C2 Z06 Split-Window Brought American Thunder to Down Under

Exported to Australia in 1963, RHD-converted ’63 Corvette Z06 returned to the U.S. in 2011, remains unrestored to this day.

The Corvette is first and foremost America’s sports car. That doesn’t mean it can’t be appreciated by the rest of the world, though. Just look at Australia, the home of high-performance in the Southern Hemisphere. GM’s late Holden division delivered plenty of V8 firepower to the Outback for decades. Thus, it only makes sense for the Corvette to play in the Land Down Under, too.

One such Corvette is a rare ride here in the United States. Heading down the red carpet of Mecum Kissimmee in January is a ’63 split-window Z06, one that had spent most of its life in Australia before returning to its place of birth.

One of only 199 made in the C2 era, this Corvette Z06 landed in Port Melbourne for Holden’s promos in 1963 and 1964. The ‘Vette received its right-hand drive conversion shortly after arrival, residing in a suburb of Sydney. After appearances in the ’63 Sydney Motor Show and ’64 Melbourne Motor Show, it lived with its second owner until 2011, when ProTeam Corvette brought it back to the United States.

Under the hood of the Aussie Z06 is a matching-numbers Rochester fuel-injected 327 V8, which made 360 horsepower in its day. Funneling the power down to the 3.70:1 Positrac rear is a four-speed manual. Heavy-duty suspension handled the corners, heavy-duty brakes with power-assist slowed it all down on the road and track.

Underneath the Daytona Blue fiberglass body, the dark blue interior shows off the expert RHD transformation, a sight which will make more than a few do a double-take. There’s no radio tucked into the center console, though one isn’t needed. Not when the siren song of the 327 will do just fine.

Since its return to the U.S. in 2011, the Aussie Corvette Z06 has garnered tons of accolades. Among them include the coveted Bloomington Gold Benchmark Certified status, as this ‘Vette has never been restored. Only 5% of Corvettes ever built have this status. Whomever places the winning bid on this rare ride will have quite the piece of ‘Vette history in their garage.

Photos: Mecum Auctions

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