There was a time when a split-window 1963 Corvette was the least desirable
2017 SEMA Show Sneak Peek: Split-Window 1963 Corvette
Once upon a time in a land called California there was a period in the used Corvette market when a split-window 1963 Corvette was the least desirable body style of the C2 Corvette range. Well, times have changed and now the Corvette coupe with the built-in blind spot garners the lion’s share of attention.
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Take, for example, Heartland Customs entry done in conjunction with Griffin Thermal Products to unveil the 1963 Grand Sport 6 Corvette at the 2017 SEMA Show. Heartland says the two companies have had a great history together and have had very successful SEMA shows together in the past.
The Grand Sport 6 Corvette is a concept developed by custom builder Jeff Page and his team at Heartland Customs, along with the owner of the car. There were five original Grand Sport race cars. The owner wanted to have number six built as a street car with today’s performance and technology. “Our goal was to keep the look of the 1963 Grand Sport, but clean it up and add features and elements to bring it up to 2017 performance car level.”
The Grand Sport 6 Corvette design starts with a custom chassis manufactured by Roadster Shop in Mundelein, Illinois. “We were very particular on what we wanted to achieve in performance and looks, and the Roadster Shop delivered a chassis that gave us exactly what we wanted. The performance and handling of this car is unmatched, but yields a comfortable touring ride. The exterior has elements one might recognize from the original Grand Sport race cars, but with a modern twist. There are many small upgrades such as the electronic volume-controlled side pipes and turn signals hidden in the side mirror glass. Step into the cabin and you will recognize the 1963 Corvette design, but done with rich European leather and Alcantara. It all looks 1963, but everything in the interior functions like 2017.
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John Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley deeply immersed in SoCal car culture. Throughout grammar and junior high school John was constantly in trouble for drawing flames on his schoolwork and automobile-related incidents during high school.
Graduating early from high school John opened a custom paint shop and established lifelong friendships with the editors of the magazines his customizing work appeared in. In 1999 John was commissioned by Easyriders Inc. to create a custom truck lifestyle magazine in the spirit of Easyriders. John titled the hardcore truck rag Tailgate, marking the beginnings of his career as a magazine editor.
Citing creative differences, John resigned from Tailgate and went to work for Hot Rod Bikes in 2004 followed by the editorship of Custom Classic Trucks. In late 2009 John resigned from Custom Classic Trucks mentioning a desire to goof off and freelanced as the once-a-year editor of American Truck.
During the course of his career, John's work has appeared in Street Rodder, Classic Trucks, Rod & Custom, Chevy High Performance, Muscle Car Review, Hot Rod, Easyriders, Biker, In the Wind, Tattoo, Road Iron, V-Twin, Hot Rod's Bikeworks, Hot Bike, Street Chopper, Ol' Skool Rodz, Custom Classic Trucks, Highbeams, Mini-Truckin', Super Chevy, Sport Truck, Classic Truck Trends, Air Brush Art & Action, American Hard Assets, Street Trucks, American Rodder, VQ, and the West Coast Eastwood blog.
On November 11, 2013, John Gilbert returned to a staff position with Classic Trucks as its tech editor, along with Rod & Custom and Street Rodder as a staff editor. His photographic images have appeared on over 250 magazine covers.
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