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I always notice the lack of C1's at local (or even national) shows and cruise-in's. My Ford buddies always compare early T-Birds to early Vettes in regards to rarity and desirability... (laughable I know!) Yet there are ALWAYS at least two 55-57 T-Birds at every event I attend, regardless of how big or how small... but the chances of seeing a C1, in particular a 53-57 are always very slim.
I usually tool around the neighborhood in my 57. When I have gone to a show, there are usually a fair number of onlookers, probably because many have never seen a C1 in person. I don't mind all the questions- I have the mindset of a vintage racer, where we encourage people to ask questions and come up close. When I took my car to the For Sale section at Bloomington Gold, I probably let over 30 kids sit in my car so their parents could take pictures. Who knows which kid becomes a Corvette owner down the road after sitting in something as cool as a Vette when he or she was 8 years old? I think Corvette owners take themselves and their cars too seriously. We need to let people see and touch our cars up close. My 25 year old son still talks about the time he got to sit in a pristine factory restored Porsche 917 Can Am at Elkhart Lake when he was 10- that car was arguably worth more than any Corvette ever made.
It's a big deal to go out in my C1. Bloomington Gold was about 10 miles from my house, but thru heavy traffic and bad neighborhoods in 90+ degree weather. I prepped that car as seriously as my 1973 Honda Civic SCCA GT5 vintage racer, which is 16 years newer technology and WAY safer - and I trailer it to the track. But it was worth the trek. I got a lot of good feedback on my car, had fun chatting with lot of folks of varying Corvette knowledge, and gave a lot of kids a once in a lifetime chance to sit in a piece of American history. It's hot, rides like a 57 Chevy pickup, and is unsafe as hell. Next time you see a C1 at a show, tell the owner how much you appreciate them being there. Trust me, it means a lot to them.
Marc in Indy
57 Corvette 283/245 hp 4spd driver, in the family since the early 60's
72 Corvette Coupe 350 base/auto
73 Honda Civic retired SCCA GT5, now a vintage racer
Just got back from a short cruise in my early 56 that was just finished. Has about 70 shakedown miles on it, dual quad powerglide car that runs amazingly well. It will be in its first show in Carmel Indiana in a few weeks, Carmel Artomobilia. Should do well with it, but I don't really care about winning a trophy, just enjoy driving it. Marc, we need to get together when you get your 57 running again, we are about 15 minutes from you.
Great attitude, Marc . . . I try to do the same with my '62. Let folks sit in it, especially kids (provided they're not eating or drinking). That's where the future of the hobby lies, we need to all be ambassadors for the Corvette Nation. Yes, our C1s are rare and valuable - but they're CARS, not Ming vases. They were built to be driven and used, and none too gently, either. I actually like educating people about early Corvettes, a lot of them have never actually seen one. Sounds like you're doing your part.
I've been to car shows & cruise in where my C1 was the only one there. It's just a driver but never fails to attract attention from people of all ages. And yes, I love the questions. One of my Vette buddies has a 60 and when people start asking questions, we have a contest on who can point out all the differences between the two. Great fun!
Frankie is right about the heat. It keeps a lot of them away here in Texas.
St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
To the OP, you are right: there are fewer C1's at shows and cruises anymore. I guess the reasons include the ones mentioned here, such as, the owners are getting older and don't want the inconvenience any more, the C1's are getting sold and shipped to Florida (mine was), younger hobbyists don't care about them so the older owners don't bring them out, the really excellent ones are seldom driven for fear of 'damage', etc etc. I've noticed that C1 Resto-mods do still come around, and sometimes generate excitement. Maybe the C1's have peaked in value & interest? It happened to 1940's and earlier cars, so, maybe now its happening to C1's.
Not all that crazy about sitting in a car show all day but I was invited to the Eyes on Design show this year for a Corvette display of stock and modified ones.
I have both air and after market suspension with air ride so it is very comfortable to drive.
Around here even the larger Corvette shows (and car shows in general) have very few C1 - C4s. You will see mostly from C5 up. Maybe the more common reasons are comfort, reliability, and just the fact that there are a lot more newer Corvettes on the road.
The last "show" I went to with the '56- I was the only C-1.But, the winning cars were 2 VW busses, a current Dodge something, and a VW beetle! It was a charity show so I didn't mind too much but it shows where people's heads are at these days.
To the OP, you are right: there are fewer C1's at shows and cruises anymore. I guess the reasons include the ones mentioned here, such as, the owners are getting older and don't want the inconvenience any more, the C1's are getting sold and shipped to Florida (mine was), younger hobbyists don't care about them so the older owners don't bring them out, the really excellent ones are seldom driven for fear of 'damage', etc etc. I've noticed that C1 Resto-mods do still come around, and sometimes generate excitement. Maybe the C1's have peaked in value & interest? It happened to 1940's and earlier cars, so, maybe now its happening to C1's.
That's sort of what I've been seeing after driving and showing mine a LOT down near Orlando...for nearly a decade...
The C1s may get a resurgence in interest but it'll be a while.
Seems the foreigners; British, German, Scandinavians (and some Brazilians)
find them more interesting than the average American Joe Blow anymore. The Middle Easterners and other Latinos are oblivious it seems and I have to bitch them out regularly for doing something stupid around my cars...no respect whatsoever. They think its part of the Disney/Orland tourist 'experience'...
Not being racist - just reporting my observations..
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 07-31-2016 at 08:11 AM.
As far as car shows go, I enjoy supporting some of the local ones. I'll sit for a few hours, answer questions, and check out others cars. But we would much rather be driving, so we will usually drive it to a show, park outside the gate, and walk through the show.
In a triple black car without air, it can certainly get warm in the car. I will tolerate it more than my wife will, but she's a trooper and puts up with it. We've put 4600 miles on it this year so far, with plans for many more. At 57 years old, it doesn't bother my body too much, but since we never know what the future holds, I'm going to enjoy it while I can.
As long as they continue to make small block engines and black paint, I can always restore it again if I wear it out.
Most reasons given have some truth. Another thing to consider is that the C-1s were produced in far fewer numbers than later models. 1960 was first year over 10,000 were made and it peaked in 1962 at about 14,500. How many still exist? No way to know for sure, but I'd guess that 1/4 to 1/3rd were wrecked or scrapped. Some went overseas, some were made into race cars and you don't see them on the street or at shows. Some are not operable and sitting somewhere. I know of a '58 sitting apart on shelves and up in a rafter (no he won't sell).
Some are part of collection of other cars. I have 3 other collector cars and 2 later Corvettes. I like to drive them all, so I kind of rotate them, going to different shows (I do not go to Corvette only shows). When you take all the factors in, there just aren't many on the road or at shows at any one period of time.
One thing I have noticed at shows in the past few years is that there are hardly any pre war cars, or even 50s cars (with the exception of tri-five Chevs). 5 or 10 years ago you saw rows of these at shows, now you are lucky to see one full row. The cars are still around, but just sitting in someones garage or barns.
You'll "get it" when you see folks gravitating towards the 70's Chevelles and 2nd gen Camaros (and later Firebirds seem to be on a roll)... and ignoring your C1 pride and joy.
A year or so ago I was showing off (yeah kinda dumb) leaving Long John Silvers for some young folks exiting the restaurant. The '61 roared out of the parking lot and I heard, "You go Pops!". Yeah -- that...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 07-31-2016 at 09:08 AM.
I will be taking mine to the local shows when it is finished, but I might miss everything this year. I was hoping to get it on the road before the driving season is over, but with my workload and the extremely hot summer, I'm not sure it's going to happen. BTW, I'm in Grand Rapids, too- in Michigan. Here's a pic of my '57's status:
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared))
2019 C1 of Year Finalist (track prepared)
Originally Posted by abdo
Todd: The show I described in my post was today and hosted by the Northern Cruisers. The show tomorrow is put on by the Chamber of Commerce and is at the fairgrounds. You can still make it. I plan to get over there for a few hours.
Art
Art,
I got the car ready to go today, but my wife reminded me that she's on call this weekend (she's a cop), and since we have kids neither one of us can leave town.
There maybe some regional differences at work. There are quite a few C1's here in New England and some of us drive them to several shows; summers are nice here.
For what it's worth, one of my C1 friends or myself will gather more attention than most cars. One of us very often wins the Corvette category and sometimes best in show. On a side note, most of us are under 60, some under 50 and the cars are not restomods.
07-30-2016, 09:06 PM
It's hot, rides like a 57 Chevy pickup, and is unsafe as hell. Next time you see a C1 at a show, tell the owner how much you appreciate them being there. Trust me, it means a lot to them.
