Historic 1963 Corvette Split Window Race Car Heads to Auction
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious
A rare 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 'Split Window' Coupe race car with period SCCA and North Atlantic Road Racing Championship history is set to cross the block at The Amelia Auction on March 8, 2025. Offered without reserve, this historically significant Corvette carries an estimate of $110,000 to $140,000.
Originally owned and raced by Billy Fortune, a Long Island native, the car was transformed into a competitive machine in the late 1960s. Equipped with a fuel-injected 327 cubic-inch V8, an M22 'Rock Crusher' four-speed manual transmission, and race-spec modifications including a roll bar, heavy-duty suspension, and disc brakes, the Corvette quickly made its mark on the track. By 1972, Fortune had secured SCCA Rookie of the Year honors, competing in B-Production class events before his untimely passing in 1973.
The Corvette remained in the Fortune family for four decades before being rediscovered by collector Bruce Silber in 2009. Recognizing its racing pedigree, Silber commissioned a frame-off restoration by Vette Dreams in 2015, preserving the car's period-correct race setup. More recently, Autosport Designs of Huntington Station, NY, performed an engine rebuild and mechanical refurbishment to ensure its continued performance capability.
Finished in a striking metallic blue over a black race-spec interior, this Corvette embodies both its competition heritage and meticulous preservation. The car was even featured on the cover of Corvette Magazine in October 2018, further solidifying its status as a notable piece of racing history.
Eligible for vintage racing events or concours exhibitions, this 1963 Corvette Split Window presents a rare opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to own a machine that bridges the gap between racing nostalgia and modern-day preservation. Whether it returns to the track or graces the lawn of The Amelia Concours d'Elegance, its next caretaker will inherit an icon of American motorsport.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
1940 Chevy Master Business Coupe Resurfaces After 64 Years in Abandoned Barn
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious After more than six decades hidden from the world, a 1940 Chevrolet Master Business Coupe has been discovered in a long-abandoned barn, remarkably intact and sparking new hope for preservation among classic car enthusiasts. The two-door coupe, long thought lost to time, reportedly sat untouched since 1961. Found blanketed in dust and surrounded by signs of long-term neglect—including a large rat nest in the trunk and a deteriorated interior—the car still retains much of its original form. Remarkably, rust is minimal, and the body appears solid despite being parked for 64 years. Introduced in 1933, the Chevrolet Master nameplate was part of GM's efforts to expand its model range, remaining a core part of the brand's prewar lineup. The 1940 model year marked a significant design update, with a broader grille extending past a V-shaped front fascia, sleeker fenders, and a longer 113-inch wheelbase. Chevrolet offered several body styles that year, but only 25,537 customers opted for the Business Coupe configuration—out of more than 400,000 total Masters produced. While not exceedingly rare by production numbers alone, surviving examples in unrestored condition are increasingly uncommon. The car is not entirely original, however. It appears to have received a repaint before its lengthy slumber, and under the hood lies a swapped inline-six engine, likely from the mid-1950s. Though this diminishes its historical purity, enthusiasts agree that the car's survival in such condition still holds significant value. Whether the Master will be restored or remain a survivor is uncertain, but classic car circles are already buzzing. For now, the coupe is safe, finally seeing daylight after a lifetime in the dark—a silent testament to American craftsmanship and the power of rediscovery.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Tesla Cybertrucks are piling up in a disused parking lot in Michigan as the company deals with a stockpile of unsold vehicles
Tesla is under scrutiny for storing Cybertrucks in a disused parking lot of a Detroit shopping center, which officials say violates local zoning rules. Tesla has been dealing with disappointing sales and multiple recalls of the Cybertruck, reportedly leaving the EV maker with a stockpile of excess inventory. Tesla has also cut back production of the trucks, reassigning workers to more popular production lines. Tesla is facing backlash from local authorities in Michigan for storing Cybertrucks and other unsold vehicles in the parking lot of a shuttered shopping center under renovation, a move that officials say violates local zoning laws. Over the past few weeks, dozens of Tesla vehicles have been spotted piling up at the Hunter's Square shopping center on Orchard Lake Road in Michigan, close to a Tesla service center in West Bloomfield. Clips of the parked EVs, totaling more than 100, have been circulating on social media. Tesla's new showroom nearby is suspected to be the source of the overflow. While Tesla employees coming to collect the parked vehicles told CBS Detroit that the nearby service center's owner owns the shopping center and the cars were marked for delivery, local officials have taken issue with the dealership's storage plans. Representatives for the Farmington Hills planning and community development department did not reply to Fortune's request for comment by press time. However, the city's director for the department, Charmaine Kettler-Schmult, told CBS Detroit: 'The City of Farmington Hills code enforcement office has been in communication with the Hunter's Square shopping center management to resolve the issue. They have been notified that storage of vehicles is not a permitted use. The enforcement process is being followed and takes time.' The Cybertruck has had a relatively poor sales performance so far, reportedly leaving Tesla with a stockpile of unsold vehicles. In 2024, the EV maker sold just shy of 40,000 Cybertrucks, missing Wall Street expectations by around 10,000 units. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had previously projected that Cybertruck sales could reach 250,000 units per year. In the first quarter of this year, Tesla sold just over 6,000 Cybertrucks, indicating the EV maker might be facing a weaker year ahead, according to Cox Automotive. In total, Tesla has delivered less than 50,000 Cybertrucks. The underwhelming sales have reportedly led to massive inventory stockpiles, estimated to have reached a record high of 10,000 units last month, according to Electrek. Tesla is rolling back production on the trucks in response. Employees told Business Insider the company first started moving some workers off Cybertruck production in December, reallocating some to the more popular Model Y production lines. The truck and other Tesla vehicles have also become a lightning rod for backlash against the company's CEO. Tesla is facing global protests over Musk's political leanings and role in the Trump administration. The Cybertruck has also been hit with eight recalls since deliveries began in late 2023. The issues ranged from trim panels potentially falling off while driving to windshield wiper failures and a delayed rear camera feed. The latest issue, due to a potential problem with a stainless-steel trim panel detaching while driving, affected nearly 46,000 vehicles, or almost every Cybertruck Tesla had managed to sell at the time. Representatives for Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune, made outside the company's normal working hours. This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun predicts his company's expensive EV bet could soon start making money
When Xiaomi unveiled its electric car to much fanfare in late 2023, CEO Lei Jun called the project his last entrepreneurial endeavor. Fifteen months later, Lei's bet now seems like it might pay off. At a Tuesday event in Beijing, the Xiaomi CEO suggested that the company's EV business could be profitable by the second half of the year. A Xiaomi spokesperson confirmed the comments to Fortune. Lei's optimism contrasts with renewed worries that China's EV sector is about to sink into another price war. BYD, the market leader, cut prices by as much as a third in late May. On Sunday, People's Daily, a state newspaper, warned that 'rat-race competition' could harm supply chain security and damage the reputation of Chinese goods, though did not name specific companies. Xiaomi has reported strong sales of its SU7 EV, delivering almost 76,000 cars in the first quarter of the year. The firm has delivered more than 258,000 cars so far since it formally launched its first EV in March 2024. Still, EVs are an expensive proposition for Xiaomi. The company reported a 500 million yuan ($69.4 million) loss for its EV unit in Q1 2025, smaller than the 700 million yuan posted for the preceding quarter. Xiaomi debuted its second EV model, the YU7 sports utility vehicle, in May, with an expected launch in July. Lei hopes that Xiaomi's EVs will compete in the premium segment of the market, pitting his cars against local firms like Nio and Xpeng and foreign carmakers like Tesla. Yet Xiaomi's branding took a hit earlier this year, when an SU7 crashed on an expressway in Anhui province, killing three people. The driver had engaged the car's assisted driving software. Customers have also blasted the design of some SU7 models, complaining that Xiaomi had overstated some design features. Xiaomi first became famous for its smartphones, and has since expanded into home appliances. And the company may now be embarking on a new venture, after its EV success. Last month, Xiaomi pledged to invest 50 billion yuan ($6.9 billion) over the next decade towards its own chip development. Still, Xiaomi's chip design efforts could be at risk from Washington. The firm is likely to be one of the first hit by new U.S. rules barring companies from selling chip design software to China, reports the Financial Times citing unnamed sources. This story was originally featured on
