1963 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Tanker

Mickey Thompson’s Personal Z06

Engine: 327/360hp

Trans: 4-speed

Color: White

Interior: Blue

Another jewel thats going to be featured at the Mecum auction on Jan.19-26 in Kissimmee Florida is this killer 1963 Z06 Tanker that once belonged to race legend Mickey Thompson. Here is some background on this amazing car.

Accolades

– Mickey Thompson’s personal ZO6
– Previously known to be “The Sears/Allstate Tire Test Car”
– Recently discovered by David Burroughs’ Prove It to be Thompson’s personal driver
– Thompson likely spent more time driving #6844 than all four of his other Z06 race Corvettes
– #6844 was also used as the advertising model for Mickey Thompson mag wheels
– L84 327/360 HP Fuel Injection
– M20 close-ratio 4-speed transmission
– N03 36 gallon fuel tank
– Mickey Thompson’s original Chevron credit card

Mecum – In the fall of 1962, some two months before the Z06 option was released for sale to the public, 15 “Specially Assigned” 1963 Z06 Corvettes were allocated to prominent racers for competition on the road courses of America and Europe. Two were assigned to the Gulf Oil team’s killer drivers, Dick Thompson and Don Yenko; Washburn Chevrolet’s hot shoe Bob Bondurant drew another, as did Don Steves Chevrolet’s own Dave MacDonald, and an astounding four of the 15 total were assigned to Mickey Thompson. Before Chevrolet management knew it, all 15 had been assigned but now there was a major problem since racer demand exceeded supply.

With normal Corvette production, consumer demand determines an exact end number. However, in the case of factory competition Corvettes, whether it was 20 1967 L88s, 15 1966 M22s or 15 “Specially Assigned” 1963 Z06 coupes, the precise number is chosen in advance by management so that their suppliers can produce an exact amount of the small quantities of unique parts which comprise such small vehicle runs. Typically this is a multiple of the number five.
Gearing up for “regular-production” Z06-optioned Corvettes took time, so after the last of the 15 “Specially Assigned” Z06 Corvettes, #2244, was assembled on October 24, 1962, it would be over two months and 4,000 Corvettes later before the factory started assembling Z06 Corvettes for the public, recommencing on January 10, 1963 with Z06 #6553. Not so coincidentally, Chevrolet Sales & Marketing saw to it that the very first four Z06 Corvettes sold to the public just happened to be to four very special friends of the Division.
The first of these four “De Facto” Assigned Z06s, #6553, went to Chevrolet dealer and racer Dick Lang who closed the 1962 racing season finishing 4th nationally in SCCA’s A Production class. Predictably, the second went to Texas racer Delmo Johnson, who would place his “De Facto” Assigned Z06, #6577, as the highest-finishing Corvette at Sebring in 1963. The third such Z06, #6669, was assigned to A Production Central Divisional Champion, A. W. “Josh” Joslin.

The last Z06 in this unofficial, but still official, gang of four was Serial number 6844 and, though it wasn’t technically a competition Corvette, its owner was a close personal friend of Chevrolet General Manager Bunkie Knudsen whose chummy relationship had already resulted in him hogging nearly one quarter of the entire allocation of 15 “Specially Assigned” Z06 Corvettes. It seems that after securing a disproportionate four of the 15 assigned Z06s, even though Mickey Thompson had to stand in line together with the great unwashed masses to get his fifth Z06, he was near the head of that line too. Now he had five.