Corvette Blog

We love it when Corvette Clubs come together for a purpose.  Sure, driving and enjoying the car of our dreams is one thing, but giving back to charity is quite another and boy has this Corvette Club come through on that.

The Thunder Vette Set Corvette Club of Sierra Vista recently contributed over $9,500 to various local charities in their area of Arizona!  They saw a 16% increase in contributions from last year and were gathered at various events held throughout the year including it's Corvette Thunder event this past November.

The charities that they donated to included the Salvation Army, Stocking Stuffers, the Boys & Girls Club, St. Vincent DePaul, Forgach House, CANTER, Care for the Horses, Sierra Vista Animal Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, Cochise Children’s Center, Arizona Children’s Home Family Preservation Bisbee, Women’s Transition Project DBA Renaissance House, AYSO809 Douglas, Sierra Vista Fire Department, Fry Fire Department, Huachuca City Fire Department, Whetstone Fire Department, Douglas Fire Department, Palominas Fire Department, the Good Neighbor Alliance, and CTOF Fort Huachuca (Chaplain’s Fund).

To our friends out at The Thunder Vette Set Corvette Club, keep up the great work!

[ Sierra Vista Herald ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette News , Roadrunner (AZ, NM, Western TX) | 2 Comments Permalink

Being from Detroit, we have a great appreciation for Car Shows, car displays and all that goes into marketing cars to the world.  This story takes us back to 1965.

GM and Chevy used Autoramas to display cars and bring the technology and vehicles to customers in a revolutionary way for the time.  The Corvette was nearly 3 years old in '65 and the hype had died down a little in that time.  They decided they would create a cut-away display of the Corvette to show how not only the beauty of the car, but also how advanced the vehicle was.

Reportedly the display's location was unknown for sometime until the 1990's when it was returned to the US and purchased by Al Wiseman.  This week it went on the auction block to the highest bidder looking to revel in Corvette history.  The final bid on the vehicle was $640,000 and with the buyer's commission of 10%, the final cost coming in at a whopping $704,000!  The buyer you ask?  Showdown Muscle Cars, out of Detroit.

Even better, our friends at CorvetteBlogger have a video of the auction, available after the jump.

[ CorvetteBlogger ]

Posted By Ryan In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Fun , Corvette History , Corvette Memorabilia | 0 Comments Permalink

The Corvette racing enterprise is extensive.  While the Corvette Racing Team C6.R twins wrapped up the GT1 Manufacturer's Title this last weekend at Laguna Seca,   C5.R Corvettes continue to compete in various venues around the globe.  And, especially in Europe, GT3 competitions now include Corvettes, as well.

To celebrate it all, the Corvette Motorsport website provides a pretty wide range of information on equipment, events, and racing news.  Some interesting videos are there for your enjoyment, too.  Check it out!

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Racing , Corvette Videos | 1 Comments Permalink

The Woodward Dream Cruise is just days away, but the classic cars began appearing in April this year!  As we've written before, upwards of 1.7 million car nuts like myself will descend upon the glorious six lane state highway known for decades as Woodward Avenue this coming Saturday.

The closer it has gotten to this date, the more the cruisers have appeared at all times of day, but especially in the evening.  The local TV news has stories.  The Detroit News has stories.  The Detroit Free Press has stories.  And, of course, the Detroit metropolitan area's only Corvette Blog has stories.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Events | 0 Comments Permalink

Corvette enthusiasts are united in their adoration of America's Sports Car.  Corvette enthusiasts are divided, as is everyone else in the world, by geographical location.

No group in the world has done a better job in giving Corvette enthusiast bodies organization than the National Council of Corvette Clubs.  This group lists some fifteen regions of Corvette clubs in the United States, and provides links to pretty much every country in the world that has organized their Corvette enterprise.

Effective this date, Corvette Blog officially salutes this fine organization, the regional U.S groupings, and the Corvette clubs around the world.  We will attempt to provide links to every group as time allows.

If you represent a club anywhere in the world, and wish to be one of the first to appear on Corvette Blog, please contact us.

Posted By Bill Connell In Australia , Austria , Canada , Carolina , Corvette Enthusiasts , Czech Republic , Denmark , East Ohio , Eastern Canada , Eastern U.S. , Finland , Florida , France , Germany , Hungary , Indiana , Italy , Luxembourg , Michigan , Midwest U.S. , New Zealand , Northeast U.S. , Northwest U.S. , Poland , Puerto Rico , Roadrunner (AZ, NM, Western TX) , Rocky Mountain , South Africa , Southeast U.S. , Southwest U.S. , Sweden , Switzerland , The Netherlands , United Kingdom , Venezuela , West Coast , West Ohio , Western Canada , Western U.S. | 0 Comments Permalink

Well, if you've stood in line or gone through the hassle of eBay and are one of the first to have an iPhone, we're very jealous.  Many reviews seem to say it lives up to the hype, and boy has there been hype.

I found an application for the iPhone today for Corvette owners that is a must.  iPhone sho'fr is a website that if navigated through an iPod, can give you amazing information for Vette owners.  It gives quick and easy access to their entire Chevrolet Corvette service and club directory with over 180 locations in 14 U.S. cities.

While the application is far from complete, its a great start and a fun thing to try out on your new phone.  Of course, CorvetteBlog.com looks great on the iPhone too.  Try it out!

[  iPhone sho'fr  ]

Posted By Ryan In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette News | 0 Comments Permalink

According to John Gunner in his Gunner's Garage blog today, he was party to an interesting conversation at this past weekend's Bloomington Gold Corvette Event in St. Charles, Illinois.  Mike Yager of Mid-America Motorworks was telling Keith Martin, publisher of Corvette Market magazine, that he sees a new trend evolving in the Corvette hobby where having fun with your car is taking precedence over how perfect the car's condition is and how much it's worth.

I hope it's true.  A similar thought hit me hard when I was at Bloomington Gold, staring at this sign pictured at the right, showing as it does, a 1972 Corvette Stingray with only 4 miles on it!  And while the owner undoubtedly meant for that low mileage to increase the car's value, all I could think of was how the car's purpose had been distorted.

A vehicle equipped like this, with the 454ci engine, was meant for one thing really: on the ground flight!  Speed!  Cruising!   Sadly, the engine was never even broken in.  I really hope Yager is right.

[ Gunner's Garage ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Events | 2 Comments Permalink

Corvette Blog is back fresh from the Bloomington Gold event in St. Charles, Illinois.  And what a great time it was for this blogger!  And to think I missed the first 34 years! 

Corvettes were there by the thousands!  Vendors who cater to Corvette enthusiasts were there by the score!  The venue was well designed.  The sights were great.  The weather was almost perfect (at least while I was there).

We've made some new friends, and told a lot of folks our story that we are a "source of everything Corvette".  Please check back over the days to come as we write about Corvettes and people that caught our attention at Bloomington Gold.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Events , Corvette Recognition , Corvette Restoration , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

I call it Steve's Corvette Garage.  Yesterday, I was given a first class tour of Advanced Automotive Technologies in Rochester Hills, a couple dozen miles north of the world capital of the automobile, Detroit.  The building's exterior reveals nary a hint of the automotive delights inside!

Gregarious owner Steve Pasteiner piloted me through an efficient, clean, hands-on operation, with many informative stops along the way.  It's a challenge to delineate all the areas of expertise demonstrated here, but I will give it a try.

I had previously blogged about one of Steve's products, the 50th Commemorative Edition Corvette.  Two of these beauties there were shipping later in the day, and another was nearly completed.  Others were earlier in the process.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Equipment , Corvette Parts , Corvette Restoration | 1 Comments Permalink

Although there were two significantly different front ends and three different rear ends to the C1 Corvette, they all shared a solid rear axle.  When the 1963 Sting Ray arrived, the solid rear axle was gone forever. However, a knickname was birthed for the C1: Solid Axle Corvettes.

The Solid Axle Corvette Club has brought Corvette enthusiasts together for thirteen years or so, and their Annual Convention is upon us in just about a month!  Join them in St. Charles, Missouri the week of June 11.  Complete details can be found on their website.

A tip of the hat goes out to Classic Motorsports Magazine for a story in the May print issue.

[ Solid Axle Corvette Club ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Events , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

Corvettes are often vehicle of choice for Cannonball Run type rallies across the country.  The Joy Ride Rally recently chronicled by SoCalSpeedZone included at least one heavily accessorized C5 and one C6 Z06.

Part of the beauty of the experience is the ability to have a lot of fun while helping raise significant funds for charity.  For example, $1000 of the entry fee for those driving in the Joy Ride Rally was designated for the Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina Relief Project.  This adds up to a pretty nice sum!

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Fun , Corvette Videos , Vacationing in a Corvette , West Coast | 1 Comments Permalink

Jack LaLanne, at 92 years young, is the proud owner of America's premier 400hp supercar, the C6 Corvette.  Vette Magazine was recently delighted to interview LaLanne about his longstanding love for the Corvette, after he traded his 1997 C5 for the new generation.

LaLanne told the magazine that his relationship goes all the way back to 1953 at the car's introduction. Corvettes that he has owned include a 1953 Roadster, a 1997 LS1 Coupe, and his current LS2 2005 Coupe. Jack made sure that they understood that the Corvette has always been a part of his life. LaLanne summarized his love affair with these words: " Well, anyway, the best thing I've ever done in my whole life and the thing that's pleased me the most is my Corvettes." 

[ Vette Magazine ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts | 0 Comments Permalink

The National Corvette Museum announced today that they are looking for a classic 1963 Corvette convertible or split-window coupe to display for nine to twelve months.

As you may know, the displays at the museum are not static.  You will see an ever-changing collection of Corvettes on subsequent visits, because only about 5% of the vehicles displayed actually belong to the museum!

Details of the arrangement can be accessed at their website.

[ National Corvette Museum ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette Museum , Corvette News | 0 Comments Permalink

Per word from the Corvette Action Center, former moderator there, and longtime Corvette devotee, Ken Stapels has passed away.  Ken had been awaiting a liver transplant.

If you would like to examine a website devoted to all things Corvette, take a look at Ken's.

[ Ken's Website ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Enthusiasts , Corvette News | 0 Comments Permalink