[VIDEO] Dennis Collins Snaps Up a Black ’63 Split Window From its Longtime Owner

When the owner of this 1963 split window Corvette coupe bought the car in 1968 after graduating from high school, James says it hadn’t become the iconic collectible it’s become over the ensuing 55 years.

After he and a couple of buddies spent three years and countless hours and dollars restoring the car in River Falls, Wisconsin a few thousand miles ago, James met YouTube Corvette champion Dennis Collins at a restaurant by chance and after talking cars for awhile, he invited Dennis to his garage to see his beloved ’63.

Over the past few decades, James says the car has undergone many changes, including the installation of an L88 engine in 1970 which managed a best of 11.88 seconds. “Back then,” he notes, “that was singing a song.”

James eventually decided to return the car to stock form, installing a date-correct 327 under the hood again and also using a series of other sometimes-hard-to-find genuine Chevrolet parts to keep it running strong.

That’s not to say the car is completely stock, however, as James did keep a glass doorknob in place on the top of the shifter because it fit his hand best when he had the 427 under the hood, and a high-dollar sound system is housed in the glove box, complete with a joystick controller on the console. He also changed the original Saddle Tan paint to black, though the interior remains the stock Saddle color that serves as a striking contrast to the exterior.

Dennis liked the car so much after seeing it in person and taking it on a test drive that he candidly admits as he sits in the driver’s seat on his latest YouTube video that “I am gonna pay the man what he’s asking for it because I am confident he’s not gonna take any less.”

We know there are a lot of videos out there and it’s hard to give up 20-plus minutes of your time, but we highly recommend you take the time to watch this one. The coolest part about this car, other than the split window, may just be the decal still in the back window from the Winter Nationals in 1967 – the year before James bought it from a friend going through a divorce.

While we’re never happy to see a marriage break up, we’re sure glad this split window classic wound up in the hands of a loyal Corvette steward like James.

Source:
Dennis Collins

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