Z-love at local car show

[mrmojo1111]

I was at "Vettes on the river" in Dubuque, IA yesterday, with about 300 other corvettes. Had dozens of people come over to inquire about the LT5, lots of positive comments, one guy even said, "Man, you have the Holy Grail of corvettes right here!" Of course, he was a big C4 guy. Lots of poorly informed comments like "don't those engines like to blow up?" and "those sure are expensive to own" and "you can't find parts for those any more." I was happy to provide some re-education.

[Paul Workman]

Yep!

Car shows n Cruise Nights = great fun for people watching. I never knew how rare parts were, or how impossible it is to find anyone that wants to work on them...till I stared attending shows with the Z!!! Oh, and, "What is that engine out of???" comes up now and then.:rolleyes:

[XfireZ51]

Yep!

Car shows n Cruise Nights = great fun for people watching. I never knew how rare parts were, or how impossible it is to find anyone that wants to work on them...till I stared attending shows with the Z!!! Oh, and, "What is that engine out of???" comes up now and then.:rolleyes:

Paul,

Its time we all sold our ZRs while the gettin is good.

[RedSled]

Haha. Agree. Heard them all. People generally love the look of the LT5 though. As they should...

[SteelBlueZR1]

I just went to my local town's car show with my Z and had a great day with not a one ignorant comment about the Z and more genuine interest than I can remember. The judge even said my Z was second in line for Best of Show behind a perfect purple Barracuda convertible.

[efnfast]

Did a car show a couple weeks ago. Ran into a guy who claimed to be a certified mechanic for the LT5 at a local dealership. I asked him if he wanted to help with a plenum pull in a couple weeks.

[taximan]

Car shows are where some interesting comments come from:

While looking directly at the rear of my 67 Vette, and my "RONS 67" plate, the guy asks, "What year is it ?"

- Another guy spent 15 minutes arguing with me, that he's "100% positive" that GM made a one year only steel Corvette

- And the classic always is, " Didn't the same guy who designed the Corvette, also design the Mustang ? "


Car shows...... gotta love them.

[Franke]

Yeah I have to agree. Some guy asked me if I ever saw a 1983 vette. I said yes. He laughted and said Chevy never produced a 1983 vette. I told him that depends on how you view it as they did produce at least 1 which was at the corvette museum. Shows are always a good time to educate the general public as well as some "corvette guys".

[Schrade]

- Another guy spent 15 minutes arguing with me, that he's "100% positive" that GM made a one year only steel Corvette

I can't top that, but I can come close...

Gassin' up my '87 once, long ago, the guy at the next pump said he use to have an '83.

I had my hand on the flag, but I didn't throw it.

Just said, "That's a rare one..."

[Franke]

Schrade, probably the same guy who asked me if I ever saw one. LOL. :)

[Bob Eyres]

- And the classic always is, " Didn't the same guy who designed the Corvette, also design the Mustang ? "


Actually, there is a bit of truth in that. A major individual that had a hand in styling the original Stingray, Larry Shinoda, later worked on the design of the Boss 302 Mustang.

[Paul in SC]

Shows and cruise-ins are a great source of sharing the excitement of our cars. I think the biggest kick I get is when a kid (8-12 yrs) comes up to the car, looks under the clam shell at the motor and goes, "WOW."

Friendships can come out of them as well. A couple of years ago at a local show, I had a guy walk up to the car and he got really excited. He asked how and where I got a Lotus racing engine to put in the Vette. He thought it was a Lotus design but was not familiar with the ZR-1s. He was an SCCA pro racer many, many years ago for the Volvo team and some Porsche dealers and knew all about the DOHC set up that Lotus had at the time. He was blown away by the 32 valve configuration. We talked all about the Z and Lotus, etc. He owns a couple of Porsches (928, 911) and has joined me in a few cruise-ins around town since then. At 75 years young, he does all the work on his cars including just finishing a brake redo on his 928. A good friend with lots of stories to share.

There's much to be said for the waxers and racers in our group for passing along the history and sharing our excitement of owning this unique Corvette. Just trying to do my part in keeping the King alive whenever and wherever I can.
:cheers:

[BigJohn]

I don't try to correct anyone any more!
I do like to listen to the guys who tell their buddies all about my car.
I just smile and listen.

:neutral:

[Racinfan83]

I have discovered so far that some of the younger crowd are the ones who are the most "into" the ZR-1. Many people don't even give it a second glance - and most that do say something comment on how they like my black chrome wheels - not about the engine...:confused:
But that's ok I guess. "Stealth mode"....:-D