Photos: Silverstone Auctions

The year was 1963. John F. Kennedy was president, the LA Dodgers won the World Series, The Beatles recorded their first album, and the first Corvette Sting Ray rolled out of the assembly line.

The first-ever production Corvette Coupe Sting Ray featured a unique Bugatti Atlantique and Bertone BAT inspired Split Rear Window.

The window shape was originally conceived by Bob McLean for the Q-Model. The new Sting Ray Coupe also featured a tapering tail end reminiscent of roadsters from the 1930s. However, it was a short-lived model, and production ended the same year it started.

The 1964 model Corvette featured a single full-width rear window after complaints that the split window decreased visibility. Approximately 10,000 Split Window Corvettes were produced. Only 199 were Z06s built for racing and six of those exclusively for Lemans racing.

The Split Window C2 Sting Ray is one of the most iconic designs ever produced, so imagine our surprise when we came across this 1963 Split Window Corvette Sting Ray FIA/HTP racer with a unique still-roaring racing history up for auction. It was initially owned by Louis D’Amico, who first raced it at Lime Rock Park in 1965.

The C2’s racing pedigree includes EMRA, IMSA, and SCCA. In 1972, D’Amico took it to its final race at Lime Rock along the likes of Peter Gregg, Hurley Haywood, and Bruce Jennings. That same year, D’Amico sold the car to his close friend Skip Panzarella, who preserved the original racing colors and “Baby Huey” logos.

The 1963 Split Window C2 is one of the most collectable cars of all time. The anticipated Race Retro Competition Car Sale by Silverstone Auctions at the Race Retro International Historic Motorsport Show at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry, UK on February 26th, may just be the opportunity to bring this great piece of history back home. Good tidings and happy bidding!