bad on fuel consumption considering it's level of performance. The Corvette continues to be a great value in world-class sports cars.
I’ve always thought the C2 looked best as a hardtop with the split rear window... every year after the 63 just didn’t look as good as the first year original.
The split window is an icon. The best looking Corvette ever.
Produced by someone who obviously never owned a Corvette. I have never heard anyone complain about the 63 split window.
So, 1984 onwards, which is the best Corvette to go for? Or is there one to avoid? Is that 5.7 V8 reliable?
you cant be serious man. the Stingray was the best looking corvette ever.
I'll never forget that, when my dad decided to buy another car instead of repairing the '72 Grand Prix 455 which had been in two accidents in 10 days in 1974, my mom said "no" to a neighbor's offer to sell a '63 'vette to him. Had it not been for her, perhaps I would not have purchased a '74 Mustang II and could have, instead, drove a vette.....
Absent in this critique is the fact that Chevrolet's GM rival, Pontiac Motor Division, produced the Super Duty 455 Firebird Trans Am from 74-75 that could obliterate all the Corvettes in the 1/4 mile. Pontiac continued to produce Trans Ams that were faster than the Corvette until 1979, when complaints from Chevrolet to the GM brass had the 400cid discontinued in favor of the lowly 4.6L turbo. Then in 1982 Pontiac was forced to use the Chev small block and their engine plant was closed. Point is, in the 1970s if you wanted speed you went to Pontiac. Corvette was a dog from 1974-1982.
The SD455 was actually produced in 73-74 but you could get a 455cid engine until 1976.
I rented a brand new White 1984 Corvette with a Targa roof.
Round trip for a few days from Fort Lauderdale to Key West. I must say it was great at the time.
I managed to really heat the oil up. The oil cooler was too small for Florida.
It didn't have a hood, per se. The entire front cowl tilted forward. It was an awesome display to see all that high tech suspension and the entire tires exposed.
No vette previous to the 1985 model year handled GREAT, far as I was concerned.
The 1985 handled brilliantly. It was not a powerhouse, but the handling was on par with almost anything today. And, at the time it seemed at least enough to get out of its own way.
I really pushed the car to its limits on handling and was and still am duly impressed to this day.
Ever since then the Corvette has been on my radar. But, the C8 is what I really want.
And also who hates a 74 with a 454 in it please let me know I'll gladly take it off your hands I don't care if it's stock with no hp
Me too some headers after market intake manifold some mild port job on the heads little bigger cam would make that 454 come to life
@john thonig definitely agree with you on the holley .
I'm pretty sure the 63 split is the all time favorite of... EVERYONE. You offer any year or model corvette to anyone who knows, they pick this one.
The 1963 Split window corvette is one of the most sought ever Corvettes ever !!!!
The 1963 rear split window is not a problem because you have no need to see behind you since you would be way out in front lol.!
Good video but I do love the 63 split window. Only wish I could afford one.
The 1963 Split window is highly sought after and brings a premium at auction. The 1964 is the red headed stepchild of the C2 years. Now the 1963 Roadster is not all that popular however.
64’s are good years to resto mod because the originals don’t bring a lot of money in comparison to the other years.
The split window just second to XKE Jag the most beautiful sport car design ever
Javier Barrientos, Mmmm no
@@classic287 Enzo Ferrari dixit and I agree with him "Jag XKE most beautiful sport car design ever" best regards
Javier Barrientos, The front does resemble my 99 Miata...
@@classic287 Dream, dream, dream
Javier Barrientos, ZOOM ZOOM 😉
In March of 1963, I took delivery of the first Sting Ray in my area. It was a Sebring Silver w/black interior Coupe. Had I arrived in a flying saucer, I would not attracted more attention. It drew a crowd wherever I went. And the cutest girls in town lined up for a ride. What more could a 19 year old guy ask for. I've had a couple more Sting Ray's, but that '63 will always have a special place in my heart.
Of course the B Production '66 coupe race car wasn't far behind.
63,67 best corvette ever
Gordon Music those are my favorite years too.Plus I like the early 90s ones too.
+Karo French ,zr1 might be interesting
Gordon Music Yes wish I had a ZR1 early 90s.
+Karo French yeah right,this is probably a car with enormous potential historicaly
I love the 1979 vette
1974 455SD Trans AM at the 74 454 Vette's lunch.
I'm pretty confident if someone gave me a split window I could live with it.
Despite the problematic visibility of the Split-Window coupe, it’s far from the most hated Corvette. If anything it’s the most liked and most desirable Corvette so it’s ridiculous that the car was even considered to be put on this list, let alone actually being on the list.