A 1963 Corvette split window doesn’t stop being a split window just because life has been unkind to it. That truth is on full display in Denison, Texas, where a fire damaged Sting Ray — little more than a scorched shell — has somehow climbed to $25,000 on Bring a Trailer with two days still on the clock.
The car’s story is as rough as its appearance. The current owner bought it back in 2001, long after a fire had gutted the fiberglass body, destroyed the interior, and left the frame coated in surface corrosion. The powertrain and suspension are gone, the cabin is a skeleton of Saddle tan vinyl remnants, and the only major pieces included with the sale are the two loose doors and whatever steering and brake components survived up front. Even so, the car still wears its identity: Style 63 837, Trim 490E, Paint 932 — a real Saddle Tan split window coupe.
And that alone is enough to get people talking.
“WOW! That’ll take a lot of work!” one commenter wrote, summing up the first reaction most of us had.
Another chimed in with a more philosophical take:
“This only makes sense as a restomod… otherwise this would wind up in the landfill.”
The debate only heated up from there. Some viewers joked about calling in Dennis Collins, while others marveled at the sheer difficulty of bringing something like this back.
“The skill needed to restore this car is mind blowing,” one said.
Another commenter took a more humorous approach: “Somebody years ago said, ‘I’ll hang on to it — might be worth something someday.’ That day has arrived.”
But not everyone is convinced this is a diamond in the ashes. “You cannot be serious! Somebody is actually willing to drop 25k on a title and two frame rails?” one skeptic wrote.
Another added, “Might be easier just to build one from scratch. I love split windows, but this is so devoid of components, I think it’s a stretch to call it a car.”
Still, the market for these cars has proven unpredictable — and sometimes astonishing. One commenter pointed out that a similarly rough ’63 brought $70,000 earlier this year, and high end restomod split windows can soar past $500,000. In that light, a $25,000 starting point for a legitimate frame, tags, and title begins to make a certain kind of sense.
Even if the car looks, as one commenter put it, “like a fish that has been deboned.”
Whether this Sting Ray ever returns to the road is anyone’s guess. It will never be numbers matching, and it will never again resemble the Saddle Tan beauty that left St. Louis in 1963. But for the right builder — or the right dreamer — it still represents something valuable: a chance to resurrect one of the most iconic American sports cars ever made.
“Okay, is everyone on crack? This is garbage, 100%.” one final commenter wrote.
And yet, the bid remains.
Love it or hate it, this charred split window is proving one thing: even in ruins, a ’63 Corvette still has the power to stir up passion, arguments, and — apparently — serious money.
Source:
Bring a Trailer via barnfinds.com
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