Makes › Chevrolet › Corvette › C2 Sting Ray › Corvette Sting Ray Z06 · Factory competition · 1963 Extremely Rare
Chevrolet
Corvette Sting Ray Z06
RPO Z06 Special Performance Equipment (racing brakes, suspension, fuel-injected L84); rarest with the N03 36-gal 'big tank' on split-window coupes
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 199 Built
- Years
- 1963
- Engine
- V8 · 5,360 cc / 5.4 LFactory: 327 cu in · converted
- Power
- 268 kW / 365 PSFactory: 360 hp · converted
- Top speed
- Not yet verified
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Zora Arkus-Duntov
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
RPO Z06 was Zora Arkus-Duntov's race package for the 1963 Sting Ray, sold to give privateers a car that could be raced as delivered. Only 199 coupes were built with it, and the 63 with the 36.5-gallon tank are among the most valuable Corvettes.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionZ06 cars; 63 Corvettes got the N03 big tank, about 50 of them Z06 | 1991,2 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
The Z06 package combined the 360-horsepower fuel-injected 327, four-speed, Positraction, heavier springs, shocks and anti-roll bar, finned drums with sintered linings and, optionally, a 36.5-gallon fiberglass tank, for $1,818.45 on a coupe. Three Z06 coupes finished at Riverside on 13 October 1962, the Sting Ray's first race, with Doug Hooper winning the production class.
RM Sotheby's sold a Daytona Blue 1963 Z06 first delivered to a racing-minded owner in Indiana who signed a statement that it would not be used on public roads, and which raced until a wreck in 1974.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard Corvette Sting Ray Z06.
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | V83 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 5,360 cc / 5.4 LFactory: 327 cu in · converted3 Independently researched |
| Bore | 102 mmFactory: 4 in · converted1 Independently researched327 small-block figure. |
| Stroke | 82.6 mmFactory: 3.25 in · converted1 Independently researched327 small-block figure. |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Rochester mechanical fuel injection3 Independently researched |
| Power | 268 kW / 365 PSFactory: 360 hp · converted3 Independently researchedStated as BHP by Gooding. |
| Power at | 6,000 rpm3 Independently researched |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | 4-speed manual with Positraction3,4 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Rear1 Independently researched |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Independent, coil springs and tubular shock absorbers3 Independently researched |
| Rear suspension | Independent, transverse leaf spring and tubular shock absorbers3 Independently researched |
| Brakes | Four-wheel finned drum brakes with sintered linings and dual-circuit master cylinder3,4 Independently researched |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | 2,490 mmFactory: 98 in · converted1 Independently researchedC2 generation figure. |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | 138 LFactory: 36.5 gal-us · converted1,3 Independently researchedBig-tank (N03) cars; stated as 36.5-gallon. |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Look for the fuel-injected 327 with an engine-pad suffix matching the equipment, the four-speed, Positraction and the finned drums with sintered linings and dual-circuit master cylinder. The hub says Z06 paperwork is essential because every part of the package has been reproduced. Chassis and engine number pairs seen on auction lots include 30837S109268 / 3109268 F0111RF and 30837S114362 / 3114362 F0424RF.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
C2 Corvette Sting Ray research hub (1963-1967) Level B CorvSport
- 199 were built, 63 of them “tankers”
- 327-cubic-inch small block (4.00 x 3.25 in)
- Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
- 98-in wheelbase
- 36.5-gallon fiberglass tank
-
2
RM Sotheby's Auburn Fall 2016 – 1963 Corvette Z06 'Big Tank' Level B
- 199 Z06 cars; 63 Corvettes got the N03 big tank, about 50 of them Z06
-
3
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Big Tank, Fuel-Injected Split-Window Coupe, Pebble Beach Auctions 2008, Lot 142 Level C Gooding & Company
- 327 CID OHV V-8 Engine
- Rochester Mechanical Fuel Injection
- 360 BHP At 6,000 RPM
- 4-Speed Manual Transmission
- Independent Front Suspension With Coil Springs And Tubular Shock Absorbers
- Independent Rear Suspension With Transverse Leaf Spring
- 4-Wheel Finned Drum Brakes With Dual-Circuit Master Cylinder
- 36 1/2-gallon Endurance-Racing Tank
-
4
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Z06 Coupe, Amelia Island 2022, Lot 158 Level C RM Sotheby's
- four-speed manual transmission and Positraction rear axle
- heavy-duty finned drum brakes with sintered linings
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