1963 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Personal story and photograph submitted by owners Darwin & Patricia Ludi - courtesy of the National Corvette Museum website - for participation in the National Corvette Museum 2008 Historic Motorama II.
The 1963 Daytona Blue Corvette, owned by Darwin & Patricia Ludi of Chula Vista, California, was initially purchased new from MacMulkin Chevrolet in Nashua, New Hampshire. The first owner used the split window to move to San Diego, California right after the purchase. Within one year the car was traded and the second owner was a researcher from Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California. The car was in his possession for 23 years and spent the last 7 years under a tree on his property. The next owner had a love for Corvettes and felt the need to restore the vehicle. It took another two years and a lot of persuasion to finally purchase the '63 split window and began the restoration.
Two years later, the Daytona Blue Corvette was fully restored to near new specifications. During the next 10 years the car spent was maintained and enjoyed by the many spectators of various car shows through out Southern California. That Daytona Blue color was surely an eye catcher.
In 1999, while driving down the main street in Pacific Beach, California. I noticed the car. It was amongst a group of other vintage vehicles inside a classic car dealership show room. I immediately went home and told my wife about the beautiful car I had just noticed. We returned to the dealer and decided we needed to own this beautiful icon. A couple of days later we drove the car home.
This particular '63 was born with a 340hp 327. It was matched up with the 4 spd and 370 gears. Nothing power other than the motor. An AM-FM radio was also ordered to supply the tunes.
I have always been fond of the C2 Corvettes and especially the '63 since it was the first year. As a young man growing up in New Mexico, Corvettes were rare and when one was actually seen, they were a marvel to behold. Few individuals could afford one and most who were fortunate were usually physicians or attorneys.
It took me nearly 35 years to obtain my first Corvette and once that took place I was hooked. I am still a fan of the C2 however, over time, the other years have caught on as well. Now I like all Corvettes.
My wife and I currently own this '63, as well as another '63 split window that is blk/blk. As a retired individual (from the medical profession) I have all the time in the world to take care of my Corvettes. My wife Patricia is still working as a school administrator and needs one year to join me in retirement. At that time we will be able to enjoy our Corvettes even more. We are members of the Corvettes of San Diego Club and hope to be more involved with their activities once we are both retired.
When GM celebrates the beginning of its next 100 years on September 16, 2008, 55 Corvettes will be on display outside its World Headquarters at Detroit’s Renaissance Center. The Corvettes are in fact the Historic Motorama II, a caravan from the National Corvette Museum (NCM) which is comprised of one example from each of the 55 years of Corvette production. The caravan will depart from the National Corvette Museum on September 10th with stops along the way. People attending the GMnext Day activities on September 16th will be able to view the Corvettes before and after the official program.
Look at the next Historic Motorama II Corvette participant, representing a cross-section of Corvette enthusiasts from across the country.
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