1962 Corvette Convertible VIN: 20867S109204 Total Production: 14,521 Manufactured at St. Louis: March 1962 Exterior Color: Almond Beige (820 produced) Interior Trim: Code 490F Fawn Soft Top Color: RPO 470E White Vinyl (6,625 produced - no charge) Engine: RPO 582 327/360 Horsepower V8 w/FI (1,918 produced - $484.20) Engine Suffix Code: RF Fuel Injection: Rochester Ramjet FI Model 7017360 Transmission: RPO 685 Close-Ratio 4-Speed  (6,268 produced - $188.30) Differential: RPO 675 Positraction Axle (14,232 produced - $43.05) Additional Accessories & Options: FOA 102 Wonderbar AM Radio (1,684 with FI - $137.75) RPO 242 Positive Crankcase Ventilation (California - $5.40) RPO 276 Wide Base 15x5-1/2 Wheels (561 produced – no charge) RPO 419 Auxiliary Hard Top (8,047 produced - $236.75) RPO 426 Power Windows (995 produced - $59.20) RPO 441 Direct Flow Exhaust System (2,934 produced - no charge) MSRP: $4,038 Base, plus $1,154.65 in options - $5,192.65 Total Mileage: 51,376 Owners: Nine Purchased: 8-6-2005; Hot August Nights Auction; Reno, Nevada

In 1962, astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth. But you didn’t need a space capsule for out-of-this-world travel… all you really needed was a 1962 Corvette. Chevrolet’s print advertising from the era described it best… “A test drive in a Corvette with the Fuel Injection V8 and a four-speed box isn’t a drive at all, it’s an emotional experience. Pick your favorite road, fasten your seatbelt, and place your right foot on that long narrow pedal on the right. Three shifts and a quarter of a mile later you’ve cleared out all the cobwebs and left all your troubles, not to mention everything else on the road, behind you.”

The 1962 edition was the last of the first-generation Corvette models, and the numerous engineering refinements incorporated during the previous nine years made for one great car. From mild to wild, the 1962 Corvette offered almost everything.

Four performance engines were available; all based on Chevrolet’s brand new, and today’s legendary, 327 cubic-inch displacement V8 motor. You could order the standard, entry-level 250-horsepower Carter WCFB four-barrel carbureted version with hydraulic valve-lifters for everyday bread-and-butter transportation (4,904 built). For a little more zoom the 300-horsepower, with larger AFB, four-barrel carbureted engine (RPO 583) at $53.80 was a good choice (3,294 built). The more-serious Corvette buyer paid $107.80 for the 340-horsepower, AFB-equipped, high-lift cam version (RPO 396) with mechanical lifters (4,412 built). Lastly, the pavement-scorching 360-horsepower Rochester Ramjet Fuel-Injection model with hair-trigger response containing a high-lift camshaft and mechanical lifters (RPO 582) topped the list at $484.20 (1,918 built). Regardless of engine, the 1962 Corvette was an outstanding combination of luxury and performance.

Depending on engine choice, four transmissions were available: the standard Saginaw Synchro-Mesh three-speed manual, the extra cost ($199.10) two-speed Powerglide automatic (introducing an aluminum case), and two optional ($188.30) versions of the aluminum-cased Warner Gear Division’s Synchro-Mesh four-speed manual (wide-ratio or close-ratio). Whether you planned to cruise the highways or burn-up a drag strip, the 1962 Corvette offered (for $43.05) the choice of eight different limited-slip Positraction rear axle ratios ranging from 3.08:1 through 4.56:1 gears, depending on engine and transmission combination.

The 1962’s fiberglass body was a carryover from 1961 and its new rear styling treatment provided a hint of the next generation Sting Ray. For road-trip touring convenience the trunk provided 20% more luggage capacity over the 1960 and earlier models. And it was the last model to have a conventional trunk accessible only from the outside (a feature that would be reintroduced 36-years later with the 1998 Corvette convertible). The redesigned transmission tunnel was 19% narrower providing driver and passenger increased interior foot- and leg-room comfort. The trademark Corvette body side coves (introduced in 1956) remained, but the earlier stainless trim surround was gone, replaced for ’62 by a crisp contour molded into the fiberglass. This new cove treatment eliminated the previous two-tone contrasting paint option, but the newly redesigned simulated front fender louver and additional lower side rocker molding trim distinguished the ’62 from all the rest. You had a choice of seven exterior colors… Tuxedo Black, Roman Red, Ermine White, Almond Beige, and the metallic colors Sateen Silver, Honduras Maroon and Fawn Beige. Interior trim color combinations available were Black, Red, or Fawn depending on the exterior color chosen.

The 1962 Corvette was the last of what has commonly been referred to as the “solid-axle” models. The drivetrain’s conventional straight rear differential axle housing unit was mounted directly to the chassis’s rear leaf springs, as opposed to later Corvettes with independent rear suspension where the differential is attached to the frame as unsprung weight. The basic chassis frame, as designed for 1953, contained box-section side girder rails with a central X-shaped, I-beam crossmember (for strength) and additional crossmembers at the very rear and at the rear axle “kick-up” (also used for mounting the rear shock absorbers). The left and right rear leaf springs were referred to as “outriggers”; being mounted slightly outboard of the main side rail girders (rather than directly under the main rail). The driveshaft passed over the top of the frame’s central X-member. This chassis frame served the Corvette well during its 10-year run, which by 1962 could still handle more than double the horsepower of the 1953 model.

By 1962 this chassis included, as standard equipment, a transverse-mounted rear axle stabilizer link (5/8” diameter) for improved cornering, and rear axle torque-limiting rods to prevent axle “windup” and wheel “hop” during quick acceleration thrust and severe braking situations. Those desiring all-out chassis performance, RPO 687 Heavy-Duty Brakes & Special Steering was available for an additional $333.60 (and only 246 were built in ‘62). This package consisted of brake drums incorporating external cooling vanes and internal cooling fans, vented brake backing plates with attached air scoops (and special fiberglass body air deflectors at each side of the radiator), segmented sintered-iron brake linings, heavy-duty Delco shock absorbers all around, and special front suspension & hub assembly incorporating a quick-steering adaptor decreasing the overall steering ratio to 16.3:1 (from standard 21.0:1). This serious Regular Production Option (RPO) was available in 1962 only when the 360-horsepower engine, four-speed manual transmission and Positraction axle (3.70, 4.11 & 4.56 ratios only) were specified.

Other popular 1962 Corvette equipment included the Factory Optional Accessory (FOA) 102 Transistorized AM-only signal-seeking Wonderbar Radio ($137.75), the RPO 419 Auxiliary Hard Top painted body color (with black headliner only) which could be added for $236.75 in addition to the standard soft top (or in place of the soft top at no charge), and RPO 1832 6.70-15 Whitewall (narrower than previous) Tires. Less in demand were the RPO 473 Hydraulic Folding Top Mechanism at an additional $139.90 with only 350 produced (compare that to the 2005 Corvette convertible’s reintroduction of the option at a cost of $1,995), and RPO 488 24-gallon Fuel Tank ($118.40, hard top only, and 65 produced).

In closing this segment on 1962 Corvette features, it should be noted that options such as power steering, power brakes and air-conditioning were never available prior to 1963. The Corvette for 1962 also signaled the end of a convertible-only model; the last DC (direct current) electrical generator charging system; exposed non-retractable headlights (which wouldn’t return until the 2005 model year); and the “king pin” based front steering knuckle suspension arrangement, similar to that last seen on the Chevrolet passenger car in 1954.

Certainly Chevrolet’s engineering staff was hard at work to design and create the next, legendary, generation of Corvettes introduced in 1963, but the ’62 model will forever remain among the very best of the genre.

 

“The last of an era – the end of the first generation Corvettes, but at least it went out with a bang! This 1962 was one of the fastest solid-axle Corvettes to date, and this 360-horsepower ‘Fuelie’ is a rare find, especially with its Almond Beige color and power windows.”

“Mitch Silver, owner of the Hot August Nights Auction, was right when he called and said if I appeared with a jacket to match, I would take this car home!

“I consider this correctly numbered Corvette a big find. What a beauty! A Naval Officer stationed in San Diego ordered this California Corvette new. The RPO 276 Wide Base Wheels and RPO 441 Off Road Exhaust make a real statement!”

“Plus, I have all the paperwork regarding past owners which makes this car highly sought-after and more than worthy of inclusion in my collection.”

...Dave Ressler

Back / Next