I agree !! Love those cars. My uncle and his old boss, used to run with a local Virginia area dentist, that I only now realize was an important Corvette racer. Used to help with his engines, and suspension setups. Ran all over the country, and then some. Many a picture of racing Corvettes, in their shop...growing up. Spun off pieces, of course making it to their cars too. Too cool.
Not a big fan of Corvettes anymore but boy when I was a teenager, you bet! My friend was heavy into them and he got his first when we were 17, man oh man we would tear up the town and countryside. He bought it but I would tune it and tuning always meant test drives. '68 convertible with a tri-power 427 and a four speed. Damn right it was a "Hot Rod"! I can smell the rubber right now. Thanks for the memories.
I love Vette's...2nd only to old Fords. That fuely tanker sure is a good one! As a kid, the 3 other corners of our block had a split 340 with 6 two's, a '67 350hp roadster,a'68 435hp T-top,a black '59 with silver flake coves,and a'58 with a hot 301". How would a kid not fall in love? Always wanted a '64 cpe, got one 30 years ago with 7 layers of paint on her;orig 327/365. Can be seen in my album...yep love them "real" vettes...
I too am a secret corvette admirer. Haven't had one since 1983 but had 4 starting in 1972 with a 67 435 HP roadster. Really haven't had much interest in one till the new C7 coupe showed up. A 2015 is on the horizon. Alas, one of my hot rods will have to be sacrificed to help pay for it and provide a parking space.
That car WAS bad ass. Now it's a prized poodle for some speculator to display in their garage majal. It'll never see another race track and I think that's depressing.
That is one beautiful piece of glass. Back in about 1984 or so, a freind of the family asked if I wanted to buy his 1965 roadster, 327 w/ 4 speed, replete with old Torq-Thrust D's. Being a broke kid trying to work my way through college, I had to decline. It still haunts me from time to time. The old ones sure had soul, something lacking these days.
I've told of my encounter with the '63 split before on here, so I'll save bandwidth. I don't always pine for a Corvette, but when I do, it's a C-2. Stay thirsty my friend....
Some of my fondest memories of when I was growing up were the spring, summer, and fall trips to the track while my uncle was campaigning his '65 Vette Roadster, first in SCCA and then in various vintage events. Very formative in my love of cars, roadracing, and corvettes. Real corvettes. It wasn't until I sold parts for my uncle, then owner or Western Corvette Supply, at the local swapmeets that I had my first run-ins with the other Corvette guys, the restorer crowd. What's the point of having a light weight, high-powered, nimble car if you don't intend to take it out of your hermetically sealed bubble? I'd rather have a fueled, flaired, and flogged 'vette than any of your seven-figure garage-art.
I have been driving Corvettes since I bought my first 1962 for myself on my sixteenth birthday. Still love them, still drive a C5 to this day as a driver and still get shit from all of my Ford group when I show up in it!
One of the best looking cars ever made hands down. Used to drool over a mild custom black '63 with Grand Sport flares that belonged to the roommate of a guy my mom dated. Barry Goldwater also favored a black '63 Z06.
Very cool story and Corvette. Had a black 62 340 HP for a while-still miss it. Love the FI cars-closest I have to it now is my 57 FI BelAir but still yearn for an early Vette-great story-great car.
Cool story. Love the Vettes (53-72). How can any true U.S citizen not love America's only sports car (bet I opened a can of worms there, but it's true. There have been other makes but the Vette has endured and deserves the title.) By the way, my brother still has his Vette (1956) which my parents bought for him from the O.G owner, back in 67 for $500.00, in good condition, Silver with red coves.
I've never had one, but I have always coveted 'Vettes. Working at a local restoration shop when I was about 17 as a general shop monkey, it was found out that I'm pretty damn good at emblem resto. At that particular Christmas time, we had a '63 ZO6 car that was in a "hurry-hurry" resto for a local customer that I had met a time or two named Marty. By Christmas Eve we were damn near done and down to the finishing strokes, and my boss asked if I would come in on Christmas Eve and finish the emblems for the car. with a little bump in the day's pay. Hell yes! After the first hour or so, Marty wandered in the door and talked with my boss a bit, then walked back to the bench where I had all of his car's emblems spread out and minutely painting all of the recesses and such, and pulled up a chair and watched what I was up to. He carefully made conversation with me, so as not to disturb what I was doing, and he stayed all afternoon! We talked about many things, none of which I can remember right now, but all cool as hell, and this was a cool guy! He left in the after noon after slipping me an envelope with about 30.00 in it as a thanks for my holiday work, (fairly good money in '80 - '81!) and said good bye. The day after Christmas, I walked in to my boss telling everybody in the place how Marty hung out with me all day, when he really didn't spend too much time talking with anybody... Who was "Marty"? Country music legend Marty Robbins! Wish I'd known.... My dad had a whole series of bitchin' Corvettes as a kid in the early sixties. Somewhere I have a picture of him kneeling beside a nearly brand new '61, lowered about as low as anybody would dare in silver over red with medium white wall piecrust slicks on the back, what was probably some 5.60 whites up front on red steel wheels with a white cove... The picture of cool in '62.
Awesome story. I too love the midyear coupes. Still have my Elkhart Blue L79 (smallblock) coupe. These cars are hotrods right out of the factory.
The only Chevy I ever wanted! I had to wait until I was in my 50's to get one, and had to settle on a C4 instead of the C2 I'd always dreamed about. It has too much electronic garbage on it, and a lot of folks hate the styling, but it's got the heart and soul of those before it, and I love to get it out and beat on it! Reinhart's with the Torque Thrusts pretty well fits my dreams! Now where's that lottery ticket?
I dig the O/T C4's (the Vette, not the explosive.) They remind me of pre 68 Vettes. But on the other hand, those late 70s/early 80 C3's suck. They were known as the worlds fastest trucks.
Hi guys, just a quick correction, Paul has been actively racing his 57 "minute man" Corvette since 2001 when he sold the Z06 to the Armstrongs. They are great folks and do all their own Wrenching! Paul and I have been pit mates for over 15 years. First with our C2's and since 2001 with our C1's (I race a 1958 RPO684 car). Paul just retired from competition last year after finishing second at Sonoma. He is the consummate gentleman and tutor. His friendship has meant the world to me. He has been nominated to the Corvette Hall of Fame. Paul will be present in Monterey for the auction. Scott
I was just starting to write that I remember Reinhart running a C1 Corvette (a black '57, I think) in Cal Club in the early '60s, and he was very competitive in B Production class. Was his vintage ride the same car, or a re-creation of it?
You are correct. The 57 incorporates a lot of the original parts which were salvaged after the 57 was written off. By the way, if you look at early Trans Am races from the West coast, you will notice Jim Hall's Chaparral has a hastily added 6 outside the # circle. Paul was racing a Genie Chevy by then and SCCA / Cal Club had grandfathered Paul the number 6. Hall was forced to change to 66. Scott
When I win the lottery one of my first stops is Casper's house to buy his Silver-Blue, 327 - 4 speed '63 Split.
Still miss my '64 coupe with an LT-1, close ratio 4 spd. and 3.70 gears. Never raced it (legally), took it from upstate N.Y. to Bowling Green, Ky. for the 20th reunion with all four of us(the girls were small).Got the long distance award and kept it from '75 til '98. Love those mid-yrs, Carp
Well, its not a Z06(!), but its a '63 FI roadster. I sold a '32 Ford Tudor and my dad and I bought a project car for us to restore together. Its been a great time. The car has been off the road since 1974. I love hot rods, but I also love America's sports car just as much.
Mine back in the day between hot rods. Drove it cross country CT. to CA. and back. Great car! Check out the extra tail lamp. Yes it was a hot rod / custom.
Heck of a story!!!.... I remember when I was in high school, a buddy of mine had an uncle that worked on all that old Chevrolet Muscle.... We would go over there after school and help him out in the garage. Surprising me , one day with a '67 427..435 .... You wanna drive it? He asked...I'll never forget banging second gear on the on ramp!....
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