Mick Wilson's brilliant pearl orange 1963 Corvette convertible fairly glows in direct sunlight. He chose the Lamborghini color to finish off the classic Vette after finding it at a garage sale.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The factory steering wheel was maintained, as were the original instruments, including the iconic 160 mph speedometer.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Wilson kept the 327 V-8 basically stock, with only Mickey Thompson valve covers anda set of ceramic-coated headers added. Despite the super-clean installation, he now wishes he had "hot-rodded" the engine a bit more during the overhaul, since the cost of premium gas isn't that big a consideration on a car driven so sparingly.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Wilson says it was hard to find wheels that would fit in the somewhat narrow confines of the Corvette wheel wells, but these 17-inch American Racing units look right at home. The front wheels carry 215/50/17 Raptor tires, while the rears are outfitted with 235/50/17's, also Raptors.
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Black bucket seats and a 4-speed Hurst shifter in a bright orange, top-down '63 Corvette -- what more could a guy ask for?
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Wilson is considering adding some black detail to make the front fender vents stand out a bit more.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The beautifully sculpted rear end of the '63 Corvette was hinted at on the previous year's model. The design, with its thin bumperettes and sharp peaks, is a perfect complement to the groundbreaking front end styling of the car.
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Hide-away headlights, thin nerf-bar style bumpers and a shark-like grille opening made the 1963 Corvette an instant hit with car lovers.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The long, tapered hood spear and the metal hood louvers gave the Corvette a look that couldn't be mistaken for anything else on the road back in 1963.
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Another view of the stock 1963 Corvette interior reveals just enough space for two to travel in style.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Glimpsed through the steering wheel, the white 4-speed Hurst shifter ball showed this Corvette meant business.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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