With the release of Chevrolet’s latest race-bred C7Â Z06 Corvette, the world is shown once again that General Motors builds some of the most impressive vehicles in the world. With the first Z06 debuting over 50 years ago, we thought we’d take a trip down memory lane and look at the first one.
Let’s flashback 59 years to the summer of 1955 at Le Mans, France. Twenty-three hours and fifteen minutes into the world’s most brutal and mechanically challenging endurance race, after a near day of non-stop racing, disaster struck: 83 spectators died, 120 cheering fans severely injured. Motorsport from then on was never the same.
Reeling with the aftermath of such a tragic accident, automakers across the globe were compelled to shut down racing operations for a while in fear and expectation of the worst. Two years later, the American Manufacturers Association placed a formal ban on manufacturer-backed racing programs in an attempt to limit the damage racing may have caused in the previous years.
While a noble effort, the ban was not to be upheld long—while all the major automakers did indeed refrain from racing their own official racecars, the guy on the street could easily outfit his or her vehicle of choice with homologated parts and specs capable of racing in many premier series throughout the world.
In a reactionary measure from the masterminds behind the Corvette, a legend was born: the 1963 Corvette Z06. Even through the restrictions, the men and women from Chevrolet kept pushing the research and development of their iconic sports-car, producing an automobile ready to race straight from the factory.
The Z06 was released to the public during the debut of the ’63 split-window Corvette, allowing enthusiasts track-ready enjoyment and impeccable style immediately after purchase. With the exclusive Z06 package came the arrival of many racing-derived parts such as massive cooled disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension and, in traditional motorsport fashion, a gargantuan 36.5 gallon fuel tank.
But of course, the masterpiece would not be complete without the absolutely phenomenal 327 small-block V8. Producing 360 hp and 352 lbs-ft. of torque, the Z06 hit 60 MPH in an impressive 5.9 seconds, giving drivers instantly competitive performance the moment they turned the key.
Truth be told though, the racing-spec Corvette was far from cheap, debuting with a base price nearly $800 dollars more than the mighty Jaguar E-Type. Likely due to the racing nature of the car and GM’s willingness to eschew sanctioned racing, the Z06 option was not even listed in the brochures. In the end, a total of 199 Z06-optioned Corvettes were produced, making the ’63 one very rare machine.
After a 38-year hiatus, the Z06 option returned to the Corvette line-up, continuing the rip-roaring performance from 40 years prior but now with the driver-friendly practicality that technology allowed. Now that the world readies itself for Corvette’s latest track rocket, one can truly appreciate the epic history of the absolutely Corvette Z06.
Comments
Few people really understand the derivation of the Z06 and what it encompassed. The 1963 Z06 did not have disc brakes as the article states. It had sintered metallic drum brakes. And the car was not a reaction to the publics desire to g racing as mush as an understanding that in order to be considered to be a true sports car it was necessary to be able to compete with Europe’s best sports cars and win. Something Corvette has been doing ever since 1955.
All 63-64 Corvettes had drum brakes, the Z06 had sintered metallic drum brakes. The Z06 designation was an RPO for special performance equipment but wasn’t a model designation. They were more likely to be called “tankers” in reference to the 36.5 gal gas tank. The National Corvette Museum has one of the earliest examples of this car, one that was raced actively and is still taken out to give rides.
Ah! Very astute readers indeed! You are correct, drum brakes were the standard affair for all ’63 Z06s. Thank you very much for the correction. Cheers!
The 1963 Corvette is a RACE car. The later Z06s are street cars. Most of the 63 Z06s are still raced.
[IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/1z9195.jpg[/IMG]
Well the original package was one that was limited and even some other dealers and team built their own with the collection of parts since GM would not supply them one. The old 7:11 car used in the old Elvis movie was a Z06 in parts but it was not a real RPO car.
Keep in mind this was the No Racing Era at GM and these RPO cars had to be done quietly and carefully.
The real key was the fuel tank in these cars as it was an important part at Daytona, Lemans and Sebring.
It is up for sale I believe soon from what I saw.
Most of the original cars are to the point only a couple will be seen at a controlled vintage race.
The later Z06 would have raced in showroom stock had it not been banned. I think a few showed up in SCCA racing but there were few classes for it. The cars original intent was to be a street car for track days. Also the hard top was to make it stiffer and stronger for racing.
Corvette did race off and on from 1955 with mixed results depending on the class and team. It was when Gullstrand and Penske took the L88 that it started a string of impressive wins. Later the Greenwood L88, Delorenza Corning and the Heinz/Johnson L88 all were the first real string of solid finishes for the Corvette.
All the cars that have raced since the start are now very treasured and of great value. The Heinz Johnson Rebel car just went for something like 3.5 Million. The racing heritage Corvettes are finally getting their due but the sad part is we may never see many on the track again with the values.
I will always treasure my chance to get behind the wheel of the Greenwood Smothers 48 when I was a kid. I can still remember it clearly.
The Heinz Rebel Car sold for $2.8M. It is the 67 L88 cars that are bringing over $3M ($3.8 for the one just sold at Barrett-Jackson and $3.5M for the Herin car sold at Mecum). Real 63 Z06’s are all selling above $500K and recently have begun to approach $750K to $900K. Some real production version Z06’s like Terry Michaelis’ Dick Lang Z06 just sold for $1M (give or take). So like you said most of the real RPO Z06’s will be seen on the track only rarely. Most second generation Corvettes being raced today are not production Z06’s or L88’s.
Hi Scott. There were only 63 “big tank” 1963 Z06 cars built. There are currently 54 on the Z06 registry and only 42 small tank cars, so there are still some out there. At Monterey in 2013 when my car turned 50, we had 4 “real” 63 Z06s in the Group 6 race: Tom McIntyre, Susan Armstrong, myself, and Vic Edelbrock. A full N03 36 gallon tank makes the car handle like a pig on roller skates, so they were only used on long distance races like Sebring and LeMans………um, and also they leaked.
As mentioned, the 67 L88 (of which 20 were manufactured, but 200 remain) are the expensive ones today. The later 68 and 69 L88s (such as the Toye English/Dave Heinz, and the John Greenwood cars) were perhaps better known, but my 69 L88 was actually the first L88 to win the Camel GT GTO category at the Alamo 200 IMSA race in December 1971.
The C5 Z06 cars were and still are widely competitive in SCCA and NASA, but have been superceded by the C6 LS3 engined cars….If you go on the Corvetteforum, you can see the stories and pictures.
I enjoy talking with people about the various competition Corvette stories and history.
Hi, there is legit no reason to argue about the Z06, all you need to known is above.Also I like the 2015-2016 Z06, 650 hp, 650 lbs.-ft, 3.2 liter supercharged V8 engine is just a monster on the road. But the 63 is unbeatable in corvettes history for its monster looks! 😉 Bai 🙂 thanx for your time, Peace!
I am one of the very few people that can actually say they owned and raced a ’63 ZO6. The car was a white/saddle leathered, radio & heater delete with the 36 gallon tank. The car featured Good Year 10 inch “blue streaks” mounted to American Mags at all four corners. It was not only awesome looking, but awesome in every respect.
Hi Lee,
Give me a call at your convenience to discuss 63 Z06s if you wish:-)
Garrett Waddell
817/964-3029