It’s safe to say that Chevrolet never expected the Corvette to be such a success. Its nameplate is Chevy’s longest-lived for a passenger car, but back in 1953 the Corvette was an experimental bid to capture younger buyers. A decade on, Chevy had a high-end performance machine worthy of squaring off against Europe’s finest, but the second generation represented a conundrum. Buyers wanted something they could use daily, which meant that the first coupe appeared. With its tapered roofline and distinctive split rear window, it truly brought the bowtie brand into the modern era.

Swivel-up headlamps replaced fixed units, the doors sliced into the roof, and the dual-cowl interior remembered the original Corvette but was thoroughly modern. Underneath, the C2 debuted a new chassis with recirculating ball steering, a sophisticated independent rear suspension that mounted the differential to the frame, and the availability of hydraulic assist for the steering. A quartet of 327 cubic-inch V-8s were on offer, from 250 to 360 horsepower, and a choice of 2-speed Powerglide, 3-speed manual, and 4-speed manual gearboxes were available.

Presented here, this 1963 Corvette Sting Ray is from that initial year of production. Painted red over a red interior, it’s one of 10,594 coupes built in 1963. It wears chrome wheel covers, hood scoops, and dual exhaust pipes and appears as-new in every regard. Even its red vinyl upholstery shows little indication of wear, making it look almost as though it emerged just yesterday from General Motors’ assembly plant.