Twas the Night Before Christmas - Corvette Style - Description ...

A SPECIAL THANKS TO FRANK & JANIE STAFFORD
AND ALL THOSE WHO HELPED IN ANY WAY WITH TAHOE 43!!
"MARK YOUR CALENDARS"
SATURDAY OCTOBER 8 - MYSTERY DINNER RUN BY BERT SHERMAN
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 11 - VETERANS DAY PARADE & DINNER PARTY
FRIDAY DECEMBER 2 - ANNUAL COF CHRISTMAS PARTY
BILLY TALLEY - CHAIRPERSON
SATURDAY DECEMBER 10 - GREAT AMERICAN MELODRAMA
BERT SHERMAN FOR MORE INFOMATION

CORVETTES OF FRESNO, INC
Is a non-profit organization formed by
those owners who are proud to drive
America’s only true sports car –
THE CORVETTE
Our club meetings are held at 7:00 pm on
the third Tuesday of the month at the
American Legion Hall located at 3509 N.
First Street, (North of Shields on the S/W
corner of First Street & Dayton), Fresno.
If you are an interested Corvette owner,
we invite you to attend.
The one time initiation fee is $30.00 and
covers the cost of your Corvettes of Fresno
window sticker, membership directory,
club by-laws, nametag and many other
goodies.
The annual dues are $95.00 per year per
couple, or $77.00 per year per individual.
1976 Corvette used the same
steering wheel as a Chevrolet
Vega for the "Sport Steering
Wheel" Option.
Due to stricter emissions
standards, California
Corvette buyers could not opt
for the L82 engine in 1976.
The most ordinary exterior
color was white.
CORVETTES OF FRESNO, INC
2011 OFFICERS
President: Jon DeVoe
E-mail: president@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559- 683-7003
Vice Pres.: Nick DiLiddo
E-mail: events@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-439-7267
Secretary: Terri Cavanaugh
E-mail: secretary@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-439-7519
Treasurer: Harry Bellow
E-mail: treasurer@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-294-7740
Membership: Ron Miller
E-mail: membership@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-974-2616
Webmaster: Al Hall
E-mail: webmaster@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-582-6375
Newsletter: Jim Agar
E-mail: newsletter@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-297-2200
WSCC Representative: Roger Merritt
E-mail: representative@corvettesoffresno.com
Phone: 559-294-1762
CORVETTES OF FRESNO, INC IS A PROUD MEMBER
OF THE WESTERN STATES
CORVETTE COUNCIL (WSCC)
FIBERGLASS FOREVER IS A MONTHLY
PUBLICATION.
PLEASE SUBMIT ARTICLES NO LATER THAN
THE THIRD FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH VIA
EMAIL TO:
newsletter@corvettesoffresno.com

ROCKtober Begins!!!!!
Just 3 more months of 2011. What was it, only one month ago it was 2009? Seems like it. I know I sure don’t miss
the hundies. The 90’s are at least workable; kinda. Did Tahoe have absolutely gorgeous weather? OK Staffords;
that’s 2 runs you had great climate. How do you do that? Who do you know? Well; except for Saturday night. We
had a down pour that wet & muddied up the backs of all the cars backed in against the side walls. Poker run;
awesome. Truckee cruise; Awesome. Car Show; AWESOME! Drive home; TOTALLY AWESOME!! Laguna
Seca; AWESOME AWESOME!!! Oh yeah; Staffords didn’t set that one up. Maybe Ron consorted with them for
it. That’s later. A HUGH, from-the-heart, “Thank You” to everyone that attended, helped out, set up, took down,
signed in, carried around, “handled stuff” that weekend. It makes it easier on everybody “if everyone does a little;
nobody does a lot”. Thanks to all the clubs that made the trek. Thanks to everyone that stepped up & filled in
when needed. What a great club we have that when anyone sees something that needs to be done, you don’t hear “I
don’t do that” or “Not my job” or “Why can’t they do it”. Nope. What you hear is “What’s next?” or “How can I
help?” or “What do you need?” or “It cost what?”. Just kidding. Seeing if you’re really reading all of this. What a
great, caring, “Ready to Jump In” club we have huh.
On to Laguna Seca. If you like racing; This is it. Road racing at its absolute best. And you get to back a couple of
different Corvette teams in a few different classes. Fast, faster & Fasterer. To watch ‘um pass & beat Porsches,
Ferraris, Jaguars, Auston Martins, some of the BMW’s. How do they do it? And then, walk around the pits
“Knowin’ & Showin’” that you drive one! And the backing in such numbers. Kids, teens, women, (yep, not just a
bunch of old guys) all the genres. “Flossin’ their colors”. Following Corvette Racing. They are just beautiful
looking cars. Absolute marvels of engineering. A Corvette Corral of over 250 vehicles; back to back; door to door.
Displayed like individual works of art; yet accumulatively; one large gorgeous display. Whew. Memories. A good
time by one and all.
Thanks to all you youngsters that have “eagerly” & with reckless abandon, jumped at the open board
positions. We’ll vote and finalize all that next month (October), or this month depending when you read this.
NOTE; Nominations are still open. If any of you just can’t wait to be on the board. Or if you are absolutely bored
on Tuesday nights. OR how ‘bout you just want to give back to your club that treats you so graciously? Yeah;
sure; that’s it! OK; so the board’s not for you. How ‘bout yous guys setting up some Mystery Dinner Runs. They
can be dinner, lunch, brunch, Lupper runs also! Com’on kids. You know the area. Lets hit some back roads and
enjoy some more great weather before it all goes “south” and I’m back to 12 hour days again. That’ll happen all
too quick. I’ve traveled with quite a number of you. I know you like to eat. Share your favorite eatery with the rest
of us. We’ll like it too!
Well; till the next time we’re together. 4 of us or 40 of us. Drive safely on all the highways & byways
wherever you’re traveling next. As Adam Carrola says – “Keep the air in the spare; And the bag in the wheel”. As
always “Save The Wave”. C-YA!
Soon to be “PAST” President: Jon
Presidential Quote: “The shifts of fortune, test the reliability of friends”. Cicero
Presidential Quote #2: “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself”. Jim Morrison
Thanks to all my friends……………..

IF YOU MISSED RENEWING YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES IT'S
NOT TOO LATE!! CONTACT RON MILLER ASAP!
Membership
Ron reported that as of today COF has 115 members and 80 cars.
Members & Guests
Total Attendance was 80 - 68 Members and 12 guests, James W. Belk, Jackie Christani
Steve & Laura Lucas, Sally M. Caglia, Byron Baker, Darrick & Carla Duerkson, Rolando & Lori Martinez
Christopher & Ellen Campbell.
Nametag drawing
Jonathan Baker's name was drawn and he was present. Jonathan won $50.00.
Remember to wear your nametag at the meeting for a chance to win.
Club Directories and Updates
The 2011 electronic copy of the club membership directory is available online at
www.corvettesoffresno.com (contact Al Hall for the new access info)
OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES
BRUCE & RUTH LOONEY - 14
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
RON MILLER
MEMBERSHIP
DAVE CAVANAUGH 13 - TERI ROTHCHILD 16 - RANDY FORRESTER 20
GUY GOODPASTER 21 - JERRY CLARK 21 - JERRI SHAUL 21
SUZANNE JOHNSON 23 - JESSIE ROBB 28 - MARGARET GONZALEZ 29
ELECTION NOTICE!!!
PLEASE ATTEND THE OCTOBER GENERAL MEETING
& PLACE YOUR VOTE FOR THE 2012 BOARD
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2012 COF BOARD
President: RON MILLER
Vice President: JONATHAN BAKER
Secretary: JACKIE CHRISTANI
Treasurer: LARRY MINNICH
Membership: HARRY BELLOW
Communications: JIM AGAR
Webmaster: AL HALL
NAME TAG DRAWING
JONATHAN BAKER'S NAME
WAS DRAWN & HE WON
$50.00
NEXT MONTHS DRAWING
WILL BE FOR $10.00
50/50 DRAWING WINNERS
ANGIE DILIDDO
DAN RODRIGUEZ
EACH WON $65.00

CORVETTES OF FRESNO - GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
CALL TO ORDER: President Jon DeVoe called the meeting to order at 7:14 pm. Board Members present were Nick
Diliddo, Terri Cavanaugh, Harry Bellow, Ron Miller, Jim Agar. Pledge of alliance was done.
MEMBERSHIP: Ron Miller reported at today’s Meeting: 63 members and 9 guests the following guests were introduced:
Rolando & Lori Martinez – Laura & Steve Lucas – Sally Caglia- Byron Baker- Darrick & Carla Duerkson & Jackie
Christani. September birthdays and anniversaries were acknowledged. Dues are payable tonight.
COF has a membership of 115 members and 80 cars.
SECRETARY’S REPORT: Jon Devoe called for a motion to forego the reading of the minutes of the meeting. It was
moved by Jerry Najarian & seconded by Bruce Looney. Motion approved. Patty McGraw motioned to accept the minutes
as printed Bert Sherman seconded it. Minutes accepted as printed...
TREASURER’S REPORT: Harry Bellow reported the account activity which is on file to be reviewed by members only.
Motion was made by Lee Delap to approve the Treasurer’s report – seconded by Billie Talley. Treasurer’s report
approved.
COMMUNICATIONS: Extra Newsletter up front for our guests. Last months newsletter was 20 pages 72 on the web.
Next month is the Tahoe edition For the period 8-1 to 9-6 there were 5,420 visitors to our website. #1 USA #2 China #3
Japan#4 Russia. The last 12 months there have been 436,000 page requests. Tomorrow is the deadline for the
newsletter.
WEBMASTER: as above
ACTIVITIES, Past: 8/20 Stafford mystery run- Frank gave a description.
9/16 – 9/18 Leman’s Race Laguna Seca- Ron Miller & Jon DeVoe gave run down.
2 cars were able to run laps on the track DeVoe & Gagnebin.
6/25 Wine Run to Coast- Poker winner was Kelley Ashley she was presented with a trophy.
9/8- 9/11 Tahoe stories were given by Jon DeVoe and Nick Diliddo to be followed by Frank Stafford.
ACTIVITIES, Future: Please refer to the Calendar of Events in the club newsletter or on the Club website,
www.corvettesoffesno.com for more details and up to date information.
9/30 Fowler High Homecoming – need 10 convertibles contact Allen Teixeira.
10/8 Mystery Run Bert Sherman approx $40, per person more to follow
Christmas Party is December 2, 2011 at Pardini’s.
11/11 Veterans Day Parade meet at Billie’s store a party will be held at her home after the parade cost $10 each.
12/2 Christmas Party at Pardinis – cost still unknown.
12/10 Christmas Extravaganza melodrama– Pismo Beach with lunch at the Cavanaugh’s -
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Thank you letter was read from Suzanne Gutile concerning plant send to Tom.
NEW BUSINESS: A chair is needed for Tahoe 44.
Billie has a few shirt available men or women’s contact her for styles and prices. Jackets, Blankets & Sweatshirts also
available.
Nominations for the following offices President – Ron Miller
Vice President – Jonathan Baker Treasurer – Larry Minnich Secretary – Jackie Christani. Membership – Harry Bellow -
Communications – Jim Agar
Board Meeting 10/4 at Denny’s Blackstone & Herndon 7pm
General Meeting 10/18 American Legion Hall 3509 N First St 7pm
NAME TAG DRAWING: Jonathan Baker’s name was drawn he was there with his name tag on. Next month’s drawing
will be $10.
RAFFLE: was held and we had 2 very lucky winners.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: none
The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Terri Cavanaugh - Secretary
TERRI
CAVANAUGH
SECRETARY

Friday Oct. 8th A fun mystery run will be hosted by Burt/Patty Sherman. Meet at Well Fargo Bank,
Friant & Fresno St. at 2:pm Be ready for a fun day , Burt has a full day of events for everyone to enjoy,
with a great meal to follow. The cost is $45.00 per person. Come and a have a great day with your
fellow C.O.F members. Call Burt for any info needed @ 559-439 9699. Thanks
Friday Nov 11 Veterans Day Parade . Billie Tally will be charing this event again this year, lets get your
vettes all spruced up and support our military, with your participation, Billie will have a time to meet at a
later date, but we will meet at the N/W corner of Shaw & Fresno st. She also plans to have lunch at her
house after the parade, the cost is $10.00 per person. Had great food last year.
Friday December 2nd COF Annual Christmas Party, Pardini`s Resturant on Shaw Ave. Billie Tally is the
chairman again this year with a lot of COF members helping out. Come join the fun and good food with
members and quests. Starting time to follow, put date on your calendar
Saturday Dec 10 THE GREAT AMERICAN MELODRAMA AND VAUDEVILLE, OCEANO, CALIF.
CALL BERT OR PATTY @ 439-9699
A BIG THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US AT
CORVETTES OF FRESNO TO
FRANK & JANIE STAFFORD
CHAIRMAN OF THIS GREAT EVENT
THANKS ALSO TO EVERYONE WHO SERVED
ON COMMITTEES OR HELPED OUT IN ANY
WAY!!!
NICK
DILIDDO
V.P.
ACTIVITIES
ATTENTION ALL COF MEMBERS
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE RUN PICTURES OR REQUIRE MORE INFORMATION
ON ANY OF OUR UPCOMING RUNS & EVENTS PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE @
www.corvettesoffresno.com
THE WEBSITE CONTAINS A MUCH LARGER NEWSLETTER & LOTS MORE PICTURES &
INFO THAN YOU WILL FIND IN OUR PRINTED VERSION

PHOTOS BY BILLIE TALLEY

PHOTOS BY FRANK STAFFORD

PHOTOS BY BILLIE TALLEY

PHOTOS BY FRANK STAFFORD

PHOTOS BY JON DEVOE

PHOTOS BY BILLIE TALLEY

PHOTOS BY FRANK STAFFORD

PHOTOS BY BILLIE TALLEY

PHOTOS BY FRANK STAFFORD

PHOTOS BY JON DEVOE

PHOTOS BY JON DEVOE

PHOTOS BY JON DEVOE

PHOTOS BY JOHN DEVOE

PHOTOS BY JIM AGAR

PHOTOS BY JON DEVOE

CONGRATULATIONS TO COF PRESIDENT JON DEVOE FOR WINNING THIS DIECAST
RACE CAR IN THE CELEBRITY CAR SHOW WITH JUDGING BY ALL THE CORVETTE
RACE DRIVERS - THE COMMENT ON THE AWARD WAS:
TOO UNIQUE TO PASS UP....
AMAZING JOB WITH A GREAT LOOK!!!
ALLEN &
RON TAKE A
REST BREAK
IN A WAY
COOL
CORVETTE
RACING
CHAIR

WHERE: THE GREAT AMERICAN MELODRAMA AND VAUDEVILLE, OCEANO, CALIF.
(ONE AND A HALF MILES SOUTH OF PISMO)
WHEN: DECEMBER 10, 2011 @ 8:00 PM
COST: $20.00 ADMISSION, $7.50 PER PERSON FOR LUNCH.
HOSTED BY: DAVE & TERRI CAVANAUGH, BERT & PATTY SHERMAN.
RESERVATIONS: CALL BERT OR PATTY @ 439-9699
THIS DELIGHTFUL SHOW WILL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND SURELY PUT YOU IN THE
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.
THE CHRISTMAS SHOW IS ALWAYS SOLD OUT FAR IN ADVANCE BUT WE HAVE SECURED 44
EXCELLENT SEATS ON THE FLOOR IN FRONT OF THE STAGE. (SEE SEATING CHART), THE $882.00
ADMISSION MUST BE PAID BY NOVEMBER 24th. ONCE PAID THERE ARE NO REFUNDS. IF YOU ARE
GOING PLEASE PAY BERT OR PATTY ON OR BEFORE OUR NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETING. (CASH
PREFERED)
WE WILL MEET AT SHAW & FRESNO BY 9:00 AM, LEAVING PROMPTLY AT 9:30 AM. IF NECESSARY WE
CAN STOP IN KETTLEMAN AND PASO AND STILL BE AT THE HISTORIC ROTTA WINERY IN
ATASCADERO BY NOON FOR A PRIVATE WINE PRESENTATION.
FROM ATASCADERO WE JUMP OVER TO HIGHWAY 1 AND HEAD SOUTH TO DAVE & TERRI'S IN
CAYUCOS FOR LUNCH, ARRIVING SHORTLY AFTER 1:00 PM. WE WILL FEAST ON TRI-TIP, SALAD &
DAVE'S WORLD FAMOS GASLESS BEANS & SOFT DRINKS, BYOB. AFTER LUNCH WE WILL DISPURSE TO
CHECK IN, SHOP, REST OR BROUSE AROUND IN PISMO.
MANY OF OUR MEMBERS HAVE THEIR OWN PLACES IN AND AROUND PISMO. THOSE OF US WHO DO
NOT MIGHT CONSIDER MOTEL 6, ONLY A MILE SOUTH OF PISMO, EASY ACCESS AND THE CLOSEST
MOTEL TO THE MELODRAMA. IF YOU PREFER A MORE RESORT TYPE ATMOSPHERE, STAY ON THE
BEACH AT DOUBLE OR TRIPLE THE PRICE. WE HAVE SECURED 12 ROOMS TOGETHER, ON THE BACK
SIDE, WHICH GIVES US GREATER PROTECTION FOR OUR CARS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO STAY THERE,
CALL 1-800 544-4866.
WE WILL MEET AT MOTEL 6 AT 6:00 PM FOR HAPPY HOUR. THE MOTEL WILL GIVE US A ROOM AT NO
CHARGE. BYOB AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF SNACKS TO SHARE, IF YOU CAN. WE WILL LEAVE
TOGETHER FROM THIS LOCATION. THE SHOW IS LESS THAN 5 MIN. FROM HERE.
IF YOU WANT "NICE", HAVE AN EARLY DINNER IN THE PISMO AREA. FOR THOSE WITH A LESS
SOPHISTICATED PALATE, FUN STUFF IS AVAILABLE AT THE MELODRAMA, HOT DOGS, CHILE, BBQ
BEEF OR CHICKEN SANDWICHES, BEER, WINE, SOFT DRINKS, SNACKS, DESSERTS ETC. THERE IS A
DENNY'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF MOTEL 6 FOR BREAKFAST.
WE HOPE ALL OF YOU CAN MAKE THIS FUN
EVENT
DAVE, TERRI, BERT & PATTY

Corvette Hall of Famer Betty Skelton Passes at Age 85
Betty Skelton, the former acrobatic pilot and Corvette test
driver who was known as the “fastest woman on Earth”
died Wednesday August 31 at the age of 85. For her
contributions to Corvette which included roles as a test
driver, car show technical narrator and one of the
founders of Corvette News (which later became Corvette
Quarterly), Betty was inducted into the Corvette Hall of
Fame in 2001.
Betty was born in Pensacola, Florida and made her first
solo flight at the age of 12. By 18, she held a commercial
pilots license and was a certified flight instructor. Her
father organized an amateur air show in 1945 and Betty
was asked to do some basic stunts. Having mastered some aerobatic maneuvers, Betty became a
professional aerobatic pilot and performed at air shows across the country.
Betty’s most impressive stunt during this time was cutting a ribbon strung between two poles with her
propeller while flying upside down 10 feet off the ground.
Skelton held the title for the US Female Aerobatics Championship from 1948-1950. In 1949 she set the
world light-plane altitude record of 25,763 in a Piper Cub and two years later broke her own record with
a flight of 29,050 feet.
In 1953 after retiring from aerobatic flying, Betty was piloting charter flights when she met NASCAR’s
Bill France Sr. Bill invited Betty to Daytona Beach in 1954 where she drove the Pace Car. She then took a
Dodge sedan to 105.88 mph on the beach, setting a stock car speed record for women.
It was in 1956 that she joined Campbell-Ewald, the advertising partner of General motors. She became
the first woman technical narrator at the major auto shows where she would talk about the cars and
demonstrate their features. Zora Arkus-Duntov put her to work as a test driver where she set numerous
speed records with Corvettes. In 1957, Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell designed a special translucent gold
Corvette which Betty drove to Daytona in 1957 to serve as the NASCAR pace car. It was also during this
time that Betty Skelton became the official spokeswoman for Chevrolet.
Her career in advertising was moving just a quickly. While at Campbell-Ewald, Skelton helped launch
the internal magazine called Corvette News which later became known as Corvette Quarterly. She became
VP of Campbell-Ewald’s Women’s Market and Advertising departing in 1969 and retired in 1976 after
20 years in advertising.
Skelton was the first woman to drive an Indy car and she repeatedly set records for speed and
acceleration at Daytona Beach and on the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. In 1956, she broke a
transcontinental speed record, driving from New York to Los Angeles, covering 2,913 miles in 56 hours,
58 minutes.
In 2001, Betty Skelton was inducted in the National Corvette Museum’s Corvette Hall of Fame for all her
contributions to Corvette. She is also a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame as well as the
Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Betty remained loyal to Corvettes and most recently owned a red C5 Corvette convertible that matched
her hair. “I just like to go fast” she said in 2008. “I enjoy it, I really do.”

What it means when the oil light comes on
You are driving along the road when the oil warning light on your dash comes on. What does it mean, and
how serious is the problem. If the oil warning light does come on, pull over to the side of the road, when it's
safe to do so. Don't drive on in the hope that you can complete that twenty-mile journey home.
If you are lucky, the warning light is just telling you that you haven't checked your oil in a long time, and it's
too low. If so, get some engine oil and top the level up, and hope you haven't done any permanent damage
to your engine components.
I don't recommend using the warning light as reminder to check your oil. Overheating an engine massively
increases wear and tear. Not only does this affect the metal components, but the rubber oil seals will also
start to deteriorate.
You are also increasing the chances of your car engine seizing, with all the monetary costs to you that this
will entail. All for the sake of not checking your oil level regularly.
Other reasons for your oil warning light coming on are caused by rather more serious problems. Using the
wrong grade of oil will cause wear problems, especially an oil which is too thin. The higher the running
temperature of your engine the thinner the oil becomes, and so it cannot protect your engine as well as the
correct grade. This leads to engine component surfaces wearing quicker than they need to.
If you have been faithfully checking your oil, and there are no obvious oil leaks, then it's time to get the
advice of a mechanic. Your oil pump could be defective, which may lead to your engine's bearings
becoming worn. Unfortunately if there is excessive wear to your main bearings, you are talking about a
costly engine rebuild.
A good way to get an idea of how much wear is going on inside your engine is to drain the oil, and remove
the sump. Use a magnet, to see if there are any metal particles in the oil. This is a sure sign of damage to
your engine. If there are no signs of wear, then you've been lucky, and caught the problem in time.
Having checked that your oil pump is within wear limits, then another place the problem could lie, is in the
oil pick-up strainer. You can access the strainer while the sump is off the engine. A clogged strainer is a
sure sign that your car has been neglected in the past.
Infrequent oil changes leads to a build up of old cloggy oil in the bottom of the sump, which then gets
sucked up into the strainer. This affects the ability of the oil in the sump to circulate around the engine, and
generally reduces the oil pressure. Clean the strainer, re-fit the sump and add new oil. You should change
the oil filter at the same time, as some of that grunge may be limiting the oil circulation through the filter as
well.
The oil warning light coming on can also be a sign of problems with your engine's cooling system. If your
cooling system is faulty, it will cause the temperature of the engine to rise. This in turn will affect the
viscosity of your engine oil, and again, lead to wear and tear of your engine's internal components. Don't
forget to check the coolant level; your thermostat gauge may be faulty.
So, if your oil warning light comes on, stop and check if there are any obvious reasons for the warning.
Have you forgotten to top-up the oil, has the engine developed an oil leak, or possibly your thermostat
gauge is faulty.
Personally speaking, anything other than having forgotten to put oil in the car is best dealt with by getting
your car towed home or to a garage, and checked out. It's better to be cautious now, than blow your engine
completely, and end up paying for either a new engine or a complete rebuild.

The clay bar is not supposed to be a well-kept secret. It's normally sold as part of detailing
kits, many people still don't understand. It just works. Have you ever drawn your hand across
your hood just after washing expecting smoothness only to feel lots of little bumps and bits of dirt
everywhere? Late-model paints, once cured, are harder than old-fashioned enamels (especially
the clear-coat), and will show minor abuse quickly. Tiny bits of sharp stuff like dust and metal
fragments can stick into that clear-coat and normal washing won't remove them. If you don't get
rid of them, the Grim Reaper is coming for your paint.
The same effect of "dragging traction" encountered when drying with a chamois, which
we described in the "Drying Don'ts" section, is what makes the clay bar so effective (but in a
positive way). First off, the car must be freshly bathed to use the clay, or the bar will choke on all
surface-bound dirt and probably scratch the paint. When lightly rubbed over the surface of your
clean paint, lubricated by a coat of detailing spray, the clay will pick up embedded particles in
your paint that would otherwise remain after washing.
Clay bars pull out and shear off embedded particles and surface-born contaminants with a
safe and effective lubricated mechanical action. The clay bar must be sliding on a film of detailer
or it will stick to the paint and skip and leave trace clay deposits (which come right off with the
clay bar). While using a clay bar, knead it regularly (remold the working surface so fresh clay is
exposed). When using instant detailer for clay work it can be wiped off in the same fashion as it
would when used as a detailing spray. If the instant detailer dries it can be removed by spraying
on more and drying it off immediately. If you drop the clay bar throw it away—period. This is
why it's smart to use only a section of the clay bar while working, not all of it at once.
Clay Facts: Clay bars will remove the wax from your vehicle's finish so be prepared to reseal
the entire clay-barred portion of your paint. (For that reason don't use a clay bar unless
your paint really needs it; otherwise you'll just be making more work for yourself.) So if you plan
to polish, seal and wax, do it after using a clay bar. When using clay consider the brand of clay
you use—some are very hard and aggressive.
Clay works well on plastic, trim and glass as well as on matte-finish plastics that are free of
coatings. Clay bars can remove paint over-spray from chrome and paint and just about any
other hard or shiny surface. Mothers® Clay Bar is safe for all automotive paints.
The initial goal of preparing your paint is to eliminate all impurities and pieces of debris
from the surface. Thorough washing followed by the clay bar should remove all offending
particles and substances and leave the paint ready for polishing. This process of smoothing the
paint's surface rounds off the edges of surface-depth scratches, evens out the crinkling from any
minor blemishes and erases the etching left by water spotting and more. It's like sanding a piece
of wood with sandpaper but with a much, much finer medium.
Of course, some scratches are just too deep to polish away—and not all marks and nicks
can be fixed with elbow grease. If the damage is deep enough to catch your fingernail you may
not be able to remove it entirely. If all else fails try a slightly stronger polish. When working a
scratch with any polish you should rub against it from various angles opposite the direction of
the scratch.

When applying polishes, sealers, glazes or waxes use a clean, 100-percent cotton towel,
microfiber cloth, foam wax pad or suitable applicator. Moisten the applicator only when using
paste products, because liquids already have water in them. Don't goop on too much material—
thin layers work better. If you're using liquid waxes and polishes, pour them on the applicator
instead of directly on the paint; otherwise they may leave dark, super-waxed streaks. The
exception to this rule is Spray Wax which can be applied directly to the paint surface.
Apply the material on only one section or body-panel at a time—don't try to do the whole
vehicle at once. Whether you use a straight or circular motion is not as important as the amount
of pressure. Don't use too much—work with a soft hand, letting the applicator and wax or polish
to do its job. Just be sure to rotate the applicator frequently and work with new surfaces to
reduce the chance of paint damage
Keep clean towels with you to remove any waxes and polishes that get into spots they don't
belong such as on trim. Let the product dry to a haze before rubbing it off. Use a 100-percent
cotton or microfiber towel when removing polishes, waxes, etc. Rotate the towel to a clean area
frequently, and shake it out occasionally or start with a new towel altogether.
You can treat your paint with varying degrees of polish in preparation for sealing and
wax. Some polishes are very strong and can damage the finish if not used properly—this sort of
polish may be best left to body-care professionals. A mild polish used repeatedly and extensively
is safer than a more aggressive polish which can cause paint damage.
If you're dealing with minor water spotting and lightweight scratches or perhaps
atmospheric deposits or light chemical etching from bird droppings, an entry-level cleaner/polish
will do the job. This light cleaner/polish is minimally invasive but still effective, consistent and
easy to use. It can be applied several times in a row to slowly erase light surface damage—so
polish to your heart's content!
In case of more noticeable damage in the paint, a polish with more "power" may be
necessary. Keep in mind that it's a more assertive variety of polish, and being too forceful with it
could damage your color or clear-coat. Don't rub too hard—let the product do the work. Scratch
Remover is stronger than the Pre-Wax Cleaner and can help smooth out more obvious paint
damage. At the risk of sounding repetitious, keep in mind that when you hit the paint with a hard
polish don't forget the potential damage overuse can cause.
If polishing is the most important step to rendering your car's paint to a glorious, shining
visage, then an application of a sealer/glaze is the way to go. Polishes and cleaners can smooth
edges and erase minor scratches, but sealers/glazes handle the stuff that polishes can't quite fix.
Functioning as a sort of gap-filler these sealer/glaze combos hide imperfections such as
spiderwebbing, swirl marks and light scratches

Sealers and glazes can be used without re-polishing the surface and applied over prior
coats of wax. Darker paints respond much more visibly to a sealer/glaze—in most cases lighter
colors and whites don't have as much visual depth and the effect of a sealer/glaze is less
noticeable. In some cases, show vehicles are treated to frequent coats of sealer/glaze and see no
wax at all—this approach is fine, and will probably promote a deeper luster than sealer/glaze and
subsequent waxing together, but it affords only minimal protection from the elements. Wax acts
as the hard candy shell of paint treatments, and without it the paint isn't as well protected.
The practice of wax application and removal is not complicated but needs to be done
thoroughly and correctly. Consistent surface coverage and thickness leave a shine far superior to
uneven application, insufficient removal or ineffective rubbing. The formula for success is
simple: select a body panel to work on, and apply your wax evenly and lightly, in parallel
movements. Then buff the hazed wax with a 100-percent cotton towel or microfiber cloth. Rub
the paint until no wax remains. Don't forget to turn the towel frequently, and shake it out as well
(downwind and away from the car, of course). Be careful to avoid getting wax on plastic and
rubber that can absorb it and become discolored. It's better to leave a little space between the
paint and the suspect plastic/rubber and then touch it up later with careful, small movements of
the applicator.
If you're following a complete treatment of polish and sealer & glaze, look for a highquality
carnauba wax with no cleaning agents. You're essentially sealing the sealer & glaze, and
adding a protective shield. One good coating should be enough to keep things shiny and bright
for months depending on your local climate and conditions.
If you're working on a light-colored vehicle (white, yellow, beige, silver, etc), a single-step
cleaner wax may be better suited for the job. This product is carnauba wax but with minor
polishing agents that break down during application. Carnauba cleaner waxes can take two steps
out of the finishing process for lighter-colored paints that don't have as much inherent visual
depth.
After you finish each section of paint remember to go over the nooks & crannies and
associated parts and trim items to catch any wax left behind that would otherwise turn into
annoying little bits of white crud. If you overlook these areas until after the waxing process is
finished a detailer's pick or soft nylon bristle brush can work well to remove the residue.
Quick Detailing: Between washings dust and light road film can be removed without
water. By combining the use of a car duster (frequently referred to as the California Car Duster)
and a detailing spray, you can keep your ride much cleaner between washings. A regular practice
of "dusting & detailing" can also extend the time between washings. A light coating of dust can
be swept away with the car duster and chased with a treatment of detailer.
The trick is to know how much dirt is on the car and what sort. If there's a thorough layer
of dust, but it's light and not stuck to the paint, you can run the car duster over your vehicle to
remove all but trace amounts of dirt. Then you hit it with a spray wax or instant detailer to
complete the job. In some cases you can't dust off the grime—rain has turned atmospheric
residue to a fine mud or there's some sort of muck adhered to the paint, such as bird droppings
or tree sap. Some things can only be removed by washing with soap and water.

History of Louis Chevrolet
CO FOUNDER OF CHEVROLET
Written by Mark DeSantis in collaboration with Ralph J. Kramer
Although fans of the NHRA sometimes refer to funny car driver
Dick Harrell as Mr. Chevrolet, ladies and gentleman, there really
was a Mr. Chevrolet and his name was Louis Joseph, and he
migrated to America with his 3 brothers: Alfred, Arthur, and
Gaston Chevrolet.
The great Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was born Christmas Day, December 25, 1878, in the
Bernese Jura region of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. During his childhood he spends
time in the villages of Bonfol and Beurnevésin, which were close to the French border.
Around 1887, when Louis was around nine years old, the Chevrolet family left Switzerland to
live in Beaune in the Côte-d'Or region of France. Gaston Chevrolet was born in Deaunt,
France, Oct. 26, 1892 followed by Arthur in 1896 born in Bonfol. In Swiss fashion, Louis'
father Joseph worked in the watch and clock trade while Louis learned to repair and later
race bicycles. Louis had gained intense interest in the repair of bicycles while working at the
Roblin mechanics shop (1895-1898) which fixed carriages and bicycles. There he learned the
basics of gears and mechanicals. As a teenager, he was a guide for a local wine cellar. An
early account said he was impatient with the slow decanting of wine from cask to cask so he
invented a wine barrel pump that speeded the process and was used extensively in the
Burgundy region for decades. He would also build and sell his own
bicycle called the Frontenac. This name would be later used for his
race cars. There is an old Bonfol story that is told about Louis
meeting American millionaire and racer William K. Vanderbilt.
While on vacation in Europe, Vanderbilt was looking for a
mechanic to repair his cycle. The story suggests that while getting
his cycle fixed at Roblin, Vanderbilt observes Louis' skill fixing his
cycle and invites the young Chevrolet to come to America,
suggesting that there was grand opportunity for someone with his
abilities. Many young men of that era would compete in bicycle
racing in the Hills of Beaune. Louis not only competed, but he won
numerous bicycle races. During his teens, although in great physical
shape, Louis loses interest in the bicycle and becomes a wellgroomed,
six foot chauffeur; a job which required driving and
mechanician skills. Before the turn of the century, while at a waterfront tavern in Montreal,
Chevrolet meets Henri-Emile Bourassa and stays at the Bourassa home for a period of time,
before leaving for New York. Bourassa, who was from a family of cabinet makers, turned to
automobiles and made his first car in 1899. Chevrolet who later wanted Emile to join him in
Detroit, however remained in Montreal, his last car built in 1926 with a Rickenbacker
chassis.

Louis known for racing the 2 wheel Darracq manufactured bicycles, leaves Roblin and was given
a job in the mechanical shops of Mors and Darracq Company. Darracq built the well known
Gladiator bicycles, however Louis was introduced to the Darracq internal combustion engine.
This event would consume his interest and Louis began studying the 4 cycle engine. Some time
later he worked for Hotchkiss and De Dion-Bouton, which also opened operations on Church
Lane and 37th Street in Brooklyn, New York. During the turn of the century he migrated to
Montreal, Canada and was able to employ work as a chauffeur and then migrated to the
headquarters of De Dion-Bouton "Motorette" Company in Brooklyn.
During 1902, De Dion-Bouton "Motorette" Company closes and he loses his position and learns
of his Dad's passing and encourages his mother Angelina, and family to migrate to America. The
family Chevrolet leaves Havre and arrives in Brooklyn, May 2, 1902 aboard the sailing ship S.S.
La Savoie.
Louis eventually worked for Fiat in Manhattan. During 1902, now known for having great
mechanical skills, Louis moves his new career into automobile racing after observing big car
racing at the First Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 8, 1904. Two new 75 HP Fiats would race the
Vanderbilt Cup with Paul Satori driving the Vanderbilt Racer and William Wallace driving the
other. NYC Fiat distributor E. Rand Hollander assigned back up driver Louis to compete in his
first race at the Hippodrome near Morris Park.
Louis first documented race was May 20, 1905 at the
New York ACA speed trials driving William Wallace
90hp Fiat which Louis performed considerable
mechanical work. He sets a new record driving the
Wallace Fiat for the one mile lap was 52.4 seconds
which bettered famed Barney Oldfield's best time of
53 seconds. This performance allowed Chevrolet to be
selected by the New York ACA as Walter Christie's
teammate as the Dr H.E. Thomas Trophy Race
sponsored by Chicago's ACA at the Harlem Track on
May 27 where his Fiat developed mechanical troubles.
The first race that Louis won (and beat Barney
Oldfield) was the first heat at Yonkers, New York Empire City track. Louis Chevrolet would win
10 of the 11 races over Oldfield. On a wonderful 3rd of July, 1905 Louis marries sweetheart
Suzanne Treyvoux at Saint Vincent de Paul. He would Honeymoon in Niagara Falls between
races. His sons Charles and Alfred were born in 1906 and 1912.
Louis gained rapid fame in the automobile racing circles. In early January 1906, Louis would
join Walter Christie at Speed Week at Daytona Beach, Florida (also known as Ormond Beach).
Louis, solicited by the Darracq team would drive the powerful 200hp V8 Darracq, and actually
held the world land speed record for a short time at 119 mph only to be topped later by Victor
Hemery's mechanic, Victor Demogeot, at 122mph. Louis later arriving in the Long Island and
driving in the Vanderbilt Cup Races, which was held on the Long Island Motor Parkway from
1904-1910.

Louis with impressive credentials was selected as one of 5 Fiat Team drivers at the second
Vanderbilt Cup Race on October 2, 1905. During early morning practice, he got into a patch
of fog and ran into a telephone pole with the 110 hp Fiat. Major CJS Miller made his
personal 75 hp Fiat available to Louis to finish the Vanderbilt Cup Race, but broke its axle on
the seventh lap of the race. During 1908, Chevrolet appears driving a Matheson. Before the
1909 Vanderbilt Cup Race Louis agrees to establish a general automobile garage business in
New York City named Chevrolet-Kenen Auto Company but the agreement never
consummates.
On March 5th 1909, Louis and his brother Arthur were hired by Buick to join the Buick
Race Team. During the last 2 years of the Vanderbilt Cup Race on Long Island, Louis drove
his famous (1909) Buick Marquettes clocking the fastest laps of the race and nearly won the
1910 race, only to give the lead away to Harry Grant due to front suspension failure. The
Franco-Swiss driver managed to beat fate and suffered many injuries from the Vanderbilt
crashes. Louis went on to race and win the Harkness Gold Trophy in Sheepshead Bay,
Brooklyn in 1917. Louis averaged 110mph during the 100 mile race, which was absolutely
flying in the early hand built cars. In this race he had beaten some of the best drivers back in
the day. Prior to this race, Louis had prominent victories at Cincinnati and Chicago tracks.
As lead driver for the Buick Racing Team, William C. Durant, who thought the Chevrolet
name had a pleasant sound, pursued Louis to join Durant's new company, General Motors,
and designed a six-cylinder automobile with fresh style, power and luxury. Durant wisely
capitalized on the designer's racing fame. Louis' association with Durant, however, was
loathing at best. When William Durant pressured Louis to add a lower priced automobile,
Louis confronted Durant not wanting his name associated with a lower priced vehicle and
parted from the company, selling his stock in GM, thus passing up an opportunity to become
wealthy.
Louis returned to what he loved best, designing race cars and in 1915 drove a newly
engineered car called the Cornelian at the Indianapolis 500. Louis, banned to use his own
name on his cars, later returned to the name he previously used on his racing bicycles, the
Frontenac.
In 1916, Gaston Chevrolet became a partner with his
brothers in the Frontenac Motor Corporation. Driving a
Frontenac race car, he competed in the 1919 Indianapolis
500, finishing in tenth place while brother Louis finished
seventh. The following year, Gaston Chevrolet broke the
European dominance at the Indianapolis Speedway, winning
the race in a redesigned Monroe-Frontenac. In the process,
he became the first driver in the history of the 500-mile (800
km) race to go the distance without making a tire change.
Following his victory at Indianapolis, he competed in several
more events, winning a 100-mile (160 km) match race
against Tommy Milton and Ralph Mulford. Gaston married
Miss Marguerite Bueron of Brooklyn on Oct. 27, 1916.

In 1920, the Chevrolet brothers: Gaston, Louis, and Arthur return to Indianapolis with the
newly designed overhead cam Frontenac and won back-to-back races in 1920 and 1921 with
Gaston at the wheel in 1920. Single and Dual Overhead Cam Fronty Fords appear using the
Chevrolet Designed Frontennac Heads.
Gaston Chevrolet, now the 1920 points leader, traveled to the West Coast and entered the
Beverly Hills Speedway board track in Los Angeles California. However, during lap 146,
Gaston was seriousley injured and later died when Chevrolet's and Eddie O'Donnell's
machines crashed together on the Speedway at the east end of the grand stand near the close
of the 250-mile race for the 1920 championship. The accident occurred while Chevrolet,
O'Donnell and Joe Thomas were fighting to make up the half dozen laps they were behind the
leaders. Gaston was a mechanic for two years before he demonstrated at the 500-mile
Memorial Day race at Cincinnati in 1917, where he finished third, that Gaston earns a driver
of merit.
Louis, overcome with the loss of his brother, vows to never race again. Louis and his
remaining brothers concentrate on car building and re-engineering engines and chassis of the
day.
During the early and mid 1920's, as noted car builders and owners, the Chevrolet Brothers
racing cars enter the Gold and Glory Sweepstake races at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in
Indianapolois, Indiana. Louis having appreciation and no discrimination for the Black race
car drivers of the day, prepares his Fronty Ford engines for the so called Colored Speedway
Association drivers. Gold and Glory drivers such as John Simmons, Ben Carter, Bill Bottoms,
Wild Bill Jefferies, and Bob Wallace would gain fame driving the Louis Chevrolet Fronty
Ford and Frontennac cars. Wild Bill Jefferies would purchase a Frontenac race car from
Louis Chevrolet, a design he had used in the Indy 500 for $12,000 and compete in the
inaugural Gold and Glory Sweepstakes. Wild Bill would win the 1928 race in a Fronty Ford.
In 1929, Louis and Arthur Chevrolet would also form the Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft
Company with a new engine of their design but lost the business to Glenn L. Martin.
Prior to his induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, National Sprint Car
Hall of Fame (1990) and Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1995), Louis proved he was a
fierce competitor on the track during the early days of the American automobile.
Gaston Chevrolet is interred next to his brothers in the Roman Catholic Holy Cross and Saint
Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Corvette Racing at Baltimore Grand Prix: The Science of Street Racing
BALTIMORE, Aug. 31, 2011 – Before the first practice session
at the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix begins, Corvette Racing’s
twin Compuware Corvette C6.R race cars will already have
made dozens of laps on the downtown street circuit – thanks to
sophisticated computer simulations.
The first race on the 2.1-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit is
a journey into the unknown for American Le Mans Series teams.
With limited practice time before Saturday’s two-hour race,
every second on the track is precious. In order to maximize the Corvettes’ performance, the engineering team
has analyzed the layout and developed chassis setups on a virtual track.
“Beginning with drawings provided by the organizers, we developed a projected racing line based on the
geometry of the track,” said Corvette Racing engineering director Doug Louth. “Then the engineering team
ran simulated laps to optimize gear ratios and chassis setups. We’ve prepared maps for the drivers that show
projected shift points, maximum and minimum speeds, and potential passing zones.”
This proprietary simulation program is used in a variety of GM motorsports programs, from ALMS and
Grand-Am road racing to NASCAR. It’s also used by engineers in the production Corvette group and other
technology partners.
“The big variable on street circuits is the pavement,” Louth noted. “While we have data about elevation
changes and the crown in the road, we won’t know how smooth or rough the asphalt is until we’re on site.
There could be bumps that require adjustments in the racing line, or the organizers might make last-minute
changes in the barriers and cones that define the track perimeter. We have to be prepared for these
possibilities.
“Corvette Racing’s years of experience on street circuits is definitely an asset,” he added. “We’ve raced on
smooth tracks and on rough ones, so we have the background to handle whatever we find in Baltimore. We
have a list of high-priority items to work through in the limited track time that’s available. All of the ALMS
teams are in a similar situation, so hopefully we can do a better job than our competitors. It’s exciting to go to
a new venue in a major metropolitan area, and this event is another step forward for the American Le Mans
Series.”
Corvette Racing’s drivers know how to win on street courses. Olivier Beretta (No. 3 Corvette C6.R) and
Oliver Gavin (No.4 Corvette C6.R) are the most successful ALMS drivers on temporary circuits with seven
wins each. In the Series’ last visit to the mid-Atlantic area at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., in 2002, Jan
Magnussen (No. 4 Corvette C6.R) scored an overall win in a Panoz LMP1 prototype.
But all eyes in Baltimore will be on the youngest driver on the Corvette Racing squad, Tommy Milner. Milner
was born in the District of Columbia and grew up in nearby Virginia. Last Sunday, he opened the Baltimore
GP festivities by throwing the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles/New York Yankees baseball game at Camden
Yards, which is located inside the street circuit.
“The last time the Series raced in the mid-Atlantic area, the event got great reviews,” Milner said. “I’m
optimistic that the Baltimore Grand Prix will be a success. Many of my friends have never seen me race
except on television, and they’re excited about going to this race. I’ll have lots of support in the grandstands.
“This race is going to be a real test,” he noted. “With most circuits, a driver can learn the layout on a
simulator or a video game, but we don’t have that option for the Baltimore race. Street tracks are always
tough because there is not a lot of grip initially, and the surface changes quite a bit from the first practice to
the race.
“A good baseline setup makes it easier to get acclimated to a new track, and I’m confident that the Corvette
Racing crew will give us one,” Milner explained. “I’m comfortable with the Corvette C6.R on a street circuit
after coming from the back of the pack in Long Beach. I consider Baltimore to be my home race, and I want
to do as good a job as possible. Every driver is on equal footing, and it’s all brand new. I feel confident that
we’ll be on pace right away.”

Corvettes Qualify Second and Fourth for Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix
BALTIMORE, Sept. 2, 2011 – A late start and a scant
75 minutes of practice meant that the learning curve
for the American Le Mans Series Baltimore Grand
Prix was a steep one. Jan Magnussen and Tommy
Milner proved to be fast learners when they qualified
Corvette Racing’s twin Compuware C6.Rs second and
fourth respectively for Saturday’s two-hour street race
through downtown Baltimore.
Magnussen was quickest in the abbreviated final
practice session, and then turned his fastest lap at
1:31.950 (79.869 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R on
his fifth qualifying lap on the 2.04-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit. Milner turned a time of
1:32.224 (79.632 mph) on his fourth lap, the fifth quickest in GT. The No. 45 Porsche of Patrick Long,
which was third on the provisional qualifying list, was subsequently excluded for “unjustifiable risk,”
moving the No. 3 Corvette up to fourth on the GT grid. The No. 55 BMW M3 GT of Dirk Werner was the
fastest qualifier in the category at 1:31.362 (80.384 mph).
“We didn’t have a lot of time to make changes or to find a good rhythm, so I’m very pleased with the
work that the Corvette Racing engineers did,” Magnussen said. “All in all, I’m happy with the car. Now
we have to work with the extra bit of data we have, and I think there is more speed to come. The walls get
closer and closer the harder you push – that’s all part of it.
“There are some massive bumps out there, and the cars are taking a beating worse than Sebring,”
Magnussen added. “It’s still good fun to drive this circuit, and you’re really feel that you’re racing in the
heart of the city with the tall buildings all around. It’s cool, and I enjoy it.”
Milner agreed: “I’m really happy with the car here, no complaints. With so little track time, I’m sure we
can make the car a little better here and there, but it’s good just to get some laps in and get comfortable
with the track.
“I had a qualifying lap that would have been quicker, but I got into Turn 10 a little wide in the dirty part
of the track and had a big, big moment. I was basically drifting through the turn!
“The track’s fun to drive and it will race well, too,” Milner predicted. “There are two good passing spots.
It’s going to be tough to pass in GT because everyone is so close, but everything is slow enough that you
can rub some fenders and make things happen. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Corvette Racing at ALMS Baltimore
Corvette Finishes Third and Seventh in Baltimore
Street Fight
Gavin and Magnussen Recover from First-Turn Melee to
Score Podium Finish
BALTIMORE, Sept. 3, 2011 – Spins, accidents, penalties
and punctures all figured in Corvette Racing’s results in the
inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. Played out before an
enthusiastic crowd in the packed grandstands, the two-hour
race had everything expected in a street race – and more.
When it was over, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen stood
on the GT podium in third place. That was a remarkable comeback after an incident in the first corner
that pinned the No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R against the wall and allowed the entire field to pass.

Magnussen was on a mission, going from 12th to fourth in 22 laps. The first-turn contact had damaged a
tire, however, and he pitted at 36 minutes. On four fresh Michelins, the Dane turned the fastest lap of the
race, and then handed off to Gavin at the one-hour mark.
Gavin was third after the restart for the race’s second full-course caution, and held that position to the
end in a battered and bruised race car. Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers won the GT class in a Porsche
911 GT3 RSR, completing 71 laps on the 2.04-mile temporary circuit.
Magnussen started second in the GT class, and found himself in the middle of a holiday traffic jam in the
first turn. “Turn 1 is a very tight and slippery corner, and there was a bit of confusion,” said Magnussen.
“No one was to blame, it was just a racing incident. I had a good start and a good run on the BMW, and
then a prototype ahead of us slowed right down. When he braked, I had to follow the BMW around the
outside, but then someone came up the inside and it was a mess. I was able to catch back up, pass most of
the guys, and then got a puncture. I went back out on fresh tires, and the car was fantastic.”
Olivier Beretta started fourth in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R, came out of the first turn in
second, survived a spin that dropped him to sixth, and was running third when he pitted at 47 minutes to
give the car to Tommy Milner.
“On the start, the No. 17 Porsche was coming up the inside and I was trying to fight with him,” Beretta
said. “When Jan slowed for the corner, there was no room between us. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t do
anything.
“Then in the Turn 5 chicane, as I was braking, the car hit a bump and my foot slipped between the brake
and throttle pedals,” Beretta reported. “For a moment it was caught between the pedals, so instead of
going straight, I spun the car. I didn’t hit anything, but it was a big moment.”
Milner was second in No. 3 Corvette C6.R behind Bill Auberlen’s class-leading No. 55 BMW when the
race restarted with 40 minutes remaining after a full-course caution to replace a manhole cover that had
gone astray. Turn 1 was again Corvette Racing’s Achilles heel as Milner had contact with the BMW,
damaging the front bodywork and incurring a stop-and-hold 60-second penalty.
“The team is giving us great cars and making the right pit calls, but lately I’ve not been holding up my
end of the bargain,” Milner said. “It was a tough race. On the restart I was protecting the inside from an
LMP car, and as we went into the braking zone, Bill braked earlier than I anticipated. I put myself in a
situation where I braked hard and locked the fronts, and made unfortunately made contact with him.
That effectively ended our race right there.”
Gavin had to cope with the aftereffects of the first-lap incident during his one-hour stint as the damaged
exhaust allowed fumes into the cockpit. He pulled to within three seconds of the second-place No. 56
BMW, but after an excursion up the escape road in Turn 1, he brought the No. 4 Corvette C6.R home in
third place.
“Unfortunately our race was decided by the contact in the first turn,” Gavin said. “After that we were
playing catch-up, and Jan did a brilliant of getting the car into a decent position. Jan had to pit out of
sequence because we had a tire going down, but then after the restart we were back in position to fight.
With the damage to the car, as soon as we lost the mechanical grip on the front tires, the car started to
push and slide the tires. My eyes were stinging because of the damaged exhaust system, and I just tried to
keep fresh air blowing toward my helmet.”
“As so often happens on street circuits, the race track rules,” said Corvette Racing program manager
Doug Fehan. “Today’s race saw a stellar performance by the engineering team and the pit crew, and at
times we had the fastest cars on the track – but it just wasn’t to be today. That’s what makes street racing
so interesting. It was great to be part of a wildly successful Baltimore Grand Prix. We look forward to
this event continuing, and we’ll come back with a vengeance.”

The downtown parade gathers on the Fun Field
near the end of Saturday’s activities. From there
hundreds of Corvettes roll a few miles down the
road to historic downtown Carlisle, park in the
streets, and basically have a street party of sorts.
Corvettes at Carlisle: Downtown Parade
I arrived in town about 15 minutes before the
rumbling exhausts filled the streets. Just as I
exited my car rain started to fall harder than it
had all day. I was convinced that very few
Corvettes were going to attend this event. After
all, Corvettes melt when they get wet, don’t they?
As I proceeded up the sidewalk I was surprised to
see people in chairs eagerly waiting for America’s
sports car with cameras in one hand and
umbrellas in the other. The outer bands of hurricane Irene couldn’t keep the people away. Just then the
low rumble of thumping V8 exhausts peeked my attention and the rain lightened slightly.
Two-by-two the cars filed into town led by a fleet of Carlisle Blue and 2012 Corvettes. As I watched the
cars head to their respective parking locations, I noticed the excitement level of the spectators increasing
as each Corvette sauntered by. Almost like Christmas shoppers on Black Friday. Young and old, locals
and tourists alike were just waiting for the cars to stop so they could jump into the streets and check out
all the cool rides. Corvettes from all 6 generations were present including 2012 Corvette VIN #1 as well as
the winner of the prestigious Keith’s Choice award. Probably one of my favorite moments of the evening
was watching a couple of different Corvette owners invite some small children (probably 5 or 6 years old)
to sit in their Corvettes. The kids’ smiles were overpowering. You just know that they’ll have cars in the
downtown parade about 20 years from now.
I’m pleased to announce that no Corvettes melted or shrunk due to the light persistent rain that night
and that the downtown parade will be on my agenda for next year’s Corvettes at Carlisle. It should be on
yours as well.
Corvette Assembly Plant Celebrates 30th Anniversary
The Bowling Green Assembly Plant celebrated its 30th anniversary of producing America’s favorite
sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette. Workers wearing red shirts gathered outside the facility and formed a
giant bowtie for a commemorative photo.

August 2011 Corvette Sales
The monthly sales figures were released by General Motors last week and Corvette sales dipped to its
lowest number in seven months. In August, there were 936 Corvettes sold, a decline of -17.5% over the
1,135 Corvettes sold during the same month in 2010. For the year, Corvette sales continue to run 5%
ahead of 2010 with a total of 9,123 Corvettes sold during the 2011 calendar year.
The largest single contributing factor to the decline in sales during August was Hurricane Irene. With
much of the Eastern United States under threat from the storm for nearly a week, Chevy dealers from
the Carolina’s to New England took a hit as potential buyers hunkered down or evacuated from the
coastal areas. Many dealers in the path of the storm moved their inventory to a secure facility on higher
ground.
Corvette Delivery Statistics for August 2011
Month Calendar Year-to-Date
Month 2011 2010 % Change Months 2011 2010 % Change
August 936 1,135 -17.5% Jan-Aug 9,123 8,689 +5.0%
Archived Monthly Corvette Delivery Statistics
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total
2011 721 955 1,163 1,454 1,304 1,299 1,291 936
2010 854 624 955 1,089 1,428 1,405 1,199 1,135 1,109 1,011 836 979 12,624
2009 842 1,027 1,183 1,407 1,643 1,396 966 746 1,585 1,154 952 1,033 13,934
2008 2,015 2,071 2,692 3,190 2,904 2,082 1,870 4,242 2,318 1,170 1,093 1,324 26,971
2007 2,234 2,784 3,158 3,227 3,300 2,377 2,377 2,877 2,837 2,484 2,438 2,914 33,685
2006 2,579 3,058 3,655 3,516 3,317 2,938 2,794 2,990 3,056 2,761 2,773 3,081 36,518
Corvette Stock Report:
We are able to estimate the 2012 Corvette inventory by keeping track of the monthly production and
sales numbers. We are estimating a total 1,427 2012 Corvettes currently on the ground as of September
1st. A check of Jeff Hardy’s website shows 1,803 2011 and 2010 Corvettes so the total inventory is
estimated to be 3,257 Corvettes. Last month’s total was 2,346 for a net change of +911 Corvettes. Here is
the breakdown by year and models:
2012 Corvettes – 1,427
2011 Corvettes – 1,705
2010 Corvettes – 125
2011 Corvette Inventory Breakdown:
Corvette Coupes – 478
Corvette Convertibles – 155
Corvette GS Coupes – 548
Corvette GS Convertibles – 285
Corvette Z06 – 112
Corvette ZR1 – 127

2010 Corvette Inventory Breakdown:
Corvette Coupes – 39
Corvette Convertibles – 35
Corvette GS Coupes – 9
Corvette GS Convertibles – 12
Corvette Z06 – 3
Corvette ZR1 – 27
Bowling Green Production:
2012 Model Year Production in August 2011: 1,493
2012 Model Year To Date Through August 2011: 2,810
2011 Calendar Year to Date through August 2011: 9,034
Unveiling the 2012 Ron Fellows SEMA/Spring Mountain Corvette Z06
Former Corvette Racing Driver
and all-around Mr. Nice Guy Ron
Fellows was inducted into the
Corvette Hall of Fame for his
contributions to the hobby. Ron
and his family were at the
National Corvette Museum’s 17th
Annual Labor Day celebration
last weekend for the induction
ceremony and little did he know
that a special Corvette was
waiting for him as well.
Corvette Team members Harlan
Charles and Kirk Bennion
presented Ron with this stunning
2012 Corvette Z06. The Corvette
is called the SEMA/Spring Mountain Special Edition and we can assume that it will be one of the
featured vehicles at the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain Raceway outside of
Las Vegas.
The Z06 features many of the new 2012 options including the B92 carbon fiber hood and the new full
body racing stripes. Borrowed from the Centennial Edition are the black wheels with the red stripe and
the seats with the special “100 Years” embroidery.
We particulary liked the custom Grand Sport hash marks that are reminiscient of the 2007 Ron Fellows
Z06 which had the Canadian Maple Leaf. The Carbon graphic was reworked to show the Number 3 (Ron
drove the #3 Corvette for Corvette Racing) along with “Hall of Fame” and on the rear, you’ll find
graphics from Mosport Raceway (Ron is now co-owner of the famous Canadian track) and the Ron
Fellows Performance driving school.

Wrecked Vette: Lights-Out Joyride Ends Like You Expect
Ask any 18-year-old about their typical Friday
night and you are likely to hear something about
spending time with friends along with a few
beers. In the case of 18-year-old Deshawn
Layton of Muskegon, Michigan, he decided to
spend his Friday night evading police behind the
wheel of classic Corvette. According to The
Muskegon Chronicle Layton “allegedly” stole
the vintage ‘Vette and was subsequently spotted
by Casey Trucks, a Michigan State Police
Officer. Trucks observed as Layton failed to use
a turn indicator and attempted to stop the
Corvette for what would be a minor traffic
infraction. Once the lights and sirens roared to
life, Layton pulled over briefly allowing the
officers to exit their vehicle before slamming on the gas.
Layton drove through residential neighborhoods in an attempt to evade the pursuing officers. In a bid to
drive in stealth-mode, Layton turned off the headlights while winding through the residential streets and
the occasional alleyway. With the officers still following him, Layton grew desperate, attempting riskier
maneuvers that eventually led him to lose control of the Corvette. Once Layton became the playtoy of the
the laws of physics, he plowed through a yard and eventually ended up lodging the Corvette into the side
of a house. With once pristine Corvette now mangled and immobilized, the officers were able to pull
Layton from the vehicle and arrest the “alleged” ‘Vette snatcher on the spot. Besides the “alleged” theft,
evasion attempt and destruction of the vintage ‘Vette, Layton also had a warrant for possession of a
controlled substance.
The Very First V8 ‘Vette Leaves Behind a Trail Of History
While Zora-Arkus Duntov, a Russian-born
engineer, was working for Chevrolet during
the mid 1950s, he began to tinker with the
Corvette that became his first “test mule.”
Long before the ‘Vette became the patron
saint of road-race America, Duntov was
interested in finding ways to make the
Corvette compete or keep-up with the best,
including Jaguar, that the small sports car
market of the ’50s had to offer.
About a year and a half earlier, GM chief
engineer and Indy 500 veteran, Mauri Rose,
worked with Daytona racing legend Smokey
Yunick to build an experimental version of a ’54 Vette that had a prototype V8 engine in it, the same V8
that Duntov himself later punched-out from a 283 to a 307 cubic-inch, race-built motor. After testing was
finished on the prototype ‘Vette, it was given the factory designation of EX87 by Engineering and given
by them to Duntov so that he could run the car at an upcoming record run at Daytona Beach in January
of 1956. Upon acquiring the EX87 car, Duntov modified it by replacing the windshield with a curved,
race-profile windscreen, a tonneau cover over the passenger side of the car and a fiberglass headrest-fin
that was built for high-speed stability - all design techniques that Duntov had learned from Jaguar.

Another major modification that Duntov made to the ‘Vette was its prototype racing V8, an engine build
that would become the EX87′s most distinguishing feature. Duntov not only bored the 283 to a 307 cubicinch
displacement, but custom-ordered a camshaft from Chevy Engineering that would help the very
first, V8-powered ‘Vette to achieve a top speed of 163 MPH at GM’s Arizona Desert Proving Ground.
Today, these kind of track speeds are very much taken for granted, but a top speed of over 160 was
phenomenal by 1955 standards.
Sadly, the race legend who was Smokey Yunick passed away in 2001, leaving behind a garage full of
automotive relics. His widow had asked his old friend, Steve Tate, if he would like to come to Daytona to
look at some stuff that Yunick had left behind. Sure enough, Tate came across a specially-marked engine,
the 307 V8 that was built for the EX87, and it was labeled “Record Run.” Tate would buy the engine,
along with its original logbook from Chevy. He would eventually track down the EX87 car as well, and
would get together with close friends to spend the next year restoring it. Still known as the very first V8
‘Vette, the EX87 is a rare piece of performance history that will always be remembered as “the original.”
Wrecked Vette: C1 Saved from Scrapyard by Smoke Alarm
Wrecked Vette Wednesday usually depicts
the horrific fate of a Corvette, but this time
is a little different. According to
Firegeezer.com a fully restored 1956
Corvette was spared a trip to the wrecking
yard thanks to the installation of a simple
smoke detector in the garage. Tom Archey
and his wife Sue were watching a Seattle
Mariners game on TV when their smoke
detector alerted the couple to a blaze in
their garage. Upon entering the garage,
Archey saw that his classic Corvette was
on fire and instructed his wife to call 911;
as Sue Archey dialed, her husband
grabbed a fire extinguisher to subdue the flaming Corvette.
Thanks to the quick actions of the couple the Corvette can be saved from the wrecking yard and their
home was not destroyed in the process. Once the Bend Fire Department arrived at the Archey’s home,
they were able to remove the car from the garage, douse the flames and save the home from serious
damage. A video from Oregon’s KTVZ-TV station reported that Corvette sustained an estimated $25,000
in damage, but it was fully insured. A subsequent investigation determined that an electrical fire under
the hood of the ’56 ignited the blaze. There are two important lessons from this story; smoke alarms in
the garage are an excellent idea, and always have good insurance!
Corvette Drag Car to Cross the Block at October Mecum Auction
We’ve all dreamed of owning a full-on race car at one point in our life. If a tube-chassis Corvette is along
the lines of your ultimate dream car, that dream could come true soon if you attend the Dallas, Texas
Mecum Auction. The October auction is set to play host to a ‘04 Corvette drag car. Even better, you
could be the first one to ever take this Corvette down the strip.
The Corvette is set up to be a true race car. It is equipped with a 383 CI, 475 HP small block mated to a
Turbo 400 transmission. It has a four-link rear suspension, Weld wheels, Wilwood brakes, Jensen heads
and a full stainless steel exhaust system. Titanium valves, keepers and springs also come on the Corvette.
Giving the car a unique custom drag car look is the huge intake, carbon fiber Pro-Mod wing and radical
flame and pinstripe paint job by Robby Grant.

While it definitely looks like a drag car, the car
has never made a track run. We aren’t sure why
someone would build a full drag racer and never
race it, but this could be your chance to snatch
up a drag Corvette without worrying about the
thrashing a previous driver gave the car.
Although it hasn’t been raced, it has been
showed and won three best of show titles. The
Corvette also has working head and tail lights
for “limited cruising.” That’s right – rather
than racing this bad boy you could cruise it
around your neighborhood streets (at least until
the cops showed up).
If you’re interested in bidding on the Corvette
drag car, it will cross the auction block on Thursday October 6 th . Stay tuned to Mecum’s website for
details on what time the car will be available.
We hope this car goes to someone who plans to race. It would be a complete waste to have a drag car for
the sole purpose of showing or cruising it. We look forward to seeing the Corvette at the track and seeing
just what it can do in the right hands.
Jay Leno’s 1965 Fiberfab Stingray C2
Jay Leno may end up on a
episode of Hoarders thanks to
his large and ever growing
collection of cars, but the thing
that sets him apart from the cat
lady’s house piled full treasures
(trash) is the near perfect state
in which his collection is kept.
Leno seems to have one of
almost everything including
some very rare cars and crazy
concept cars as well. In fact, an
entire website is devoted to
Leno’s collection with
everything from videos, cars and
games; however, a special feature showcased Leno’s 1965 Fiberfab Stingray Special. The silver roadster
highlights the creative and stunning designs of Bud Goodwin of Fiberfab Corp.
According to ConceptCarz.com, the Fiberfab Roadster was initially built in 1959 at their Sunnyvale,
California location for prototyping purposes. During the design process Fiberfab initially planned to
purpose the body to work with both the C1 and C2 chassis, which would lead to an eventual offering to
the consumer market. The silver ’65 Fiberfab Stingray now belonging to Leno was the only roadster to be
built using a 1965 C2 chassis. The original 327 engine, Muncie Heavy Duty transmission and rear
differential from the 1965 Corvette are still in place. This unique Fiberfab Stingray was a raced a few
times by Bud Warren and was featured in the “Man from Glad” commercial.

The Story Behind Team Corvette’s 1957 Raid On Sebring
Sebring International Raceway has
always been a place for the sports car
elite to prove their dominance. Back in
1957 General Motors decided it was their
time to officially enter the 12 hours of
Sebring. Thinking they might have
higher odds to bring a car into the
winner circle against a field dominated
with European teams, GM prepped four
race ready corvettes for the event.
First on hand was Zora Duntov’s alloy
bodied Corvette Super Sport. The blue
number one shaved 1000 pounds and
with it’s aluminum heads gave his car over 30 additional horsepower than the stock production Corvette.
The number two Sebring Racer was there as well with new red paint and white stripe. GM brought two
additional production F.I. Corvettes that had been modified for Sebring racing.
Along with the other cars General Motors brought a Corvette SS which was nicknamed “P” for
“Practice”. This was a stripped down car that basically had plain white paint on the fiberglass body.
After John Fitch ran his practice laps, Dunton gave the wheel to two famed GP racers, Juan Fangio from
Argentina and Stirling Moss of England. Both men from Team Maserati were allowed to run courtesy
laps in the practice car.
Previous to this day the track record stood at 3:29.7, Fangio broke this time in his second lap and on his
third lap broke it again running 3:27.4. Then it was time for the Moss to sit behind the wheel. He broke
the record set in 1956 and ran a 3:28. Unfortunately Team Corvette could only get within a few seconds
of the record, but couldn’t break it. In the end the team could not overcome the many challenges which
plagued them and could only last 23 laps of the race before calling it quits.
Wrecked Vette: Roasted Marshmallow or Burning C4 Corvette?
Yet another Corvette carbeque took place in the
month of August, but the cause of this particular fire
has yet to be determined. A white C4 erupted into
flames near in Trenton, New Jersey on August 11.
According to the Lawrenceville Patch, after receiving
several 911 calls about the car fire, both the Trenton
Fire Department and volunteer firefighters from the
Lawrence Township’s Slackwood Fire Co. were
dispatched to battle the molten mess of fiberglass on
New York Avenue. The team from Lawrence
Township arrived on the scene a mere thirty seconds
before the Trenton firefighters, allowing them to
quickly get the upper hand on the burning Corvette.
Oddly enough, the Corvette driver was not on the scene when fire crews arrived, leaving the authorities
puzzled. Perhaps the car was stolen, abandoned or the driver took on foot in search of help, but in any
case it remains a mystery. Another driver spotted the smoldering C4 and tried to extinguish the fire with
a small fire extinguisher, but the fire proved to be too intense. After viewing the images of the damage
caused by the fire it is unlikely this car will ever make it back on the road. Whether or not it was stolen
remains to be seen, but if the C4 was abandoned there are certainly plenty of Corvette enthusiasts who
would have given the car a proper home.

Barn Find Maco Shark Corvette at 2011 Corvettes at Carlisle Show
Every year the Corvettes at Carlisle show has a
theme. The theme for the 2011 Chip’s Choice
Display was “Barn Finds.” Who doesn’t love an old
barn find story? It’s a topic that cuts across all car
interests. Today, barn finds have become a special
interest category of its own. It seems that barn finds
have sifted out into two groups. First there are the
cars that look like they were just taken out of the
barn – dirt and everything. What was once decades of
dirt, blistered paint, animal droppings, sticks, and
twigs has now become “patina.” And second are the
cars that a normal human would have let rot back
into the earth, only to have been beautifully and
lovingly restored back to running and sometimes
show car condition. For these cars, the “before and
after” photos are a lot of fun. “You started with
THAT?” Is a common comment.
Here at CorvetteReport.com and BaldwinMotionReport.com we’re a little partial to not only Baldwin
Motion Phase III Supercars, but also the Motion Maco and Silva Maco Shark Corvettes. Unfortunately,
there are probably more barn find-type Macos than there are finished and running Macos. it’s just part of the
nature of kit cars. While Motion offered turn-key Macos, Motion and Silva also sold the body kits. As is the
case with all kit cars, about 80-percent of the kits are never finished. What usually stops project kit cars are
electrical systems.
While any barn find car being nursed back to health can be a daunting task, a kit car barn find is
definitely a few notches up on the difficulty scale. That’s what makes Rick Walker’s 1976 short-tail Maco
Shark so interesting. Like a typical barn find car, the Maco had been left out in the elements (in this case, the
blistering Florida sun) and had been through several floods, such that the radiator had about 6-inches of sand
inside the core, as well as sand packed into the frame and suspension. Although the primer and paint was in bad
shape, the fiberglass was unmolested. At one point, the city of Sarasota declared the derelict Vette an eyesore
and required the owner to erect a stockade fence so the neighbors wouldn’t have to look at the hideous sight.
(that is, from THEIR perspective!)
After three years of work and unspecified expense, (Walker did all the work himself) the Silva short-tail
Maco Shark Corvette is now a street machine/show car! All Maco Corvettes are technically “kit cars,” so they
are all different,.Walker’s Maco maintains the classic Bill Mitchell “Shark” blue with faded light gray,
simulated shark coloring and the unique nose vents. “Custom” touches include an integrated chin spoiler,
custom 2-piece front grille, a ‘73 – ‘’79 hood dome, Phase III GT reverse front fender vents, Hooker Header
Side pipes, Lambo-style doors, and horizontal slot taillights.
Under the fiberglass you’ll find a 350 small-block with pro Comp aluminum heads, a Barry Grant
“BadMan”: fuel-injection system, a 2004-R overdrive trans, and polished coilover rear suspension. Aside from
new gauges and some auxiliary A-pillar-mounted gauges, the interior looks to have new cloth seats and
carpeting.
Cars such as this are always “works in progress” and are by definition “never done.” One little detail that I
happen to really like is the inclusion of the “Mako Shark II” badge on the front fenders. The Silva and Motion
Macos were called “Maco” to avoid a fight with GM’s legal department. As I mentioned a few days ago about
the Mako Shark II, the design was so fresh and over-the-top, it just HAD to be the next Corvette. There were
actually two Mako Shark II cars. The first one was unleashed in 1965 and WOWed crowds at the ‘65 World’s
Fair, but this was a non-running car. To move the design process along, GM ordered that a running Mako Shark
II be built. The ‘66 version of the Mako Shark II was loaded for bear and packed a 427 engine.

After the ‘68 Mako-styled production Corvette came out, the show car was somewhat of an unwanted
child. In ‘69 GM’s chief of design, Bill Mitchell decided to take the Mako Shark III farther with a revised nose,
and a long tapered tail with a sugar scoop-styled rear roof design. The revised car was called the “Manta Ray”
and made its appearance in 1970. Unfortunately, the 1966 running Mako Shark II was cut up to make the Manta
Ray, meaning that the running car that inspired Silva’s Maco is no longer. The Manta Ray is still around, but
the Mako Shark II running version is history. Too bad the ‘66 running Mako wasn’t kept in tack and the Manta
Ray build as its own car. Oh well, you can’t keep them all, I suppose.
So, “hat’s off” to Rich Walker for preserving a piece of Corvette history when most sane cars buys would
have let a throw away old Corvette go back into the ground.
Corvette Timeline Tales: August 26 – 28, 2011
30th Anniversary of Corvettes at Carlisle Show!
Corvettes here, there, and everywhere. CORVETTES as far as the eye can see!
It all began on September 26,
1974 when friends Bill and
Chip Miller rented the
Carlisle Fairgrounds for
their first old car parts swap
meet. Some 600 vendors
rented 800 spaces and over
13,000 car enthusiasts paid
$1.00 each to attend. Year
after year, Chip and Bill
kept improving their
operation. In 1981 the
Millers bought the 82-acre
parcel of land and not only
created a local landmark,
but established an enterprise
that brings in $97 Million dollars to the local economy. Carlisle, Pa has never been the same since!
Being Corvette enthusiasts to begin with, Chip and Bill didn’t need much coaxing to launch a Corvetteonly
show in August 1981. Over 25,000 Corvette lovers attended to see over 2,000 Corvettes, and a new
Corvette tradition was born. Since then everyone who’s anyone in the world of Corvettes has been to the
Carlisle show: Zora Arkus-Duntov, Dave Mclellan, Dave Hill, Larry Shinoda, Wil Cooksey. race car
drivers including, John Fitch, Mario Andretti, Dick Guldstrand, Tony Delorenzo, artists including Dana
Forrester, Dan McCrary, and the list goes on and on.
If you have never been to the Carlisle, let me describe the facility. The first thing that you are aware of is
that the place is HUGE! Carlisle is located in the rolling hills of south east Pennsylvania in what is known
as “Pennsylvania Dutch Country.” The town of Carlisle dates back to 1751, but is most known for the
Carlisle War College that dates back to 1904. Carlisle is also known for the Carlisle Indian Industrial
School that was started in 1879. After you enter the fairground, if you look around, you’ll see that the
facility is situated in a very large bowl-shaped area. For the Corvettes show, Carlisle productions only
allows Corvettes to park in the infield. So, when you are inside, all you see are CORVETTES. Aside from
a few trucks and support vehicles, everywhere you look, you see CORVETTES. After four or five hours,
it’s sensory overload. “Oh look! Ah, just another ZR1!”

Building T is where you’ll find the “Chip’s Choice” feature Corvettes. Every year there’s a different
theme. For 2011 the theme was “Corvette Barn Finds.” Everyone loves a good barn find story, so why not
a collection a lost and found old Vettes – patina dirt and everything. In previous years Chip’s Choice has
featured Corvette race cars, movie cars, retro rod Vettes, and more. If you are in the market to buy a
Corvette, there’s Auctions America by RM that offers auction action with full-service transaction
completion services. Yes, you can buy a Vette at Carlisle and drive it home!
The ONLY thing I can fault the event for is that it’s SO BIG that you are totally exhausted by the end of
what is often a warn-to-hot and humid day. If you are in the market for a car to buy, parts for your
project Corvette, or you just want to soak in the sights, sounds, and history of Corvettes, this is THE
Corvette show to attend if you are on the east coast. One thing I have noticed in the 15 years I have been
attending the Corvettes at Carlisle Show is that if seems that every year, the number of C1 and C2
Corvettes gets a little smaller as the number of C5 and C6 Corvettes seems to get bigger. Oh well.
It’s also worth noting that the Corvettes at Carlisle event has not gone unnoticed by Chevrolet. “Carlisle
Blue” will be a one-year-only addition to the Corvette paint color option list. Not only is this a delightful
“thank you” to the work of the Carlisle Productions team, it is in keeping with Chevrolet’s tradition of
honoring locations or events of importance in the Corvette world. In the past we have seen Lynndale
Blue, Daytona Blue, Le Mans Blue, Mulsanne Blue, and others. Now “Carlisle Blue” is officially in the
Corvette history books as another place of honor for the Corvette hobby. It doesn’t get much cooler than
that!
1982 Collector Edition Corvette – The Polished Shark
The ‘70s had been a challenging
and strange time for America’s
sports car. Performance had been on
a decline since ‘70 but because of
little to-no-competition, Corvettes
sold like hot cakes, hitting an alltime
high of 53,807 units in ‘79.
Between increasing federal demands
for emissions and safety
improvements, there was little time
for performance. In fact, what should
have been a performance
improvement through the use of
lighter materials – aluminum
differential, tube headers, etc – was
offset by reduced horsepower due to
more stringent emissions controls.
When Dave McLellan inherited
the Corvette from Zora Arkus-
Duntov in ‘75, it was not a pretty
picture. Poor quality was rooted in the seriously outdated 1920s St. Louis plant. Rumors of a new assembly
plant began in ‘73. Another challenge was the Corvette’s very old chassis and drivetrain. Designed in ‘61, most
components were not shared with any other GM car. John DeLorean tried to address this issue with his plan to
build Corvettes on the Camaro/Firebird chassis pan. While this might have made GM’s bean counters happy, it
would have been a bad move. McLellan was charged with the responsibility of tighter government controls,
keeping the Corvette fresh, improving existing hardware, transitioning the car’s assembly plant, and designing
and implementing the new C4. A real peach of a job, right?

Along with the arrival of the new front and rear bumper covers in ‘80 came some serious engine
restrictions. In ‘80 the 4-speed manual transmission could not be ordered with the performance 230-HP L-82
engine. For ‘81 there was no performance engine available and California buyers could only get the 180-HP 305
LG4 regular production engine. Then for ‘82, not only was there no performance engine available, but all
Corvettes came with the new Turbo Hydramatic 700 R4 4-speed automatic. This was the first time since ‘54
that a Corvette was only available with an automatic. However, it must be pointed out that the ‘82 Corvette
engine and transmission was not only an early introduction of the C4’s drive train, but the reintroduction of fuel
injection into the Corvette line. Throttle Body Injectors were first introduced in the ‘80 Cadillac Seville. While
not the same kind of F.I. last seen on the ‘57 to ‘65 Fuelies, the system was well received and provided drivers
with fuelie-like quick throttle response. Another old performance trick was the addition of a solenoid-operated,
cold-air hood system that opened up during hard acceleration. The Bowling Green plant came online midway
through the ‘81 production and built 8,855 of the 40,606 ‘81 Corvettes. By ‘82 all Corvettes were being built in
Bowling Green. This turned out to be one of the best things to happen to Corvettes. The old St. Louis plant was
shuttered in the fall of ‘87.
To send off 15 production years of Mako Shark-styled Corvettes, Chevrolet offered the $22,537 Collector
Edition Corvette, the first production Vette costing over 20 grand. This was a sweet package that offered
features only available with the Collector Edition , with two totally unique items – the lift-back rear hatch and
the C2-like knockoff-style aluminum wheels. The hatch feature should have been introduced back in ‘78 when
the fastback rear window first arrived and the 36-fin wheels could have also arrived sooner too. The overall
package was a visual delight, with silver-beige paint and black-to-gray hood and side stripes, along with subtle
pinstriping. The interior seats, door panels, steering wheel, and horn button were trimmed in exterior-matching
silver leather and silver-gray luxury carpeting completed the interior. Unique emblems wrapped up the package.
Despite the steep for it’s day price of $22,537, 30-percent of the ‘82 production ,6,759 units, were
Collector Edition cars. While not the stump pullers from 12 years before, the last of the Shark Corvettes was a
refined, polished road machine. For modern retro hot rodders, all an ‘82 Collector Edition needs is a GM crate
engine, a modern 6-speed manual transmission, a stout rear differential, and suddenly, it would be 1970 again!
Texas Wildfires Burn Corvettes and other Classic Cars
John Chapman and his family are
okay after one of the Texas wildfires
ravaged his property in Bastrop.
His house got singed by the flames
but came though okay.
Unfortunately, the fire burned his
collection of 175 classic and vintage
cars including a dozen Corvettes.
The fire burned a garage and
several pole barns containing his
car collection. In addition to his
Corvettes, some of which can be
seen in the above photo, the fire also
burned several mid-’50′s Chevys, a
Shelby Cobra, a 1947 Studabaker
pickup truck and a 1966 Pontiac
GTO.
What’s most inspiring though is his attitude remains upbeat despite the massive destruction of property.
“You can either laugh or you can cry,” Chapman told the Houston Chronicle. “You might as well laugh.”

New Corvette Incentives and an Update on Crystal Red and Cyber Gray Production
For the 2011 Corvette, the $3,000
Dealer Cash has been replaced with
$3,000 Consumer Cash (rebate). The
special APRs for 2011 Corvettes are
now 0% up to 60 months and 2.9% for
72 months.
There will also be a targeted campaign
which will offer an additional $3,000
rebate if you are on the list. However, if
you are currently a Corvette owner,
you will automatically get this $3,000
even if you aren’t on the list. Even better, this $3,000 is compatible with either the $3,00 0 Consumer Cash
or the 0% APR.
If you want a new 2012 Corvette, Chevy is offering $1,500 Dealer Cash or a 3.9% APR for 60 months.
2012 Corvettes get the additional $3,000 rebate if you are currently a Corvette owner.
As for the update on Cyber Gray and Crystal Red Metallic, great news for these two popular colors.
It was March 30th that we published a blog post detailing the issues with the supply of Xirallic, a special
pigment used in metallic paints. The Japanese earthquake and resulting tsunami damaged the factory
that apparently produced the world’s supply. Within a month, the supply chain drained up and paints
that used Xirallic were constrained.
In our conversation with Corvette Plant Manager Dave Tatman at the C5/C6 Bash, Tatman said that
GM was working on an alternative to Xirallic.
Corvette Hall of Famer Betty Skelton Passes at Age 85
Betty Skelton, the former acrobatic pilot and
Corvette test driver who was known as the
“fastest woman on Earth” died Wednesday
August 31 at the age of 85. For her
contributions to Corvette which included roles
as a test driver, car show technical narrator
and one of the founders of Corvette News
(which later became Corvette Quarterly), Betty
was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame in
2001.
Betty was born in Pensacola, Florida and
made her first solo flight at the age of 12. By
18, she held a commercial pilots license and
was a certified flight instructor. Her father
organized an amateur air show in 1945 and
Betty was asked to do some basic stunts. Having mastered some aerobatic maneuvers, Betty became a
professional aerobatic pilot and performed at air shows across the country.
Betty’s most impressive stunt during this time was cutting a ribbon strung between two poles with her
propeller while flying upside down 10 feet off the ground.
Skelton held the title for the US Female Aerobatics Championship from 1948-1950. In 1949 she set the
world light-plane altitude record of 25,763 in a Piper Cub and two years later broke her own record with
a flight of 29,050 feet.

In 1953 after retiring from aerobatic flying, Betty was piloting charter flights when she met NASCAR’s
Bill France Sr. Bill invited Betty to Daytona Beach in 1954 where she drove the Pace Car. She then took a
Dodge sedan to 105.88 mph on the beach, setting a stock car speed record for women.
It was in 1956 that she joined Campbell-Ewald, the advertising partner of General motors. She became
the first woman technical narrator at the major auto shows where she would talk about the cars and
demonstrate their features. Zora Arkus-Duntov put her to work as a test driver where she set numerous
speed records with Corvettes. In 1957, Harley Earl and Bill Mitchell designed a special translucent gold
Corvette which Betty drove to Daytona in 1957 to serve as the NASCAR pace car. It was also during this
time that Betty Skelton became the official spokeswoman for Chevrolet.
Her career in advertising was moving just a quickly. While at Campbell-Ewald, Skelton helped launch
the internal magazine called Corvette News which later became known as Corvette Quarterly. She became
VP of Campbell-Ewald’s Women’s Market and Advertising departing in 1969 and retired in 1976 after
20 years in advertising.
Skelton was the first woman to drive an Indy car and she repeatedly set records for speed and
acceleration at Daytona Beach and on the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. In 1956, she broke a
transcontinental speed record, driving from New York to Los Angeles, covering 2,913 miles in 56 hours,
58 minutes.
In 2001, Betty Skelton was inducted in the National Corvette Museum’s Corvette Hall of Fame for all her
contributions to Corvette. She is also a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame as well as the
Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Betty remained loyal to Corvettes and most recently owned a red C5 Corvette convertible that matched
her hair. “I just like to go fast” she said in 2008. “I enjoy it, I really do.”
Swimming With A Stingray Courtesy Of Hurricane Irene
Swimming with stingrays may have proven to
be the least intelligent thing the Crocodile
Hunter ever tried, but swimming through the
aftermath Hurricane Irene to retrieve your
Stingray is a necessity. This poor gentleman had
to contend with a rather large bitch slap from
Mother Nature when it came to fishing out his
Stingray from a newly formed lake. Despite the
grim nature of this video, the Corvette owner
named Kyle and his buddies maintain their
sense of humor throughout the entire process. In
the series of three videos documenting their
“fishing trip,” Kyle wades out into the murky
floodwaters to attach the tow strap to the
waterlogged C3.
After hearing words of encouragement and a few comical remarks, Kyle dives under water to attach the
strap in preparation to reel in the Stingray. Once the straps are in place, Kyle climbs into the wet ‘Vette
for a ride he will certainly not forget; as the truck pulls on the C3 water begins to pour out of the car.
Once it reaches dry land, Kyle opens the door allowing water to flow out of the passenger compartment.
Thanks to Irene this Corvette will certainly require a lot of reconditioning and hopefully Kyle has good
insurance. This Corvette owner is to be applauded for keeping his sense of humor throughout the ordeal,
but next time he will probably move his car to higher ground and perhaps consider a pair of boardshorts
if he is forced to swim with a Stingray again.

IntelliChoice Names 2012 Corvette “Best-Bet” in Cost of Ownership Survey
Last month, IntelliChoice released their first
annual mid-year Cost of Ownership analysis
and the cars and trucks that score high in the
cost of ownership surveys are known as “Best
Bets”. Unlike its annual Best Overall Value of
the Year analysis, the Best Bets are vehicles
from the new model year that demonstrate the
highest potential for achieving outstanding
value over time. Chevrolet had three vehicles
rank as “Best Bets” for the 2012 model year
including the Chevrolet Corvette.
To determine the 2012 Best Bets, each new
vehicle model was compared to the currently
available same model year and the basis for
expected ownership costs were used. This includes assumptions for depreciation, costs for fuel, financing,
insurance, repairs and maintenance. These estimates will be updated again at the end of the year as the
vehicles are surveyed for the Best Overall Value of the Year awards which are handed out in January.
In addition to the Corvette, Chevrolet also had the Camaro SS and Equinox named as 2012 “Best Bets”.
Two other GM vehicles to make the list were the Cadillac CTS Sedan and the GMC Terrain.
Earlier this year, IntelliChoice named the 2011 Corvette as one of its “Best Overall Values of the Year” in
the Performance Car category.
The Briggs “Swift” Cunningham 1960 Fuel Injected Corvette is Now a Movie Star!
The 1960 Fuel Injected Corvette famously known as the
“Cunningham Le Mans Assault” car is now a movie star! It
seems that for most of us, there’s a Time/Date stamp on our
affection for Corvettes that coincides with that first moment we laid
eyes upon the machine. For me, it was ‘66 to ‘69 big block
Corvettes. For Chip Miller, it may well have been this car, the 1960
Briggs “Swift” Cunningham 1960 Fuel Injected Corvette. it’s not
hard to “get” the passion. When you look at the machine, it screams
“RACE CAR!” And while that is definitely correct, a closer
examination of the car reveals how astonishingly close the car is to a
stock ‘60 Fuelie Corvette.
Here was the deal for this Le Mans-winning Corvette. The car
started life as a new Fuel Injection optioned 1960 Corvette.
Cunningham’s team was well seasoned at preparing a car for
endurance racing and took maximum advantage of Duntov’s “racer kit” options. RPO-579D got you the then
top-of-the-line 283/290-HP Fuelie engine. RPO-685 mated the 4-speed manual transmission to the Fuelie. RPO-
687 added the heavy duty brakes and special steering. And RPO 1625A added the oversized 24-gallon fuel tank.
That’s essentially all that was needed from the factory to build a race car upon. This configuration was the 1960
equal to a 2012 Z06. From there, the Cunningham team removed items that race cars don’t need, such as front
bumpers, and fancy interior door panels, and added safety and go-fast parts, including racing lights, louvers on
the hood for additional cooling, headlight covers, side-mounted exhausts, Halibrand lightweight racing wheels,
a quick-fill gas cap, and miscellaneous other touches. The car was AMAZINGLY stock.
The rest is history. With John Fitch and Bob Grossman doing the driving, the Cunningham Corvette took first
place in the GT 5000 class and finished in 8th place overall. Pretty damn impressive for a machine so close to a
production car from St. Louis!

So, what became of the race car after the Le Mans assault? That’s what the movie is about. After years of
searching, the car was found by Chip Miller, verified by a team of vintage Corvette experts, restored, and
ultimately returning to Le Mans FIFTY YEARS after winning Le Mans. The “Top Lucky Corvette Dog
Award” has to go to Lance Miller. Not only was the Cunningham Corvette taken back to Le Mans for the 50th
anniversary of it’s historic win, but Lance got to ride to le Mans course with John Fitch at the wheel! How cool
is THAT?!?
Not only was the Cunningham Corvette at the 2011 30th Corvettes at Carlisle Show in August 2011,
Carlisle Productions presented a special showing of “The Quest” at the Carlisle Movie Theater the night before
the opening of the 3-day Corvettes at Carlisle event. According to Lance Miller, the event drew about 300
people that evening. And considering the heavy pre-hurricane Irene rain that evening, that was a pretty good
showing. It just goes to show that 50 years later, old Corvette race cars can still draw a crowd!
Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca: Riding the Roller Coaster
MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 13, 2011 – The
2011 season has been a roller coaster year
for Corvette Racing, with both victory
celebrations and bitter disappointments.
Saturday’s six-hour ModSpace American
Le Mans Series Monterey, the penultimate
round of the ALMS championship, will be
contested on a track reflects this harsh
reality of top-level motorsports
competition, a circuit with enough ups and
downs to qualify as America’s fastest
amusement park ride.
The storied Corkscrew turn that stands at
the summit of Mazda Raceway Laguna
Seca heralds a precipitous 300-foot drop to
the dry lakebed below. Known officially as Turn 8, the Corkscrew is the track’s signature corner.
Corvette Racing’s twin Compuware Corvette C6.Rs will take the plunge through the Corkscrew more
than 200 times in the six-hour endurance race that is crucial in the team’s quest for the GT driver and
manufacturer championships.
Second in the standings going into the series’ eighth round, the drivers of Corvette Racing’s No. 4
Corvette C6.R are focused on success at Laguna Seca. “We’ve got to perform at the top of our game,
while keeping in mind that we have to score maximum points and not take any unnecessary risks,” said
Oliver Gavin, who co-drives with Jan Magnussen. “Jan and I have been in this position before with
championships on the line. You’ve got to be smart, respect the machinery, and keep one eye on a good
result in the race and the other on the championship. These final rounds are always gut wrenching.”
Gavin and Magnussen are second in the standings on the strength of consistent podium finishes: a win in
Mosport, runner-up finishes in Long Beach and Mid-Ohio, and third on the streets of Baltimore. Now the
pair must overcome a 25-point lead held by Dirk Mueller and Joey Hand in the next two rounds, while
Chevy must overcome BMW’s 30-point margin in the manufacturer race. With 55 points on the line in
the series’ season-ending events, the objective is clear.
“We’re still very much in the championship hunt and we definitely have a chance to win the title, but we
need a good result and the BMWs to be a bit unlucky,” Magnussen said. “It can be done, and the whole
team is pushing in that direction.
“A six-hour race suits Corvette Racing’s strengths – speed and reliability, getting the strategy right, and
making consistently quick pit stops,” the Dane explained. “I have high hopes for this race, and I’m
looking forward to racing at Laguna Seca.”

While the Corkscrew commands the attention of photographers and fans, the other 10 turns on the 2.238mile
circuit offer ample opportunities for cutting lap times.
“The hairpin at the end of the pit straight and Turns 3, 4, and 5 through the infield are vitally important
to getting a fast lap,” Gavin said. “Similarly, getting off Turn 6 that takes you up the hill to the
Corkscrew is crucial.”
Magnussen agreed: “The medium speed corners are the key – Turns 3, 4, 5, and 6. There’s time to be
gained and lost in every one of them. When the car is working well, the track has a natural flow, and I get
into a zone that I don’t experience at many other circuits. So for me, Laguna Seca is just super enjoyable
– in fact, it’s my favorite track in the U.S.”
Sunset on the Monterey Peninsula will arrive at 7:12 p.m. on Saturday evening, and the closing laps will
be run in twilight until the checkered flag falls at 7:30 p.m. The combination of gloaming light and a
cooling track will add to the degree of difficulty in the final minutes.
“We learned a lesson at Road America when the temperature changed more than we had anticipated and
affected the balance of the car,” Magnussen said. “This time we’ll strive to make the right decisions at the
right time.”
“The last stint when you’re racing at dusk can be quite brutal,” Gavin added. “It can be difficult to make
out the line between the edge of the track and the dirt that borders the circuit because they are similar in
color at twilight. That can lead to drivers going off the track and dragging sand onto the surface, and
then cars going off on that.”
With six hours of hard racing in store, this year’s race at Laguna Seca promises to be another physical
and emotional roller coaster. “It’s a fantastic place to race, and usually we’re quite competitive there,”
Magnussen said. “We’ve had some great races there and some interesting finishes. It should be good.”
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT FROM CHEVROLET!!!
By Popular Demand! The 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is the Most Popular Chevy in the Last 100 Years!
Chevrolet is making the most of their 100th birthday. For the Corvette community there’s the 2012
Centennial Edition option that is available on every model Corvette. It’s a beautiful aesthetics package
and I’m sure that when combined with the other customer options will make for some very interesting
combinations.
Several months ago, Chevrolet launched a popularity contest asking, “What’s the Best Chevy Ever?” On
August 31, 2011 we covered the story because it had come down to the last two finalists – the 1969 SS
Camaro and the 1970 SS Chevelle. Like we said, this is strictly a popularity contest, because if
performance and technological achievement was the objective, the clear winner would have been the C6
ZR1. But, that was not the case.
Yesterday, Chevrolet announced the winner. So, as voted on by Chevy fans around the world, the most
popular Chevy of all time is… The 1969 SS Camaro!!! Chevrolet points out that not only was 1969 the
last year of the original Camaro design, it had the following accomplishments.;
* The ‘69 Camaro paced the Indy 500 for the second time.
* The ‘69 Camaro was the first and only year for the Corvette all-aluminum ZL-1 427 engine.
* The ‘69 Camaro’s Z-28 and SS/RS packages qualified the car to compete in the Trans-Am Series.
* The ‘69 Camaro sold 243,095 units.
This was a solid win for the 1969 Camaro over the 1970 Chevelle. The Camaro received 25,058 votes,
while the 1970 SS Chevelle received 18,449 votes. Corvettes received the following votes:
1953 Corvette – 13,297 votes
1963 Corvette Sting Ray – 10,597 votes
2009 ZR1 – 10,188 votes

Here are the totals for all 16 cars:
1912 Classic Six – 758 votes
1932 Deluxe Sport Roadster – 1,072 votes
1969 K Blazer – 1,541 votes
1989 Pickup – 1,822 votes votes
1964 Malibu – 2,135 votes
1962 Impala – 2,597 votes
2011 Volt – 3,140 votes
2010 Camaro – 4,861 votes
1936 Suburban – 6,459 votes
1948 Pickup – 9,242 votes
2009 ZR1 – 10,188 votes
1963 Corvette Sting Ray – 10,597 votes
1957 Belair – 13,151 votes
1953 Corvette – 13,297 votes
1970 SS Chevelle – 18,449 votes
1969 Camaro – 25,058 votes
So, there you have it, the most popular Chevy of the last 100 years – the 1969 Camaro! I’m sure that 2012
Camaro will all be a special badge of honor. There’s time for a special edition of the 2012 Camaro
possibly as a Winter or Spring 2012 option. I’m sure that Chevrolet was working on contingent plans for
a Special Edition Camaro and Malibu were on the drawing board. Maybe even a new slogan for the ‘12
Camaro – “See the USA in the most popular Chevy ever, the Camaro!”
eBay Find of the Day: A Bizarre Corvette Rat Rod Contraption
Being a car enthusiast means
expressing yourself via your vehicle.
There are limits, of course, whether it
be creative or budget related, but that
has never stopped the truly determined.
And thanks to eBay, many of these
once-secret projects can be shared with
the world, for us to praise and/or
ridicule.
Today’s eBay find is one of those rare
vehicles that deserves a bit of both. We
assume at some point, this ’77 Corvette
rearended a ’39 Plymouth, and rather
than rebuild both vehicles the owners
decided to just keep them together, and
that’s what you have here.
Not that we are questioning the craftsmanship. This Corvette is an attention getter from the word go, and
it may be the best use one can get from a late’70’s ‘Vette. And it’s reliable too, if the seller’s story of
driving it 800 miles to a car show are true.
Where the hood should be is your standard modified 350 V8 topped with an oversized air cleaner, backed
up by an automatic transmission. Up front is the aforementioned ’39 Plymouth front end, which gives the
Corvette quite a different look than we are used to. It isn’t the only, ahem, visual modifications though,
like the Batman-style flares and custom headers that dump the exhaust over the front fender. This
Corvette is all about being different. And for some of us, being different is what liking cars is all about.

eBay Find of the Day: $110K C5 Restyled to Look Like C2
With the resurgence of vintage styling in
new American sports cars, the trend has
begun to spread into the automotive
customization market as well. It seems that
more and more shops are beginning to take
late model Chevrolets and restyle the body
to resemble models from the Pony Car
heyday of the 60’s, and RK Motors, out of
Charlotte, North Carolina, is one such shop
who recently listed this very unique 2003
Corvette for sale on eBay.
The C5 has been completely restyled to
resemble a C2 Corvette Stingray, while
maintaining all its modern conveniences. In
the auction listing RK says, “More than $100,000 was spent on the build, and it took more than seven
months to build it from scratch. And rest assured purists, no Sting Rays were harmed in the construction
of this awesome machine…. Custom molds were created to fashion Sting Ray shaped panels to the C5′s
structure, and of the handful of cars built, this is the ONLY coupe.” As unique as the car is, and as much
time, effort, and thought as it must have taken to pull this off, we still find ourselves thinking that we
would much rather take $110,000 and buy a real C2, rather than a “recreated” one… or better yet, a
brand-new ZR1.
We will leave the final judgment call up to you: Is this heavily restyled C5 worth the money because of
the amount of talent it would take to put together a car like this, or are they out of their minds asking for
C6 ZR1-type money for what ultimately amounts to a C5 with a body kit? You decide.
When burnouts go wrong there are typically a
number of contributing factors such as poor
judgement, an inappropriate location, and lack of
driving skill. No matter how many times one sees a
burnout go wrong there is a certain level of juvenile
humor that goes along with watching misfortune
befall a driver who should have known better. In
this latest display of driving prowess (in reality, a
complete lack of common sense) the driver decides
put on a display of his powerful black C4 Corvette.
Burnouts and gravel are not normally a great
combination, but again the driver is a likely a local
who should have experience with gravel and dirt
roads.
C4 Burnout Ends in a Ditch
As the Corvette accelerates down the unpaved road,
the driver starts to lose control, fishtailing the C4 at a high rate of speed. Once it is clear the driver has
lost directional control of the car, the poor Corvette disappears from view as it dives into a ditch on the
side of the road. Amazingly, the C4 does not appear to have suffered major damage in spite of flying off
the road. With a tow strap attached to a 4×4 Ford fullsize pickup, another individual instructs the driver
of the truck to pull carefully in hopes of not damaging the Corvette as it hauled from ditch. In the end the
driver of pickup successfully extracts the Corvette from ditch without causing any further damage.

Is It A C2 or A Boat? It’s The ’67 Stingray-Inspired Aqua Vette
There is seems to be percentage of boat
owners and builders who truly idolize the
Corvette. Whether Corvette-powered or
Corvette-inspired, the unification of the
beloved American sports car and its
namesake vessel has to led creative and wild
designs over the years. A Washington state
boat owner decided that the Corvette would
serve as the inspiration for his water toy.
Setting out to create a boat that actually
looks like a 1967 Stingray takes a lot of
careful planning and hard work; otherwise it
could end looking like a hideous mess or
perhaps a future Wrecked Vette Wednesday
contender. Amazingly, the Stingray’s shape lends itself to boat design fairly well.
Areas where the wheel wells should have been with carefully painted to give the appearance without
having any unnecessary cutouts or odd shapes to the entire body of the boat. The architect behind this
project took into account the unique features of the Stingray and applied them to the visible areas of the
vessel. From the bow of the ‘Vette, the headlights and front grill create an illusion that makes the boat
appear more car-like. Emblems and trim pieces were applied to further enhance the ‘Vette-like facade;
careful attention was paid to the hood (bow) area to provide an accurate representation of the exclusive
Stingray styling. Overall the entire package is a success except for the Johnson outboard motor; perhaps
a Seven Marine 6.2L supercharged LSA engine would have been a better choice for purposes of power
and authenticity.
At the Baltimore Grand Prix,
Program Manager Doug
Fehan provided the next
installment of the Corvette
Racing’s Tech Transfer
segment which aired during
the race. While most of the
tech transfer segments follow
the transfer of technology
from Track to Street, this is
one segment where we look at
the transfer from Street to
Track. ACO rules that govern
the ALMS require the GT cars
to use many of the productionbased
components. For
Corvette Racing, this means
starting with the aluminum
frame and chassis.
Corvette Racing Tech Transfer: The Chassis
Doug sets up the premise of the tech transfer segment in the Corvette Racing Tour tent where the naked
cut-away chassis of the Corvette ZR1 was on display:

Corvette Racing Qualifies Second and Eighth for Laguna Seca ALMS
MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 16, 2011 – As the laps
counted down in qualifying for Saturday’s ModSpace
American Le Mans Series Monterey, Corvette Racing
engineer Chuck Houghton radioed to driver Oliver
Gavin, “A tenth of a second will put you in P2.” Gavin
responded with his quickest lap of the 15-minute
qualifying session, taking the No. 4 Compuware
Corvette C6.R from sixth to second on the GT grid.
“As always, Chuck tells me exactly how it is,” Gavin
said with a laugh. “I knew that the car had it in it. I
just needed to put a lap together without any traffic
or sand on the track. It all seemed to come together on
that last lap.”
It was the third consecutive front-row qualifying effort by the No. 4 Corvette C6.R after Gavin’s teammate,
Jan Magnussen, qualified the yellow car in the No. 2 spot at Road America and the Baltimore Grand Prix.
Gavin’s ninth and final lap was his quickest, navigating the 2.238-mile course in 1:23.124 (96.925 mph).
Olivier Beretta’s sixth lap in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R was his fastest at 1:23.566 (96.412 mph),
placing him eighth in the hard-fought GT class – the gap from second to eighth was less than half a second.
Joey Hand took the GT pole at 1:22.226 (97.984 mph) in the No. 56 BMW M3 GT.
“I knew by Turn 7 that it was going to be a good lap,” Gavin recalled. “I’d been losing some time in the
Corkscrew because I was trying too hard and overshooting the corner. This time I backed down a little bit,
got through the turn quickly, and then it was just hauling through the rest of the corners to the start-finish
line.
“It’s super close with everyone except Hand’s BMW, and we’re in with a fighting chance,” the Briton added.
“Six hours at Laguna Seca is a long race, and I know that Corvette Racing will make the right calls and we’ll
be battling to keep ourselves in the championship.”
Gavin and Magnussen will go into the penultimate round of the ALMS second in the GT standings, 25 points
behind Hand and Dirk Mueller. With 55 points available in the remaining two races, the championship is still
in play.
Beretta expects the No. 3 Corvette C6.R to move to the front as the race unfolds. “With our strategy for
qualifying we should look good in the race,” Beretta said. “I tried my best, and the engineers and mechanics
did a good job. I’m quite happy about how the day went.”
ModSpace American Le Mans Series Monterey GT Qualifying (Top 10):
Pos./Car No./Drivers/Car/Time
1. 56 Mueller/Hand, BMW M3 GT, 1:22.226
2. 4 Gavin/Magnussen, Corvette C6.R, 1:23.124
3. 55 Auberlen/Werner, BMW M3 GT, 1:23.132
4. 02 Brown/Cosmo, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:23.367
5. 45 Bergmeister/Long, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:23.368
6. 01 Sharp/van Overbeek, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:232.386
7. 62 Melo/Vildander, Ferrari F458 Italia, 1:23.518
8. 3 Beretta/Milner, Corvette C6.R, 1:23.566
9. 17 Henzler/Sellers, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:23.758
10. 48 Miller/Maasen, Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, 1:24.133

Popular Mechanics Searches Detroit for C7 Corvette Clues
While the C7 Corvette may still be a couple
years out, rumors and speculation are
already running rampant as to what it will
look like and how it will be powered.
Popular Mechanics magazine sent one of
their writers out to the streets of Detroit
during July’s Dream Cruise to search for
clues regarding the next generation
Corvette and he came back with some
interesting tidbits of info.
According to PM writer Colin Mathews,
the Woodward Dream Cruise is a target
rich environment for this kind of
automotive detective work. Over 40,000 cars and trucks are on parade in front of 1.5 million spectators,
many of whom are employees of the suppliers, engineering firms and vendors who support the Corvette.
While many gave Mathews the cold shoulder, others were more than willing to discuss what they know.
Here are some interesting quotes from industry insiders he picked up along the way:
“Y1XX. Yup. That’s the platform code for the new one. From what I seen, it’s gonna have square taillights.
And it ain’t gonna be a 2013, neither. Supplier tooling is ramping up for production in May, June, July of
2013. C7′s a model-year 2014 car.”
On the C6 Corvette’s instrument cluster and nav/radio unit: “That’s ancient GM technology“. She (who
looks and talked like an insider) hinted the next-gen would be vastly superior.
Colin also crashed a private party filled almost entirely with young auto designers. One of the attendees
claimed to have seen the C7 said the new Corvette will have “Ferrari-style quarter windows for the first
time since the C2“. The young designer added “the C7 will knock the current Vette out of the water. It won’t
be an old guy’s car anymore“.
Another designer which knowledge of the C7 program said that base horsepower will “approach that of
today’s Z06 (505 hp) and that the Z06 power levels will climb within a stone’s throw of the radical 638-hp of
today’s supercharged ZR1“.
Like many, Colin believes the new Corvette will be the first car to feature the upcoming Gen-V Chevy
small block V8. That engine is rumored to have a 5.5 liter displacement and will feature an aluminum
block and heads, direct fuel injection and variable valve timing. Turbocharging may still be a possibility
for the higher performance models as well.
As far as analyzing what was presented in the article, We find the most interesting quote to be the return
of the quarter windows. As this was a design feature on the 1963-67 Corvettes, and with GM’s Ed
Welburn hinting the return of the split rear window, it makes us believe the C7 Corvette’s design may
indeed contain several retro design cues. The insider’s comment regarding the square taillights also gels
with current Chevy designs like the Camaro and the newly redesigned 2013 Malibu, which ditched its
round taillights for the square Camaro-styled versions.
What is encouraging is that Mathew’s final conclusion is in line with what we’ve been hearing – the new
Corvette will see improvement on all fronts, and especially in the areas where we find deficiencies in
today’s current generation. From interior quality to power and fuel economy, the C7 Corvette is poised
to be vastly improved where it counts.

Corvette Racing in ALMS Laguna Seca
A Long Day in Monterey as Team Experiences Highs and Lows on Roller Coaster Road Course
MONTEREY, Calif., Sept. 17, 2011 – The
six-hour American Le Mans Monterey
proved to be trying day for Corvette
Racing as the Compuware Corvette C6.Rs
finished fifth and seventh in the GT class.
While the cars showed competitive speed,
keeping a handle on the roller coaster
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit
throughout a stint was a challenge for the
Corvettes.
Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin finished
fifth in the No. 4 Corvette C6.R, 15.9
seconds behind the winning No. 45 Porsche
911 GT3 of Joerg Bergmeister and Patrick
Long. The No. 62 Ferrari, third across the
finish line, received a post-race penalty for avoidable contact, promoting the No. 4 Corvette from sixth to
fifth in the final results. Tommy Milner and Olivier Beretta finished seventh, one lap behind the leaders,
in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R.
“Looking at lap times, we had cars that were very competitive today,” said Corvette Racing program
manager Doug Fehan. “Unfortunately we couldn’t find a setup that would allow the cars to keep the tires
under them for an entire stint.”
After starting second in the GT class, Gavin held his position through the first 14 laps before he was
overtaken by the No. 55 BMW. Within a few laps, he had slipped to seventh as the Corvette struggled to
maintain grip on the track surface. After an early pit stop put the No. 4 Corvette out of sequence with the
leaders, Gavin was back up to third shortly after the one-hour mark, only to slide back to seventh. That
established the pattern of the race for the No. 4 Corvette.
“It was a very long day, and definitely not the result we were looking for,” Gavin said. “For whatever
reason, today we sustained high tire wear and a drop in grip. We’ll get to the bottom of this so that we
can fight for a win when we come back here next year. I definitely think it’s just a blip, since we’ve been
competitive at every other event this year.”
Magnussen agreed: “At the beginning of the stint, the car was really good, but then it dropped off about
halfway through, so we couldn’t really keep up the pace. When the car was good, we were right there
with the leaders.”
Savvy pit strategy kept the Corvettes in contention, and Gavin was running second after four hours of
racing. However, he and Magnussen couldn’t maintain their position through long runs.
Milner and Beretta had a similar plight in the No. 3 Corvette. “You always want to keep fighting because
anything can happen in a race,” Milner said. “Today we weren’t the quickest car and weren’t as
competitive as we would have liked to have been. The team was awesome, they made great pit stops and
fast driver changes. I think we’re primed and ready for Petit Le Mans.”
“We did our best, the team did a good job on the car, but it was a shame that we lost a lap,” Beretta
conceded. “It’s all part of racing. Unfortunately today it was difficult, but we have one more race coming,
and the whole team will be going for another victory.”

Corvette Timeline Tales: Happy 102nd Birthday, Ed Cole
“Kick the hell out of the status quo!” – Ed Cole
Ed Cole was one of, “The Four Fathers of the Corvette.”
The first Father of the Corvette was Harley Earl, the designer
and creator of the Corvette. Earl was the “Idea Guy.” Ed Cole
was the “Go-to” guy. Ed was already the chief of engineering
of Chevrolet in ‘53 and was working on what would become
the Small-Block Chevy engine. He was also the man that hired
Zora Arkus-Duntov. The third Father of the Corvette was Zora
Arkus-Duntov. Were it not for his at times, unbridled passion
and insistence that Corvettes were successful at the race track,
the car wouldn’t have survived the ‘60s. And the fourth Father
of the Corvette was Bill Mitchell. His Sting Ray and Mako
Shark II designs forever defined the Corvette “look.”
While Cole was one of the top engineers of his day, he did
not start out wanting to be in the car business. When he first
started attending Grand Rapids Community College as a lad, he
wanted to become a lawyer! But a part-time job in an auto parts
supply store hooked him into cars. He enrolled in General
Motors Institute and got his engineering degree and a job at
GM. Cole and Harry Barr co-headed a team to design and
develop the revolutionary 1949 Cadillac V8 engine. It was the
Cadillac engine project that set Cole up to be the lead man on
the Chevrolet small-block engine project. Just stop and reflect on what an enormous contribution to Chevrolets
and racing the all-time classic Small-Block Chevy engine is.
Ed Cole was called the “go-to” guy because of his relationship with Duntov. Zora was quite an anomaly
inside of General Motors. The prevailing attitude towards Duntov and Cole was likely, “You hired him, he’s
yours!” It turned out that Cole was Duntov’s corporate angel and he always had Ed’s ear.
the book, “Zora Arkus-Duntov – The Legend Behind Corvette” by Jerry Burton is filled with wonderful
stories about Cole and Duntov. One amusing story happened in early 1956 just after Cole and Duntov took a
modified ‘56 Chevy Belair to Pike’s Peek and broke several records. After the event, while the guys were
celebrating over drinks, Zora told Ed, “We should show the world that the Corvette is no longer an underdog.
Let’s show how fast the car will really go.” Cole asked, “How fast is that?” To which Duntov just pulled a
number out of the air and said, “Oh… maybe… 150 miles per hour.” Cole was interested, but reminded Zora
that his main responsibility was the development of the fuel-injected engine. Zora took Cole’s interest as a goahead
and started working on body modifications that would eventually lead to the speed record run on the
sands of Daytona Beach with John Fitch, Betty Skelton, and himself driving modified ‘56 Corvettes. Duntov
was a loose cannon, and he was Ed Cole’s loose cannon.
After Cole was made general manager of Chevrolet in ‘56, he embarked on an over-the-top project called
the “Q-Chevrolets.” Cole was fascinated with the idea of using a transaxle on all Chevrolet cars (Corvette
included) by 1960, with a marketing angle of increased interior space and more weight over the rear drive
wheels. It was soon discovered that the project would be too expensive and dropped. But Chevrolet did manage
to get the rear-engine Corvair into production. The Q-Corvette became the seed of the ‘63 – ‘67 Sting Ray and
the proposed all-aluminum engine, drive train, and transaxle would finally go into production in the 1997 C5
Corvette.

But Ed Cole was destined for big things inside GM. In ‘65 he was
promoted to vice-president and in ‘67 president of General Motors. Cole
guided GM through some very challenging times in the late ‘60s and
into the mid-’70s before he retired. he oversaw the end of the muscle car
era, the beginning of the subcompact era, the elimination of lead from
GM’s gasoline engines, and the introduction of the catalytic converter.
The mid-’70s saw some power players in GM put out to pasture. Cole
retired in ‘74, Duntov in ‘75, and Bill Mitchell in ‘77. But powerful men
such as Cole never sit still for long. Right after his retirement from GM,
Cole took a position as CEO of Checker Motors Corporation. Yes, the
cab company. Cole was also an avid pilot On May 2, 1977 while flying
his beagle B 206 Series 2 plane, he crashed in a storm and was killed at
the age of 67.
Ed Cole was inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame at the National Corvette Museum in 1998. Ed’s motto
was, “Kick the hell out of the status quo!”
Mid America Motorworks Wraps Up Another Successful Corvette Funfest
Mid America Motorworks held their annual Corvette
Funfest over the weekend and while the weather may
have been a bit on the cool side, there was plenty of
hot Corvette action going on at the Effingham show.
Although we were unable to attend, our friends at
Corvette Online were on the scene and provided nice
recap of the weekend’s events.
Thousands of Corvettes make the trip annually to
Effingham, Illinois for the weekend show. The theme
for this year’s show was “America’s Star Spangled
Corvette Party” and a patriotic parking display
greeted enthusiasts as they entered the MA
Motorwork’s complex. Registrations for Corvette Funfest were reported as being up by 40% over last
year’s figures, which easily confirms the show’s status as the World’s largest Corvette party.
Other going-ons at Funfest included the
installation tent where Corvette vendors install
a myriad of Corvette parts and accessories on
your ride. As you can see, the aftermarket
exhaust suppliers were especially busy during
the three day show.
One of the main draws is Mid America
Motorwork’s founder and Chief Cheerleader
Mike Yager extensive car collection. Mike took
the opportunity to show off the 1957 Red/White
Corvette roadster barn car which sits on the
same trailer it was stored with years ago. Two
new Corvettes to Mike’s collection are Black
and White Alpha and Beta preproduction C5 prototype cars which will be joining the Deathrace 2000
movie car in the MY Garage Museum.
Saturday evening, Mike Yager welcomed Don Felder, former lead guitarist for The Eagles for 27 years,
who performed on stage in front of a huge crowd of Corvette enthusiasts. Before taking the stage, Mike
gave away an autographed guitar signed by Felder.

Corvette Pace Cars – The First Indy 500 Corvette Pace Car
The Corvette’s tough-guy legend is
founded on racing and performance.
By the mid-to-late ‘70s, Corvette highperformance
and racing efforts were in
the pits. Power was down, weight was
up, and Porsches were eating the
Corvette’s lunch at the race track. The
announcement that the 25th anniversary
Corvette would also be the pace car at
the ’78 Indy 500, looked like the
highlight of the decade for Corvette
fans. But controversy was in the mix right from the beginning.
Initially, it looked like a triple-play for Chevrolet. First, the ’78 Corvette received a sleek new fastback roof
that completed the overall redesign started in ’73 with the soft bumper covers. Second, all Corvettes wore the
25th Anniversary badges. And third, three special Corvettes would serve as the pace cars at the ’78 Indy 500,
and replicas would be available. Then the details set in.
The initial proposal was that there would be 300 pace car replicas, the same number as the ’53
production run. The car would have a two-tone silver paint (for the silver anniversary), red pin striping, and
special Goodyear tires with “CORVETTE” sidewall lettering. Then the plan was to make 2,500 replicas, 100
for each year of production. But there were 6,200 dealers that all wanted at least one replica, so production went
up to 6,502 units. Then two key elements were changed. The special “CORVETTE” tires were deemed too
expensive, and paint was changed to sliver and black.
Then there was the price issue. The RPO 1YZ8778 package cost $4,302, on top of the $9,351 base price – a
46-percent premium! Here’s what came with the option. The exterior had special two-tone paint and pin
striping, unique front and rear spoilers, glass roof panels, sport mirrors, and red pin stripped aluminum wheels
on P225/60R15 tires. The interior came with power windows and door locks, tilt-telescopic steering column,
convenience group, silver thin-shell seats, AM/FM with a CB radio or an 8-track tape player, dual rear speakers,
and a power antenna. The $525 L82 engine rated at 220-hp was not part of the package.
The controversy started right on the showroom floor. For a premium collectible,” quality was not good. On
many of the cars, fender seams and slight bubbles were clearly visible. The black upper body paint only made
the defects look worse. Then there were the opportunistic dealers who tacked on surcharges that bumped the
price up to between $15,000 to $22,000. One dealer was asking $75,000 for his replica. Then, there were
individuals making replicas of the pace car replica, asking full price for their creations! All that, for a car with
no more “grunt” than a regular Corvette.
Meanwhile, at the 62nd Indy 500 race on May 28, 1978, Jim Rathmann drove one of three Pace Car
Corvettes to start the race. One of the pace cars was given to Al Unser for winning the race, another was sent
to the Detroit Museum, and the last pace car was sold through a Chevy dealer to a professional baseball trainer.
The ‘78 Pace Car Corvettes were the first pace cars to work the race with a stock drivetrain. All previous pace
cars had serious performance enhancements. But the production Corvette, even though it was down on power
from its earlier days, was up to the job!
In today’s market, ’78 Pace Car Corvettes can be purchased for between $7,000 to $30,000. Although the
’78 Pace Car always was a very nice car, between the high volume and low performance, the car’s value has yet
to take off – over 30-years later. But imagine a ’69 427/435 Corvette Pace Car instead of the ’69 Camaro. Pace
Car. Now you’re talking!

Corvette ZR1 Featured in ABC’s Charlie’s Angels Premiere
Charlie’s Angels is the latest show from the
Seventies that’s getting a reboot for the upcoming
fall television schedule on ABC. The premise is
similar to the original series which features three
young beautiful women with various skills who
solve crimes for their mysterious benefactor
Charlie Townsend. We are bringing this up as we
caught a commercial for this Thursday’s series
premiere and the show features one of the cast
members driving a Corvette ZR1 like she stole it!
NY Governor Cuomo Attends a Corvette Show
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — From a distance, he
looked like any other middle-aged gearhead,
gingerly parking his sleek Corvette, its tires
freshly shined, and then making the rounds
among scores of other muscle cars lined up
at an auto show here.
He showed a clear weakness for Corvettes,
particularly those with their hoods propped open.
He admired the elongated quarter panel of a 1969
Buick Electra and a salmon-colored racing stripe on
a black late-model Ford Mustang. He was so
smitten at times that he ignored signs imploring
visitors to look but not touch.
Only up close, when a small entourage of photographers and plainclothes state troopers came into view,
was it clear that this was not any ordinary gearhead, but New York’s gearhead in chief: Gov. Andrew M.
Cuomo.
And Mr. Cuomo, car-obsessed ever since his teenage days working at a gas station in Hollis, Queens, was
in his element, moving along row after row of muscle cars and peppering their owners with questions.
“I’m having a ball,” he declared, and the hour he spent inspecting car after car lined up in a park here
left little doubt.
Sunday was one of those days when Mr. Cuomo waved off his State Police driver and got behind the
wheel: first, to drive from his Westchester County home to a breakfast in Harlem honoring the African
American Day Parade, where he gave a speech about gun violence, and then to Eisenhower Park here, for
Nassau County’s car show, in its second year.
He all but apologized for his own ride — a deep sky-blue 1975 model that he bought for $4,750 while in
college — saying it was nothing compared with most at the show. “I use it — it’s not a show car by any
means,” he said. “I leave it in a parking lot, so the car isn’t as clean as these cars. It’s far from perfect.”
Mr. Cuomo parked next to a gold 1969 Corvette, owned by another politician and car buff — the Nassau
County executive, Edward P. Mangano, a Republican. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, gushed about Mr.
Mangano’s car, calling it “something you pass on generation to generation.” For a while, the two men
huddled over the engine of Mr. Cuomo’s Corvette, sharing tips on cleaning grime from the engine
manifold (Mr. Cuomo touched his up with a paintbrush, an idea Mr. Mangano found intriguing).

In brief remarks, Mr. Cuomo — clutching a trophy that Mr. Mangano awarded him for having the best,
if only, gubernatorial Corvette at the show — said he spent three hours on Saturday changing the oil in
his car and cleaning it.
“I’m all sore today,” he told the crowd. “I’m all cramped from moving around the car. But it is a great
passion. It’s a great hobby.”
He proceeded to tell the story of his car. “I look at that car now and I smile, sometimes — the memories
of days gone by,” he said. Then, playfully, he added: “There’s no back seat in the Corvette, so that’s not
where it is.”
Mr. Cuomo, in a pink short-sleeve button-up shirt and chinos, was in a jocular mood: he punctuated his
remarks by telling the crowd that after getting Republicans and Democrats to work together in Albany
this year, he planned to raise the bar and “try to get G.M. guys and Ford guys to work together.”
On a blustery September day, Mr. Cuomo went up and down the rows of cars, defying the playbook of
the politician photo op: instead of posing for a picture or two and then being whisked out of public view,
the governor kept going and going, turning after each row of cars and pressing on, intent on surveying
more.
Mr. Cuomo spotted a black 1968 Pontiac GTO, the same model that Mr. Cuomo owns and is using to
teach his twin 16-year-old daughters how to drive — a task that the governor said remained a “work in
progress.” Mr. Cuomo deemed the car at the show to be “magnificent,” much to the delight of its owner,
Joe Iannarelli, 49, who lives in Oceanside and owns an auto-repair shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “I
turned around and saw him, and I was blown away,” Mr. Iannarelli said. “It made my day.”
One of Mr. Cuomo’s longest examinations came when he came across a blue 1969 Corvette. The governor
halted, puzzled, when he looked under the hood; the motor turned out to be the same kind used in some
new Corvettes.
Several car enthusiasts said Mr. Cuomo proved his auto-buff chops through his questioning. Studying the
souped-up Corvette, Mr. Cuomo noticed that the motor had been fitted with different-looking fuel
injection tubes and valve covers — carbon fiber parts, he observed, accurately, said Chris Tucci, 46,
whose car restoration company in Lindenhurst installed the new motor.
Mr. Tucci said he got a kick out of seeing the governor inspect his handiwork.
“It’d be cooler if he’d lower my taxes,” he said, “but, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
A couple months back we had the opportunity to
tour the immense car collection of Ken
Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter Performance
Engineering. The diverse collection contains about
150 stunning muscle cars, exotics, classics, as well
as several of LPE’s latest creations. No car
collection is complete without a healthy dose of
America’s sports car, and this one is no different.
Roughly 40% of the grouping consists of
Corvettes including some very rare ones. Check
out some photos from our visit after the break.
Lingenfelter Collection
The Lingenfelter Collection resides in a rather
nondescript 40,000 square foot house of horsepower. The interior is relatively simple with white walls
and a painted floor. A few photos and pictures hang on the walls and some banners and signs drop down
from the ceiling. The focus here is clearly the cars (as it should be). The building is split into 3 sections.

One section is for the exotics including a Bugatti Veyron, about 10 Ferrari’s (including an Enzo), several
Lambo’s (including a Reventon), a Mercedes SLR McLaren, and a Porsche Carrera GT among several
others. The muscle car room holds old Firebirds, Camaros, a Hemi Challenger, AAR Cuda, Novas,
Mustangs, and pretty much 1 of every muscle car you can think of. There’s even a NHRA Funny Car in
there.
Last, but definitely not least, is the Corvette room. The collection has corvettes from every era and
enough zing to make Zora blush. Some of the highlights include:
1953 Supercharged Corvette
1954 Silver styling Corvette with alligator interior trim
1954 Duntov Mule
Guldstrand GS90
1990 Mears/Shinoda ZR-1
1967 Big Block owned by Nicholas Cage
1998 Callaway C12
In addition to all of these there are numerous Lingenfelter and Specter Werkes Corvettes. In addition to
the C12 above, there about 6 or 7 other Callaway cars in there as well. Don’t forget the fuelie C1’s and
big block C2’s and C3’s in there too. There are just way too many cool cars in there to talk about.
The challenge of a 'Vette redesign: Don't screw it up
FRANKFURT -- What's the most difficult car to design at General Motors?
Here's a hint: It has two seats.
"Everyone wants to design a Corvette, but it is hard work," says
Ed Welburn, who heads GM's global design.
The redesigned car could appear in the fall of 2013 as a 2014
model year, as reported in this blog last spring.
"Finding that right balance" is a challenge. "You want it to be a
new design, but it needs to be recognizable as a Corvette," says
Welburn, who was interviewed at the Frankfurt motor show.
He describes today's car as "nice" but quickly adds that "sales
are very weak."
Last year Chevrolet sold 12,624 Corvettes, the lowest level since
the early 1960s. In the past 10 years, the Corvette's best year was
2006, when 36,518 were sold. Through August, 9,123 Corvettes have been sold, a 5 percent increase over
the same period last year.
Welburn says the redesigned car must have a wider appeal.
Generally speaking, most of Corvette's buyers age-wise fall into the 50s and above category -- numbers
that place a big question make on Corvette's long-term viability.
Welburn is short on words when it comes to describing the redesigned Corvette, but yet his words grab
your attention.
The redesigned Vette will make "a bit of a shift to appeal to younger customers." Shorter, narrower? He
won't say.
As the design for the next generation nears finalization, there is another thought running through
Welburn's head and he says:
"You don't want to be the guy who screwed it up."

Pickup Meets Camaro and Corvette Body Kits, Confusion Ensues
We’ve all known some pretty weird people.
Heck, you might even be a pretty weird
person yourself. And while the definition of
“weird” differs from person to person, there
are certain universal truths that we all
subscribe to. Like it is “weird” to wear
underwear on your head, or it is “weird” to
accuse the blood bank of being managed by
vampires running a plasma Ponzi scheme.
Well everybody, we feel that this… thing,
found by a Reddit reader, defines the word
“weird.” .
What we have here is what looks to be a mid-90’s pickup truck plastered with body kits from the Camaro
and Corvette, with a healthy dose of randomly-placed roof, tailgate, and body panel spoilers and “aero
improvements.” That front end is unmistakably that of a 5th-gen Camaro, and the rear fascia can only
have come from a C5 Corvette, though the odd spacing of the taillights indicates it’s been sectioned and
widened.
Now let’s talk spoilers, because there are a whole bunch here, on the roof as well as the tailgate. We’re
not sure if the side strakes should count as spoilers or a bodykit, but we do know that that massive hood
scoop has got to be seriously affecting aerodynamic drag. This vehicle defines weird. So, is this a halffinished
project, something done on a dare, or just hilariously bad taste? And what the hell do you call it?
A CamVette-a-Mino? A Cormaro Pickup? You tell us.
C6 Vert Victimized by “Brodozer”
The “Bro” or “flat biller” epidemic has plagued
Southern California’s Inland Empire for the past
decade or so, and like any trendy disease it has spread
to pandemic proportions. For those unaware of the of
this blight it involves lifted trucks, tattoos, excessive
beer consumption and a certain level of reckless
behavior that results in property damage.
Unfortunately, a C6 Corvette fell victim to what can
only be called a “Brodozer.” This poor C6 convertible
was cruising the streets of Hermosa Beach, California
when it collided with the aforementioned Brodozer, aka
a Ford Superduty truck complete with lift kit, off-road tires and adjustable tow ball.
According to the Hermosa Beach Patch, the unfortunate accident ripped off the driver’s side front wheel
and caused extensive damage to front end of the Corvette. However, the 4×4 Brodozer suffered a
flattened front tire and possibly some suspension damage. When the large truck struck the C6, the driver
of the Corvette became trapped inside his vehicle and required assistance from emergency personnel.
Luckily, the Corvette driver was not seriously injured and was able to move his arms and legs after being
extracted from the car. To be safe the C6 driver was transported to a local hospital to be evaluated, while
the Bro reported no injuries. Although, no cause or citations were reported by the Hermosa Beach Patch
and is safe to say that the collision of a Superduty and Corvette will never turn out well.

Corvettes and boats seem to blend well, with the
beloved sports car acting like a muse for boat
builders. Regardless of the motivation found in
merging a ’67 Stingray and a boat, it was a wellexecuted
build deserving of a little further
investigation. Performance Restoration in
Lynnwood, Washington is the self-proclaimed
home of the Aquavette.
The Aquavette Caught In Action
Being performance junkies and Corvette lovers,
the addition of a Corvette engine would have
been a nice touch, but the Johnson outboard
motor seems to propel the Aquavette without
issue. Based on the footage from the helicopter
cameraman this particular machine does not seem to be lacking in power or looks. Even on the trailer the
boat builders spent time to create the Stingray look, but the carefully crafted boat manages to still look
like a ’67 while in the water. Instead of leaving a couple of black marks and a cloud of smoke under full
throttle, the Aquavette creates a decent wake that is every bit as enjoyable as a smokey burnout.
1969 BFG Stars & Stripes ZL1/L88 Racer Finds New Home at Proteam Corvette
Remember John Greenwood’s 1969 BF
Goodrich Stars and Stripes ZL1/L88 racer
that sold at RM’s Monterey auction for
$638,000? Purchased by Terry Michaelis of
Proteam Corvette, the ’69 BFG Corvette
recently made its way home to the company’s
Napoleon, Ohio facility. The former Le Mans
race car will be the centerpiece of Proteam’s
L88 collection which now numbers seven
special production L88′s of the 216 produced
between 1967-1969.
The BF Goodrich L88/ZL1 Greenwood race
car may just be the most significant and
storied of all the L88s that came from General Motors in those three years and its accomplishments in
both racing and show awards are indisputable.
The #49 Stars and Stripes Corvette participated at 24 Hours of Le Mans setting a GT speed record of 215
mph on the Mulsanne straight during qualifying and ran the Daytona 24 Hour and 12 Hours of Sebring.
Show awards for the Greenwood racer include Best in Class at the Quail Motorsport ’08 event, center
display for the Corvette Racing Legends event at the Petersen Museum in ’08, the Amelia Island
Concours d’Elegance, part of the Bloomington Gold Special Collection Grand Finale in ’09, NCRS
American Heritage Award in ’09, center display at the National Corvette Museum for the Corvette Hall
of Fame in ’09, and most recently invited to celebrate Corvette’s first Lemans win at the Laguna ALMS
race in ’10.
Like any new Corvette would do, Terry took some pictures with the #49 BFG Stars and Stripes Corvette
as soon as he got it home and even uploaded this video to Youtube so you can hear how good open
headers sound from the ZL1 V8.

Julie C. Oleson
Independent Consultant
m 559-940-0298
ryanandjulieoleson@gmail.com
arbonne.com
ARBONNE
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