As with many vintage Corvettes, provenance is critical. Fortunately, this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette convertible has plenty of it: a matching-numbers 327 V8, matching-numbers 4-speed manual transmission, good maintenance records, and an awesome Daytona Blue over Dark Blue color combination. A legitimate icon, this mid-year Corvette roadster offers a pretty big bang for the buck today, and if it\'s the future you\'re worried about, it\'s practically impossible to go wrong with a pedigreed Corvette convertible.

Imagine it\'s 1963, and this Corvette has just hit the market. Owning one well and truly made you \'The Man\', and save for perhaps the E-Type Jaguar, there was no other car on the road that could upstage the all-new Sting Ray. Picking a color like Code 916 Daytona Blue only heightens this car\'s appeal. Thanks to a comprehensive restoration several years ago and impeccable care, it still looks great. They spared no expense getting the bodywork laser-straight and followed that up with a high-end repaint back in the \'90s that our pictures almost struggle to give justice to. Now with that being said, single-stage paint that old is bound to encounter imperfections, and this droptop has its fair share, but for my money, give me an honest classic car that wears its scars with pride. It still has plenty of depth, uniformity, and thanks to a recent buff and ceramic coating application. It shines up wonderfully under our lights. This car must be seen in person, especially in the sunshine, where it seems to take on a new life. It fits together the way a proper vintage \'Vette should, and other the fiberglass is in good condition, befitting a car that\'s led a very good life as someone\'s prized possession. The details are right, from the crease surrounding the body\'s perimeter which remains crisp and sharp to the more subtle things like the fit of the headlight doors and the shiny grilles in the hood that sit flush with the surface. The dark blue paint looks right with a pleasing shine that only comes from a properly executed job and proper care through the years, and again, though it\'s far from perfect, it has a light patina that works extremely well with the overall presentation. Some of the brightwork shows a little age but minor enough for the layman not to notice, and it shines so bright against the dark finish we couldn\'t dream to conjure a better combination.

If there\'s a more inviting-looking interior than this, it\'s hard to imagine what it is. Dark Blue is a perfect complement to the exterior, and when this roadster was refreshed, it was all done right and to a high standard. It carries a light patina now, with signs of use and life telling a different story passed down through the decades, but overall the appearance is still quite nice. The dark blue vinyl buckets are correctly finished with vertical pleats and flank a factory center console, with chrome T-handle 4-speed shifter and eight-ball knob. The rest of the color-matching interior is just as nice, with correct carpets that show only minor wear, a nicely preserved blue-rimmed steering wheel, and a full slate of original gauges ahead of the driver that cover all the engine\'s vitals. There\'s an aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette stereo in the center stack that\'s likely older than most of you reading this, but it still works, and like most \'Vettes of this vintage, there aren\'t many options beyond that. You\'ll love the original gauges with their deep-dish stainless centers and bright, crisp lettering that means they\'re likely the stock units, and although the door panels and dashboard show some signs of aging, it all adds to the charm. Protecting the interior is rare, matching removable hard-top, but if you don\'t have a couple of buddies to help you take it on-and-off this Corvette also features a white vinyl soft top that folds neatly under the rear cover.

The engine powering this gorgeous Sting Ray roadster is the heralded 300 horsepower 327 L75 V8, aka the \'Mighty Mouse,\' and if you\'ve ever been behind the wheel of a 2-seater this light with 300HP on tap, well then you know just how special this car is. The car\'s original, numbers-matching engine is still under the hood, with signs (and a receipt from 2006) of refreshing and regular maintenance throughout. With the Chevrolet Orange on the block and valve covers, along with the dual-snorkeled chrome air cleaner lid up top, the engine bay indeed has a very authentic look. You will note the original ram\'s horn exhaust manifolds still look great, and the original generator has given way to an alternator for better performance, along with an aluminum radiator to boot. The matching-numbers 4-speed gearbox still pushes power back to what is very likely the original rear end, and the chassis looks very solid underneath. A recent Magnaflow dual exhaust system growls with authority, and it\'s nice to see a \'63 with Rallye wheels instea

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