What brought you to this point in your lives ?

[Roy B.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

What brought you to this point in your lives ?
OLD age and the money to buy what I wont

[David H.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and in 1963 Pete Rose signed up with the Cinti. Reds and bought a 1957 Cascade/beige fuelie. I watch him drive it through the local hamburger stand all the time. I wanted one bad! In 1969 I tried to buy a Venetian Red '57 with a 302 with three duces for $1000. No deal, he wanted another $150 for the hardtop. I was racing motorcycles and drag racing a 1957 Belair in junior stockat the time , and I had NO MONEY Left. But as luck would have it I found a 1957 with only 18,000 miles on it in 2005. The fellow that owned it died suddenly and had a Rolls convertable and a Ferrari 328GTS and this '57. With six weeks of negotiations it became mine. I now have a couple of years of restoration work done and planto have it finished next spring. Arctic Blue with silver coves.

[Jim W.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

My first real encounter with a Corvette was in the early summer of 1963, I was 10 years old and I had a Schwinn Stingray bike with the high-riser handle bars and banana seat, along with lots of chrome too. Not enough “O’s” in COOL for this bike. I’m out riding in South Tacoma and a Red 63 SWC roars up along side of me at the stop sign. I am simply agog with the beauty and sound of this car. As the car takes off, I do my best to keep up with the car. I’m sure I can pedal fast enough to see who might be driving this wonderful car. Next thing I know, I’m flying over the handle bars and do what I’m sure is a most ungraceful head plant on the pavement. Blood in my eyes, the most awful ringing in my ears, someone is saying: “Oh honey, are you hurt. Oh honey, let me help you.” Blood cleared out of my eyes; I’m looking into the face of the most gorgeous, beautiful blond haired girl I have ever seen. Next I hear, “Honey, let me take you home.” I’m up now and able to function but still a little too embarrassed to say very much and clearly in awe of this girl and totally surprised that she, is the driver of this Corvette. I still don’t know how we got the bike into the car or out of it, but my first ride in a Corvette, to say the least with the girl of a young boy’s dream, is one I will always remember and is one of the reasons that I am passionate about Corvettes and collector cars to this day. I’ve owned my 62 Red/Red Corvette 340 hp since November of 1970, 63 Coupe saddle/saddle 340 hp June of 2002, 65 Coupe Red/White Leather 425 hp February of 2003.

OH Yeah ! I had that moment too. It's the only one car I still would love to have. It was early 1963, Cool mornings and hot afternoons. I was 13 and was with my father on Broad Steet and Champlose Avenue in North Philadelphia. There was a longtime Chevy dealer there 'Erwin Chevrolet" My father was out looking for a new car as he had just landed a job in Miami, FL and he was driving down there in a week or so. We went in to the showroom to look at a new Belair, A work car he said, I said why not an Impala, we had been to looked at cars at five dealerships for the best deal on a four door sedan V8. We had already been to the Plymouth dealership, He was pretty much sold on a V8 Savoy, Dark blue bottom and a white roof. This despite my insistance on getting a two tone red and white Plymouth Fury. But now we're in the Chevrolet dealership I turned to the west and it hit me like a truck, there she sat. A 1963 Silver and Black interior Corvette split window coupe. It was an epitome of a moment for me.

My father had told me. "Don't touch Anything !" so all I could do was walk around her. She sat there that day in all her silver glory. It was in the afternoon, and the sun was casting that soft yellow hew through the huge dealership windows. Even the air was pure of any dust. It was as if we were stuck or frozen in a stopped moment. Just she and me. A nice young salesmen came over. He wasn't the salemen helping my father, but he could see the awe on my face. He said, "Would you like to sit in the corvette?" I was in before the door was all the way open. It was like a dream, and today, evertime I se a silver SWC, I'm able to go back to those days. Boy, It was a different world then, unlike anything we have of late.

Every day is special, live it as if it were your last. Because it just might be !

[Michael W.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

Four significant events:

In 1957 at the age of three I broke free of my mother's grasp and ran across a parking lot towards this gorgeous white car with two doors and no top. My fingers grasped the wire mesh over the headlights and I refused to let go. The owner came out and assured my mother no harm was being done.

In 1967 on the opening day for Expo '67 I saw my first L88- black on black. Never heard anything half as mean again.

In summer 1968 a brand new bronze coloured Corvette went zooming down the street- and pulled into my driveway. It was a friend of my fathers and marked my first ride in a Corvette

In fall 1972 I saw a yellow example of the new rubber bumper cars and that did it.

Took me a while, but here we are:

[Tim G.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?




Bill also introduced me to Road America back in 1973 and I fell in love with that place and all the Corvettes that would show up in the Corvette Corral. I was at Road America last weekend watching the Corvettes race and looking at the cars in the Corvette Corral, just like old times.

[Richard S.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

It was an evening in mid-August in 1964 at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach that I saw my first 55'. I was 13 at the time and will always remember the nice man that went out of his way to impress a youngster and even allowed me to sit in the drivers seat. I still wonder what became of this special man who shared his love of corvetts. Then, in 1979 I purchased my 1st Corvette and have driven one ever since. I now drive a C1 and will always regard these as my favorite.

[Frank D.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

First, I had the good fortune to be born in 1953. My family was living in Raleigh, NC. when my father passed away suddenly. I was 16 years old with a brand-new driver's license in my wallet.
I got a job in food preparation at the local Shoney's Big boy (figure I made about 3000 strawberry pies during my tenure) and didn't have a way to get back and forth to my new job.

My Mother didn't want me driving her 1968 Continental (read: 4000 lb cigar box on wheels) back and forth to work so she fronted me $1000 for a down payment on whatever car I wanted, as long as I could afford the payments and the insurance.

How cool was it to be 16 years old and going from dealer to dealer looking for a car in early 1970? The absolute height of the muscle car era. I drove Superbirds, GTO Judges, Buick GSXs, Chevelles, Shelby GT350s and GT500s, Opels, Capris, Cougar Eliminators and the like before settling on an Olds Rallye 350; 0-60 in seven seconds and I could afford the insurance.

I have owned and restored many older cars during my lifetime and have always been a sucker for styling: '63Thunderbird, '65 Riviera with clam shell headlights, '69 Shelby Mustang, '66 Olds Toronado, '68 Oldsmobile Cutlass and even the Avanti. But there is one car that I feel is the most beautiful car ever to come out of Detroit, and that is the 1963-to-1967 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe. Nothing else looks like it. You can stare at its shape from any angle or in any color and to this day it still looks amazing. I simply HAD to own one during my lifetime.

I have had my 1965 Goldwood coupe now since 2005. It is low mileage, loaded with options, and I know and have spoken with all of its previous owners. Each one of them have told me, "That is the one car I regret selling the most." I feel so lucky to own a car with such a rich heritage and just to be a part of NCRS and the whole Corvette experience.

[Gary K.]

Re: What brought you to this point in your lives ?

Dad bought the '68 L71 convertible in 1970 when I was 2 years old, small town I know the original owner. Growing up it was the most radical hotrod anywhere in our neighborhoods. Waxed it when I was a kid, it was always admired by everybody. A few months ago Dad informed me he needed the money and after sitting under cloth for 27 years the Corvette would be available if I could come up with $25k ($5k too much - but who cares). I sold my '66 mustang in two seconds to get this bright yellow beast of a car back here to it's new home in Arizona. This isn't just a car, it is a lifestyle and a friend that's been there in the background my whole life.