Gone In 60 Days

Rare Tanker-Optioned Z06 Gets Sold Before its Shakedown Ride.

- Scotty Lachenauer

By the fall of 1962, Chevrolet had built a total of 15 Z06-optioned 1963 Corvettes. And they were about to be distributed to a select group of preapproved racers. Those chosen few were lucky enough to get their race gloves around the wheel of one of these prized, factory bred racers two months before the rest of the prospective buyers would be able to take part in the feeding frenzy.

When the Z06 was finally offered up for public consumption, the masses were quick to stake their claim for their own prized racer. If you wanted a race-ready ride with looks to die for, well, this potent 1963 Chevy-bred head-turner was definitely the car for you.

One of those hungry Corvette fans waiting for his turn was Corvette racer Richard Jalbert from Rhode Island. Over the years, Richard had become an experienced racer, handling C1 Corvettes on tracks across the Eastern Seaboard. Of course, with this style of racing, accidents were bound to happen, and, well, good ol’ Rich had his share of them. But on the flip-side, he had a good track record, winning several events during his racing career.

When news of the new Z06 option package spread around the Corvette community, Richard jumped into the fray and lined up with the public to get his own. He ordered his personal Z06 in the fall of 1962. Knowing he would be racing this nifty new Corvette on road courses across America, he added in the N03 “Big Tank” option to the sales sheet.

Richard’s Z06 Corvette was built on April 29, 1963, and was picked up a little over a week later on May 9th. The excitement was in the air as he went to acquire his new prize from the dealership. Unfortunately, there’s a slight hitch to this story. You see, Richard never told his wife about his new purchase. And just to be clear, this was no “base” Corvette, as the Z06 and the N03 big tank options added nearly 50 percent to the selling price.