:iagree: 100% correct. There's nothing worse than sweating your azz off in a roadster under the hot sun. Especially if you're stuck in traffic. At least a coupe offers you some shade. I've always noticed that in areas that get really hot like the desert areas of S. Ca., Arizona, Nevada etc, EVERY convertible you see has the top UP. They only put them down in the winter time when it's cooler.

Jim

The year is winding down and my 64 Roadster will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. I bought it in '86. It recently had a professional frame off restoration. Who wants a SWC when you can have a great roadster. I rarely put the top up. I've had a ton of fun with it and thinking now of selling at this point in my life. What's a fair value and asking price?

Definitely worthy of a new thread with details and photos. I'm sure many of us will reply.

Chattanooga Tennessee: High today - 89, low - 70

Houston Texas: 7:15 pm current temps: 95 degrees with "low" 49% humidity resulting in a Feels Like temp of 105 degrees.

My 65 coupe is pleasant to drive when we get Spring-like temps like you have too :D

Yes we only have a week or two of mid 90's temps like that a year. But if you asked me if I were more comfortable with 105 degree index air blowing over me in the full sun or with an umbrella, my choice is the umbrella! Balding.

Thanks. I am new so not sure about starting a thread but will try.

I tbink I finally figured out why some of you are complaining about heat. Midway through the 63 build year, they added a thermal barrier over the transmission tunnel. With mine being a later build it has it, so no issue for me.

My comment about heat was that I find a mid year coupe to be more uncomfortable in hot weather than a top down roadster. I like the top down even if its hot and sunny. I have not experienced sunburn problems. The only time Ive had my top up this summer was at Bloomington when it was raining.

Other people agreed; some disagreed. Whatever. It was not meant to take the thread off in another direction. I just meant that throughout the course of a year, personally, I get more use out of a convertible than I do with a coupe. It was not meant to criticize the coupe. I'm buying another coupe anyway. :D

Now... feel free to resume the 63 value debate. :rofl: :cheers:

I think that the 63 SWC have always been the midyear to have, for several reasons. It is the first year of the Sting Ray, only year for the split window, there are about 80 items that are 63 Corvette only and if it is a SWC rather then a roadster then add one more to the list because of the Split Window. I remember when I was 11 yrs old, my Uncle bought a 63 SWC white/red automatic :willy:. Now I was raised in a small town so as I remember this was the first Corvette I remember seeing :yesnod:. My uncle would take me for a ride in it and I thought I was a big shot :yesnod: just for riding in it. After about 6 weeks my uncle traded in the 63 SWC :( for a 63 mint green Belair Station Wagon :crazy2:. I could not believe it. I was crushed :ack:, my dream car was gone. He told me that the seats hurt his back and that is why he traded it in. Well moveing on several years and when I was in my 50's I finally bought myself a 63 SWC :willy: after owning several other Corvettes. Yep, my uncle was right :yesnod:. The seats in the 63 were the hardest and most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in of any car or Corvette. My 54 seats were great compared to the 63 seats. But it was cool and that is what counted. I could get rid of the back pain with some Jack and Coke :cheers:. Anyway as it turned out at one point a couple years ago, I owned 5 SWC at one time and my wife about flipped :willy:. "Why do we need 5 or these cars when they are all the same with that thing in the back window :toetap:" and all I could tell her was "well they are different colors :lol:" and she turned around and went back into the house :lol:. For what ever reason the Black 63 SWC is the only color SWC I have not owned and some day I will get one, just to say I have had them all. I have a Silver Blue leaving Sat. :( for TX. to a new owner and I will have my Dark Blue 63 SWC at Carlisle F/S if anyone is interested :yesnod: stop by (booth M156-156), have a drink :cheers: and we will talk about it. See you all at Carlisle:woohoo: :cheers:. Just like I have stated in some past post, stop by and say that you are a Forum Member and have a cold :cheers: or water or soft drink on me :crazy: just so we all can put a face with a Forum Name. There will be a sign in board to sign in your name and your Form name as well :yesnod: so wee you all there.

Hit "thread tools" at upper right of the page, hit "post a thread" and post a thread.:rofl:

A good friend of mine in high school had a SWC - black on black 300 pg. that was long ago, but as I recall it also had AC and PW. My friend was killed in an auto accident a few years later, but his brother still owns the car, so I can go visit it from time to time. I expect that's as close as I'll ever get to owning one. I don't recall it ever leaking, and it was often driven in winter, nor do I remember it being hot in summer….. but then again, we were young and horney, so those things didn't really matter to us at the time.
As to the rising value, things like this vid from Hagerty don't hurt anything.




Russ

Since I recently acquired one, I really would like to agree with you on this, but IMO the big dog in mid-years is the 67 BB. I will say that in the sub six figure class, the SWC is probably the one to get. :cheers:

Love the story about having 5 of the rascals. Must be nice.

Back in 1962 if you parked a 63 coupe next to a 62 vette you would have thought the Martians landed or the car was some kind of land/air vehicle.

That 'first impression' has lingered among those who experienced that moment.

The 63s set the tone for the rest of that style run.

You were in your own parade back then just as you are today. Except today people take pictures of your car at traffic lights with cell phones.

"so stop shedding crocadile tears' the 63 coupe has been deemed a true classic styling that will stay strong decades to come.

Theoretically Columbus first discovered America so we celebrate a holiday named after him. Mel Gibson and Russel Crowe also came to America but not so much attention to their arrival.http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/...psfc926fb7.jpg

Theory: One reason that '63s are so popular is simply that the phrase "split window" is easy to understand and catchy.

Opinion: Optimum C2 is '65 FI. Only year with FI and disc brakes. C2 was never designed for a big block. Doesn't fit neatly and requires a distorted hood. Repeat: pure opinion.

I don't think anyone in this entire interesting thread has even suggested that there was 5 minutes in time that SWC's were not "popular" or "iconic."

Don't we all agree on that?

Isn't the question at hand, "why does it seem there's major surge in price (interest) in SWCs in the last couple/few years, as opposed to the rest of the mid years which have flattened, including high end cars like BBs and '67s?"

I had to have a '63 Corvette ever since the day I saw my first one and the Beach Boys were singing "Shut Down". In 1980, I attended a swap meet that also had some cars for sale, as most swap meets do. There were several nice Corvettes, a big block '69, a 396 - '65 roadster, and a '63 SWC. The '65 and '63 were the same price but I had to have the white "63 SWC with 39,000 miles and FI. It also had a 36.5 gal.fuel tank, but I didn't care about that, mostly because I didn't know anything about them. The guy wanted $16,500 for it but I offered $15,000 even and he took my offer.I still have it today and I have loved every year I've owned it. What an investment I made that day without even knowing it. And I don't care how hot it gets when I'm driving it.

Wow, what a great story/find, I would love to see some pics of your car. I just bought a white/red SWC, no FI though. :thumbs:

Someone just did that a fake coup .:crazy2:

Perry is it a Z06? that is, does it also have the big brakes and HD suspension? Whatever, it's a cool car, so welcome to the Forum, and enjoy driving your SWC:thumbs:

No, its just a tanker with FI and saddle leather interior. I couldn't have been that lucky to unknowingly score a Z06.