The split window Corvette is one the most sought after cars ever built.
There are many factors in the car’s popularity, but one of the biggest is the “split window” part of the equation.
That one year only design pushed these Vettes to the front of the line in the popularity contests.
Abby Harris is the proud owner of a ’63 Corvette split window and she is a proud ambassador for her iconic car. She explained the history behind this classic: “Dad was a Chevy guy but we’re actually a Mopar family”.
This Vette was a present from Abby’s husband and she was definitely unaware of his automotive gift: “I had no clue he was doing this and he bought it for my birthday. He said it was red on red for a blonde on blonde. I was mad at the start because I wanted a new kitchen”.
Corvette guys may take a deep breath with that statement, but this story had a better ending because after she drove it, her husband said, “she fell in love with it”. Abby backed him up because now she admits, “there’s not enough summer days to drive it”.
Abby is fairly clinical about her time behind the wheel because 52-year-old cars don’t handle like a new car but she is undaunted: “It’s kind of tricky on the bias ply tires and one time off goes the spinner off the wheel and it went flying into the ditch but luckily the wheel stayed on and now there’s a new cap on the passenger side”.
This near miss gave her an idea about how to keep up some basic, yet very pertinent maintenance: “Now I’ve got a printed card to tell me to tighten it up every 200 miles”.
Abby faces a barrage of questions about her Vette including the inevitable question (husband’s car?) but some of them get very pointed as she admits: “People think it’s funny that I own the car but some of them ask me why I’m beating on such a nice car by driving it so much? I always say (a) because it’s mine and (b) because it’s good for it”.
Despite the perceived depreciation on the split window, Abby admits this car is still a show winner: “It’s won a lot of best original trophies but we don’t really care about stuff like that because it’s not about that-it’s about the fun. It’s funny-the fellas go to the Daytona (husband’s car) and the women got to the Vette”.
Abby has only one real problem when she’s on the road: “We were going to Radium and I tried to keep up with the Viper and I didn’t do so good”. That may be the case but Abby’s ’63 Vette probably got more thumbs up on the trip.
Many cars have nicknames and this Corvette is no exception as Abby explained: “I call it Dougie because the day it was bought, I was at my cousin Dougie’s funeral so now Dougie is my copilot”.
Split window Vettes are so iconic they are a responsibility more than a car but Abby handles the job like a pro. She embraces the old car hobby in a big way and she’s a proud owner of a Corvette legend.
Just don’t ask if it’s her husband’s car.
Jerry Sutherland
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