Corvette Blog

I just received a call from a CorvetteBlog reader who inquired as to where to rent a Corvette.  It occurred to me that since I get this question about once a year, and since I know the answer, I should probably write my answer for others who didn't think to ask it (yet anyway).

Reasons to rent a Corvette are many:

a special car for a special birthday or anniversary

a special car to drive in the Woodward Dream Cruise or to another Corvette venue like America's Corvette Show, Corvettes at Carlisle, Corvette Funfest, or Bloomington Gold

a vehicle to rent for an extended 'test drive' to check out Corvette equipment, and think through which options would work best on the car one intends to buy

For those who wish to rent a Corvette (or some of its competition), there is actually a website that lists companies that provide this service nationally: ExoticCarRentalDirectory.com.

In Michigan, there is only one company that provides this service: Classic Auto Rentals in Birmingham.  By the way, they also have pre-owned Corvettes for sale.  Their phone is 248.258.6560.

Posted By Bill Connell In Buying a Corvette , Corvette Fun , Vacationing in a Corvette | 2 Comments Permalink

On our way from the Detroit metro area to Corvettes at Carlisle today, I'm happy to say that we saw a lot of Corvettes!  And, the wave has been saved.  At one rest stop, we saw the Capital City Corvette Club with their bevy of beautiful rides, and later we chased a Corvette Grand Sport down Pennsylvania Route 30 for dozens of miles in our stealthy black 2001 convertible.

Before we hit the twisty, country roads of Pennsylvania, though, we were glad we stopped in Sheffield, Ohio for a lunch stop at Quaker Steak and Lube.  You might inquire as to why this is pertinent to the Corvette enthusiast.  Please do, because this restaurant is a Corvette lover's lunchtime or dinnertime dream!

On the walls of the entire restaurant were automotive parts, racing items, and memorabilia.  One large area is devoted to all things Corvette, with the rear end of a C5 mounted against the wall, an entire C3 mounted on another wall, and even a C6 up on a garage lube rack (under which patrons may sit).

By the way, the wings and sandwiches were pretty good, too, but I'm no food reviewer.  Restaurants by this name are all over the Midwest, though I'm sorry to say, none are in Michigan.  Additional photos past the break. 

[ Related Blog ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Michigan , Vacationing in a Corvette | 2 Comments Permalink

We had previously blogged about the Mackinaw City (Michigan) Corvette Show,coming up this next week on Friday and Saturday.  Now, the Baymont Inn & Suites of Mackinaw City is making a special offer to all who mention the Corvette Blog when making reservations: the daily rate will be reduced by $30!

If you stay at the Baymont, you will be located right next door to the show grounds!  You can park your vehicle and walk back to the hotel for your comfort and convenience.

This is a wonderful event and a great fun-filled weekend you will not want to miss!  Contact the hotel at 866-331-7737 to make your reservations NOW!  Please mention the Corvette Blog to receive your discounted rates!  The folks in Mackinaw City say, "We hope to see you here in the town that LOVES COMPANY!" 

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Michigan , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

When I visited the America's Corvette Show last Saturday, I came across information on a new and different kind of Corvette cruise.

Catch A Wave Productions is putting together a cruise in the western Caribbean on the MS Carnival Liberty in January, 2008.  This is no regular cruise, though, because it is Corvette-themed top to bottom.

Special speakers on the cruise include our very own David Hill, Corvette Chief Engineer; Werner Meier, owner, Masterworks Automotive Services; and Joe Babiasz, creator of Collector Car Enterprise.

[ Catch A Wave ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Corvette News , Vacationing in a Corvette | 1 Comments Permalink

Corvettes will likely be cruising in record numbers this Saturday at the Woodward Dream Cruise.  The weather is supposed to be perfect: high 70's and sunny.  Vehicles are gathering even now!

Included in attendance will be a group of Corvette cruisers from southern California, who are halfway through a 7000 mile cruise themselves.  The group calls itself the 2007 Road Trip from California to the Dream Cruise and Beyond, and has additional plans for stops on the way home. 

Mark Phelan tells the interesting story of a trip inspired by last year's Cars movie and the iconic Route 66 TV show, in today's Detroit Free Press.

[ Related Blogs ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Southwest U.S. , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

Now you can take a Corvette with you (kind of) when you vacation, even if you're not driving it!  Thanks to a story on AutoBlog today, we learned that American Custom Trailers is producing a line of Corvette-inspired trailers.

The 19 cubic foot Corvette-inspired trailers are fully DOT compliant and feature carpeted holds, working tail lights, torsion suspensions, 12" wheels and tires, 1-7/8" swivel couplers, and 6 PIN electrical connection.  Pricing starts at $3,495, with custom paint jobs and graphics packages available to help you personalize.  Towing Corvette not required!

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Equipment , Corvette Fun , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

Gorgeous Corvettes.  Beautiful highways.  Great drives.  How do you put them together?

You can come to Michigan to drive U.S. Route 41, east of Copper Harbor, for a road like this.  But you may be thinking, "where can I go closer to home?"

The August issue of Road & Track Magazine suggests the use of a website sponsored by Firestone tires.  The website provides a state by state (and province by province) look of great roads that offer driving enchantment.

The website also provides a list of great automotive museums by state/province.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Fun , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

The National Corvette Museum reminded us Friday that tours of the Bowling Green Assembly Plant will begin again on Monday, following the two weeks of the GM shut-down.

It is highly recommended that Corvette enthusiasts travelling through the Bowling Green, Kentucky area avail themselves of tours of the Museum (Monday through Saturday) and the Assembly Plant (Monday through Friday).

[ Museum Story ]

[ Related Blogs ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Fun , Corvette Museum , Vacationing in a Corvette | 2 Comments Permalink

Where better to have a national event featuring Corvette than Bowling Green, Kentucky?  With the availability of the National Corvette Museum and the Bowling Green Assembly Plant right there, folks looking to vacation in the midst of everything Corvette could do no better than be at the National Corvette Homecoming August 10-12!

The National Corvette Homecoming is not a function of the Museum, as some may have thought.  When I spoke with Joe Pruitt at Bloomington Gold (at right), he explained that they function as a totally separate entity.

Activities scheduled for this summer's event include: Cruise-In; Vendor Swap Meet; Car Corral; Seminars; Car Shows; Parade; Drag Races; and Reunion Car Shows for 1957, 1967, 1977, and 1987 Corvettes.

New this year is the Sans Pareil Corvette Show, designed to judge and award unique Corvettes for their excellence in five areas: Interior, Exterior, Engine Compartment, Underside, and Operations.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Vacationing in a Corvette | 2 Comments Permalink

If you find yourself vacationing in a Corvette in southeastern Michigan this weekend, you may need to know that north and southbound traffic on Fort Street through what metropolitan Detroiters call the Downriver Area will be pretty heavy.  This is the annual Saturday event called the Downriver Cruise.

Not as immense as the granddaddy of them all, the Woodward Dream Cruise in August, this is a key celebration of American automotive ingenuity for those living south of Detroit.  Two other large shows like this erupt in southeastern Michigan every summer: the Cruisin' Gratiot in June and Cruzin' Telegraph in July.

Thousands of classic cars, always including many Corvettes, will be present for viewing.  Upwards of a half million spectators are expected to come enjoy the beautiful weather and great fun!

Try to find the Corvette Blog, if you can.

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

The massive Bloomington Gold Corvette Show is upon us!  Billed as "America's original Corvette show," Bloomington Gold is the place for all Corvette enthusiasts this week!  (Well, except for those at the race in Le Mans, France, of course).

The Pheasant Run Golf Course in St. Charles, Illinois (just west of Chicago) opens the gates Thursday morning.  The show runs through Sunday.

Over 3000 Corvettes are expected.  Hundreds of Corvette vendors will be present.  The best of the best will be there.  There's the auction.  There are certification programs.  There are classes.  Vehicles will be inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame.  A fantastic good time to be had by all.  Hope to see you there!

[ Bloomington Gold ]

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

This summer's celebration of one of the engineering marvels of modern times includes a Corvette Show!  The amazing structural marvel of Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge, is celebrating its 50th birthday the weekend of August 25-26, and the 18th annual Corvette Crossroads Auto Show is part of the festivities.

What a great way to enjoy your Vette in northern Michigan this summer.  The Detroit News featured an article on the celebration yesterday, and additional details can be located at the website of the Mackinaw Chamber of Commerce.

Posted By Bill Connell In Classic Corvettes , Corvette Events , Michigan , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 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

As Corvette increasingly stakes its claim to world-wide fame and becomes more desirable in Europe, GM has taken steps to support that interest.  The Corvette Performance Academy was developed to promote safety and skill among Corvette drivers.

A series of events on demanding test tracks in Germany, France, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg will allow drivers to learn how to safely take the Corvette to the extremes.

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Events , Corvette Fun , Corvette Racing , Corvette Safety , 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

Let your little one take the driver’s seat in one of the miniature antique Corvettes at Zoomers.  Consider it perfect for you and your ankle biter to ride together! Grab your bobby socks and peddle pushers, and take a trip along a roadway themed with 1950’s nostalgia, like old fashioned gas pumps and a drive in-movie.

Zoomers Gas 'n Go can be found at Lake Compounce, Bristol, Connecticut.  They consider it New Englands' Family Theme Park.  The park opens for the season in about a month. Looks like fun!

[ Zoom here ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Fun , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

When 150,000 Corvette enthusiasts vist the National Corvette Museum every year, one of the treats they encounter is a special display in honor of Dale Earnhardt.

At the base of the spire (or "frustrum" as it is called by some) in the SkyDome, display cases present a wide range of items either which had been owned by Dale Earnhardt, or were created to honor him. 

This collection, which primarily came from Terry Neal Thomas of Kentucky, includes cereal boxes, mugs, knives, model cars, autographs, the tragic accident newspaper headlines, photographs, and many other items.  In addition, a smaller similar selection is dedicated to Dale, Jr.

Every Earnhardt fan will want to make a trek to see this amazing collection.

[ NCM ]

Posted By Bill Connell In Corvette Museum , Vacationing in a Corvette | 0 Comments Permalink

We're always looking for new and exciting Corvette-focused events. Do you have a Corvette Club or have a special event focusing on the Vette? Let us know about it. Click here to email us at CorvetteBlog and we'll do our best to get you noticed.

We love Corvettes.

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