Corvette Big Tank Option

There is a saying: "With great power comes great responsibility". When it comes to Corvettes and Corvette race cars, this can be extended to "With great power comes poor fuel economy".

This became a problem for Corvettes in endurance racing, such as the 24 hour Le Mans race and the 12 hours of Sebring. The solution came in the form of increased fuel tank capacity.

Starting in 1959, there was option 1625, a 24 gallon tank for the Corvette. Little is known about the option other than that it was available. The Corvette Black Book does not list pricing or quantity built. It is also listed for the 1960 model year; the option is listed as 1625A and the price was $161.40. In 1961 the option code was 1625 and the price was also $161.40. The capacity for the stock 1959 - '60 Corvette fuel tank is 16.4 gallons.

Briggs Cunningham's Number 2 Corvette race car was raced on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960. It took third place in the Class R General Motors - Powered Sports Cars at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours. It is currently owned by Bruce Meyer, a prominent Beverly Hills car collector.

To the right is the fuel filler. Notice the wide opening, this facilitated the rapid transfer of large amounts of fuel to the tank.

A window sticker for a 1962 Corvette indicating that it was equipped with a 24 gallon fuel tank. According to the Corvette Black Book, 65 1962 Corvettes were so equipped. Corvette lore has it that 10 1960 Corvettes and 25 1961 Corvettes were big tank equipped, but this cannot be verified.

A 1962 Corvette Tanker. Note the funky fuel filler on the right. All C1 Tanker Corvettes were hardtop only, as the big tank did not make room for the folding convertible tops. This was not a problem as the hardtop is the preferred setup for competition due to its aerodynamic advantages.

Here's an interesting eBay auction. Up for offer is a NOS (New Old Stock or a brand new part that has never been installed anywhere) fuel tank for a C1 Tanker. This is an odd auction to say the least. The only people who may be interested in the purchase is somebody restoring a C1 Tanker Corvette in which the fuel tank is not in restorable condition. Talk about a limited market! Others, who for example are looking to build a C1 racer, could arrange for a steel or aluminum tank to be fabricated for much less than the $11,500 asking price in this auction.

The concept of a large fuel tank to aid endurance racing really took hold with the C2 Corvette generation. For all five C2 model years a RPO N03 36 gallon fuel tank was an available option costing $202.30 for the 1963 thru '66 model years and, for some reason, $198.05 for 1967.

Above: N03 36 Gallon Fuel Tank option as installed in a 1963 split window coupe. Only coupes were eligible for the option - convertibles need not apply. Limiting the N03 sales was the fact that it reduced the available luggage space. Some N03 owners carpeted the area to prevent scuffing.

Below is a big tank installed on a Z06 race car; notice the larger filler arrangement to allow faster fuel delivery enabling quicker pit stops.

N03 36 Gallon Fuel Tank option partly installed on the 1963 assembly line.

65 1963 coupes were N03 equipped. Most, but not all, were installed in Z06s.

N03 tanks are available as reproductions from the same eBay seller as the C1 tank mentioned earlier. The $8,500 price may be a bit sobering but where else could you find one? It might be useful if you think your C2 coupe needs more range. The original N03 tanks, all of which were fiberglass, sometimes began to seep fuel with age so replacement might be in order.

38 1964 coupes were shipped with the N03; 1965 had 41; 1966 saw 66. Above: despite the final notice document, two apparently well connected 1967 Corvettes were N03 equipped. The total N03s shipped from the St. Louis MO plant was 212.