The '63 Corvette was almost a 4-seater...

[Mike999]

Impressed by the sales of Ford's post-1957 "personal luxury" Thunderbird, GM thought about making the new 1963 Corvette a 4-seater.  They even built a prototype.  And then a GM executive got into the back seat...

https://jalopnik.com/the-four-seat-corvette-was-too-bad-to-be-true-1847379594?traffic_source=Connatix
 

[espo]

That would have been a tight fit for anyone in the back seat not to mention getting in and out of the back. 

[Richard Bartrop]

And if your curious about where the Corvette would end up if they followed this idea, just take a look at a Monte Carlo.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

I read the article 3 times and saw nothing that indicated GM made the decision to proto the 4-seater based on Thunderbird sales versus a possible desire to keep competing directly with the T-bird for passenger capacity.

As far as the 1963 Corvette 'almost a 4-seater'. Well before 1963 Zora had a vision for his baby. A 4-seater making production would have ended Zora's relationship with GM. Even then, Zora was too valuable for GM to ever let that happen.

[Vince Nemanic]

I think it was in response to the Jaguar XKE 2+2.

[DPNM]

For some reason I'm not seeing the pics. Hard to comment either way.

[Oldcarfan27]

1 hour ago, DPNM said:

For some reason I'm not seeing the pics. Hard to comment either way.

[DPNM]

Ahhh, that's better. Thank you Patrick.

I don't think there would have been enough headroom despite the pic with the two elderly folk in the back.  Two smallish kids, probably.

 

 

[Oldcarfan27]

47 minutes ago, DPNM said:

I don't think there would have been enough headroom despite the pic with the two elderly folk in the back.  Two smallish kids, probably.

Yeah and imagine the sunburn on his shiny dome! ?

[DPNM]

I found a couple interior shots of this car:

And I'll bet someone on the forum is looking through their stash of '63 split windows.

[The Junkman]

The concept is still alive today.  Sit, or rather try to sit in the back seat of a Mustang.  Dogs, small children; OK.  Adult size people-well you better be good friends before a longish trip because you won't be afterwards.

[Rodent]

Two comments from me:

I had a Fox body Mustang hatch and my dad always complained about his "thinning spot" being like a bug under a magnifying glass any time I made him ride in the back.

A friend's father had a 63 Stinkray coupe for a couple of years, bought new. Things were different then, but his two youngest kids loved riding in the back cargo area.

[Oldcarfan27]

I find the styling integration of four seats done much better in this car than what was done with the Jaguar XKE 2+2. That just looked hideous to me and it got made!

Can somebody please POP that pimple before it bursts!! ?

[Richard Bartrop]

Apparently Ford toyed with the idea of a 4 door Mustang.

[afx]

As did Porsche with the 911.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a26140/the-strange-and-wonderful-tale-of-the-4-door-porsche-911/

[OldTrucker]

5 hours ago, afx said:

As did Porsche with the 911.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/a26140/the-strange-and-wonderful-tale-of-the-4-door-porsche-911/

Eeeew reminds me too much of this!

[Joe Handley]

On 8/2/2021 at 8:56 PM, Richard Bartrop said:

Apparently Ford toyed with the idea of a 4 door Mustang.

That would be interesting to see as a fastback with the 4 doors.

 

 

[Brian Austin]

Similar idea from a later era...

[Joe Handley]

41 minutes ago, Brian Austin said:

Similar idea from a later era...

Makes me wonder what a 4dr Pacer might look like…….?

[Brian Austin]

16 hours ago, Joe Handley said:

Makes me wonder what a 4dr Pacer might look like…….?

I almost made the same comment.  :-)

[Joe Handley]

2 hours ago, Brian Austin said:

I almost made the same comment.  ?

Now that I think of it, would it be a 4dr like a sedan or a wagon, or a 3dr like a Hyundai Veloster?!

The Pacers had the longer single door on the passenger side to get back seat passengers to get in and out of the car on the curb side, where the Veloster has 2 passenger side doors and 1 driver side!

[GRiN]

You would get a major sunburn in that back seat.