What got you started on the Corvette addiction? Then and Now pictures for me.
#1
Platinum Supporting Dealership
Thread Starter
Member Since: Jan 2012
Location: www.corvettefurman.com Gaithersburg, Maryland
Posts: 19,694
Received 10,187 Likes
on
1,603 Posts
St. Jude Donor '12, '15
What got you started on the Corvette addiction? Then and Now pictures for me.
I was a Senior in High School ('78) and actually went to the Library and read every article I could on the upcoming Indy 500 Race to be Paced by the 1978 Corvette...it was the Silver leather interior that struck me as amazing. Just a few months later (July 26th 1978) I started selling Corvettes and the rest is history (over 3,500 Sold so far). I have owned 15 Corvettes over the years including ... In no particular order '59, '61, 3 '88s, 2 '92's, '93, '99, 2 '05's, 2 '06's , '14 Z51 and now a '15 Z06 Cpe. Our kids have been pictured in front of many of my 44 Musclecars and 15 Corvettes that I have owned over the years but it still doesn't beat my wife's involvement with Corvette's. Included below are pics of her parents in their 1957 Corvette on Daytona Beach when my Mother in Law was pregnant in 1960 with my wife. Enjoy some of the pictures from years ago and feel free to share pics and stories of what got you started Driving America's #1 Sports Car. 38 yrs of selling Corvettes and the ride has been great, hope you enjoyed what I shared from the past many decades of my Corvette involvement.
~My wife's parents and their 1957 that he bought in 1958 and put 105,000 miles on it in 4 years! He also owned a 61 and a 75 back in the day.
~The Corvette that started my addiction...1978 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car.
~My first Corvette...1959 Dual carbs.
and then my 61 with dual carbs...
~Our son in the '61...reminds me of his Mothers picture in their '57!
-Our son and daughter on top of my '88 35th Anniv #131.
~My brother and I over 25 years ago in my '59. RIP
~I have had Zora Autographs many times in person back in the day...
~Won several National Corvette Sales Contests which won me trips to Lemans in France.
~Always have had great Corvette inventory to sell from...
~Visited with many Corvette customers
...and they have visited with me for decades...
~Had a Boston Corvette customer invite me to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game and he had my name put on the scoreboard in the middle of the 5th!
and I watched my 1967 442 W-30 go across the Blocks at Barrett Jackson.
~I certainly have kept Plycon Trucking busy over the years..
~Pictured with my 8,000 mile '92.
~ and driving my new 2006 Z06 off the truck with only 1 mile on the odometer.
[URL=http://s420.photobucket.com/user/mfurman7/media/scan0012.jpg.html][URL]https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-general-discussion/c7-general-discussion/c7-general-discussion/c7-general-discussion/
Met with James Brown...
...and visited the GM Heritage Center.
along with viewing much of GM's private archives!
~Test drove many of the new prototypes for the last 5 Generations.
~and have seen the end of several generations being delivered.
~Seen many iconic Corvettes come and go.
~Hosted many Corvette Clubs, some as far away as Norway.
~Seen many new Corvette announcements...
~and my picture on the Adam's Polishes Gift Box
~Seen many cool Corvette collections both near and far.
~Spent 38 yrs attending Corvettes at Carlisle.
...and attended Bloomington Gold a few times.
...and met with the men of Callaway many times...
~Even delivered a New '15 Stingray Z51 on a Bravo TV Show to some reality stars.
~Delivered a ton of Special Signature editions...
...and watched as Eddie Murphy took delivery of 10 Corvettes for he and his entourage.
~Been inside the Corvette Plant and Museum many times.
...and set up Hundreds of Corvette Museum deliveries for my Customers...but never my own, YET ...even though I am a Lifetime Member and an Ambassador for the Museum!
~Will some day own a '63 Split Window...are you listening GM???
~I currently own this 2015 Z06 Cpe in Laguna Blue.
~and I still get a thrill with each and every Corvette delivery!
~That's my trip down Memory Lane. Save the Wave!
Mike Furman
Criswell Chevrolet
Gaithersburg, MD
www.corvettefurman.com
301-212-4420
~My wife's parents and their 1957 that he bought in 1958 and put 105,000 miles on it in 4 years! He also owned a 61 and a 75 back in the day.
~The Corvette that started my addiction...1978 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car.
~My first Corvette...1959 Dual carbs.
and then my 61 with dual carbs...
~Our son in the '61...reminds me of his Mothers picture in their '57!
-Our son and daughter on top of my '88 35th Anniv #131.
~My brother and I over 25 years ago in my '59. RIP
~I have had Zora Autographs many times in person back in the day...
~Won several National Corvette Sales Contests which won me trips to Lemans in France.
~Always have had great Corvette inventory to sell from...
~Visited with many Corvette customers
...and they have visited with me for decades...
~Had a Boston Corvette customer invite me to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game and he had my name put on the scoreboard in the middle of the 5th!
and I watched my 1967 442 W-30 go across the Blocks at Barrett Jackson.
~I certainly have kept Plycon Trucking busy over the years..
~Pictured with my 8,000 mile '92.
~ and driving my new 2006 Z06 off the truck with only 1 mile on the odometer.
[URL=http://s420.photobucket.com/user/mfurman7/media/scan0012.jpg.html][URL]https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-general-discussion/c7-general-discussion/c7-general-discussion/c7-general-discussion/
Met with James Brown...
...and visited the GM Heritage Center.
along with viewing much of GM's private archives!
~Test drove many of the new prototypes for the last 5 Generations.
~and have seen the end of several generations being delivered.
~Seen many iconic Corvettes come and go.
~Hosted many Corvette Clubs, some as far away as Norway.
~Seen many new Corvette announcements...
~and my picture on the Adam's Polishes Gift Box
~Seen many cool Corvette collections both near and far.
~Spent 38 yrs attending Corvettes at Carlisle.
...and attended Bloomington Gold a few times.
...and met with the men of Callaway many times...
~Even delivered a New '15 Stingray Z51 on a Bravo TV Show to some reality stars.
~Delivered a ton of Special Signature editions...
...and watched as Eddie Murphy took delivery of 10 Corvettes for he and his entourage.
~Been inside the Corvette Plant and Museum many times.
...and set up Hundreds of Corvette Museum deliveries for my Customers...but never my own, YET ...even though I am a Lifetime Member and an Ambassador for the Museum!
~Will some day own a '63 Split Window...are you listening GM???
~I currently own this 2015 Z06 Cpe in Laguna Blue.
~and I still get a thrill with each and every Corvette delivery!
~That's my trip down Memory Lane. Save the Wave!
Mike Furman
Criswell Chevrolet
Gaithersburg, MD
www.corvettefurman.com
301-212-4420
Last edited by Mike Furman@Criswell; 09-13-2015 at 02:25 PM.
The following 24 users liked this post by Mike Furman@Criswell:
73firebird (09-15-2015),
AORoads (10-07-2015),
Brad Sadl (09-20-2015),
Casey VP26 (01-06-2016),
chi_stingray (09-22-2015),
and 19 others liked this post.
#2
Team Owner
Member Since: Oct 2013
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Posts: 25,362
Received 7,752 Likes
on
4,181 Posts
CORVETTE TODAY Host
St. Jude Donor'15
My friend, that's what I call dedication!
The following 2 users liked this post by Steve Garrett:
Lipstic (09-13-2015),
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
The following 2 users liked this post by Callaway Chris:
Lipstic (09-13-2015),
Steve Garrett (09-13-2015)
#6
Le Mans Master
Great pics! Thanks for sharing.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#7
Administrator
Member Since: Mar 2001
Location: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
Posts: 342,978
Received 19,299 Likes
on
13,972 Posts
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-
'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Quite the career you've had with America's sports car. Being able to meet so many Corvette notables has to be a real thrill too.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#8
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Nov 2012
Location: Gettysburg PA
Posts: 3,336
Received 1,876 Likes
on
1,010 Posts
2020 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Really enjoyed the pics, Mike Even more shocked to see you included Angie and me.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#10
Platinum Supporting Dealership
Thread Starter
Member Since: Jan 2012
Location: www.corvettefurman.com Gaithersburg, Maryland
Posts: 19,694
Received 10,187 Likes
on
1,603 Posts
St. Jude Donor '12, '15
www.corvettefurman.com ~ 301-212-4420 ~ Mike Furman
The following users liked this post:
Lipstic (09-13-2015)
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#13
Platinum Supporting Dealership
Thread Starter
Member Since: Jan 2012
Location: www.corvettefurman.com Gaithersburg, Maryland
Posts: 19,694
Received 10,187 Likes
on
1,603 Posts
St. Jude Donor '12, '15
www.corvettefurman.com ~ 301-212-4420 ~ Mike Furman
The following users liked this post:
Village joe (09-13-2015)
#14
Drifting
What got you started on the Corvette addiction? Then and Now Pictures for me.
Mike, you're living the dream. Congrats and kudos to you for your hard work and success. You've earned it.
I'm 32 but still vividly remember the first car I ever "drove". It was my dad's 1977 Corvette. I was 5 years old and sitting on his lap. Of course he was doing all the driving but looking out over that long, bright yellow hood must have been the moment it clicked because it's been a love affair with cars ever since.
I'm 32 but still vividly remember the first car I ever "drove". It was my dad's 1977 Corvette. I was 5 years old and sitting on his lap. Of course he was doing all the driving but looking out over that long, bright yellow hood must have been the moment it clicked because it's been a love affair with cars ever since.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#15
Race Director
Mike, your career selling Corvettes is one that the rest of us in this business can only dream of! Kudos to you for all you've accomplished.
My love for these cars started when I was a young child. Our next door neighbor took my Mom and me for a ride in his then brand new '58. It was charcoal in color with a red interior, absolutely beautiful. I recall vividly how I sat on Mom's lap during the ride, hanging on to the new-for-'58 grab bar on the passenger side of the dash. He was driving like an idiot and I was enjoying every minute of it.
Fast forward a few years to 1963. I was 11 years old when the C2 came out. My barber bought a brand new split window coupe. I used to wait to get into his chair every time I needed a haircut just so I could talk with him about his car. At the time, he was a young, single, man of the world kind of guy with a great car (think of Fonzie); what I remember to this day is that he always treated us punk kids like we were real people, always with respect. Even though I'm sure he grew tired of it, he was always willing to talk cars. He was the guy who convinced me that it was cool to own a Corvette.
When the C3 came out this same gentleman traded in the '63 for a...are you ready...brand new '68 L88 coupe. I was in high school at the time. I didn't know the significance of L88 at the time but he graciously educated me. I remember the car like it was yesterday. It looked just like this one:
That was it - after experiencing his '63 and then his '68 I knew that I had to own one some day. It took me until 2005 but I finally ordered a new 2005 Z51 coupe and kept it for nine years.
When I ordered my '15 Z51 coupe, I had my friend's '68 in mind. That's what prompted me to go with Laguna Blue and the Carbon Flash hood stinger. I remembered his special L88 hood and the stinger was the best way for me to have a "somewhat special" hood on my car.
My love for these cars started when I was a young child. Our next door neighbor took my Mom and me for a ride in his then brand new '58. It was charcoal in color with a red interior, absolutely beautiful. I recall vividly how I sat on Mom's lap during the ride, hanging on to the new-for-'58 grab bar on the passenger side of the dash. He was driving like an idiot and I was enjoying every minute of it.
Fast forward a few years to 1963. I was 11 years old when the C2 came out. My barber bought a brand new split window coupe. I used to wait to get into his chair every time I needed a haircut just so I could talk with him about his car. At the time, he was a young, single, man of the world kind of guy with a great car (think of Fonzie); what I remember to this day is that he always treated us punk kids like we were real people, always with respect. Even though I'm sure he grew tired of it, he was always willing to talk cars. He was the guy who convinced me that it was cool to own a Corvette.
When the C3 came out this same gentleman traded in the '63 for a...are you ready...brand new '68 L88 coupe. I was in high school at the time. I didn't know the significance of L88 at the time but he graciously educated me. I remember the car like it was yesterday. It looked just like this one:
That was it - after experiencing his '63 and then his '68 I knew that I had to own one some day. It took me until 2005 but I finally ordered a new 2005 Z51 coupe and kept it for nine years.
When I ordered my '15 Z51 coupe, I had my friend's '68 in mind. That's what prompted me to go with Laguna Blue and the Carbon Flash hood stinger. I remembered his special L88 hood and the stinger was the best way for me to have a "somewhat special" hood on my car.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#16
Platinum Supporting Dealership
Thread Starter
Member Since: Jan 2012
Location: www.corvettefurman.com Gaithersburg, Maryland
Posts: 19,694
Received 10,187 Likes
on
1,603 Posts
St. Jude Donor '12, '15
Mike, your career selling Corvettes is one that the rest of us in this business can only dream of! Kudos to you for all you've accomplished.
My love for these cars started when I was a young child. Our next door neighbor took my Mom and me for a ride in his then brand new '58. It was charcoal in color with a red interior, absolutely beautiful. I recall vividly how I sat on Mom's lap during the ride, hanging on to the new-for-'58 grab bar on the passenger side of the dash. He was driving like an idiot and I was enjoying every minute of it.
Fast forward a few years to 1963. I was 11 years old when the C2 came out. My barber bought a brand new split window coupe. I used to wait to get into his chair every time I needed a haircut just so I could talk with him about his car. At the time, he was a young, single, man of the world kind of guy with a great car (think of Fonzie); what I remember to this day is that he always treated us punk kids like we were real people, always with respect. Even though I'm sure he grew tired of it, he was always willing to talk cars. He was the guy who convinced me that it was cool to own a Corvette.
When the C3 came out this same gentleman traded in the '63 for a...are you ready...brand new '68 L88 coupe. I was in high school at the time. I didn't know the significance of L88 at the time but he graciously educated me. I remember the car like it was yesterday. It looked just like this one:
That was it - after experiencing his '63 and then his '68 I knew that I had to own one some day. It took me until 2005 but I finally ordered a new 2005 Z51 coupe and kept it for nine years.
When I ordered my '15 Z51 coupe, I had my friend's '68 in mind. That's what prompted me to go with Laguna Blue and the Carbon Flash hood stinger. I remembered his special L88 hood and the stinger was the best way for me to have a "somewhat special" hood on my car.
My love for these cars started when I was a young child. Our next door neighbor took my Mom and me for a ride in his then brand new '58. It was charcoal in color with a red interior, absolutely beautiful. I recall vividly how I sat on Mom's lap during the ride, hanging on to the new-for-'58 grab bar on the passenger side of the dash. He was driving like an idiot and I was enjoying every minute of it.
Fast forward a few years to 1963. I was 11 years old when the C2 came out. My barber bought a brand new split window coupe. I used to wait to get into his chair every time I needed a haircut just so I could talk with him about his car. At the time, he was a young, single, man of the world kind of guy with a great car (think of Fonzie); what I remember to this day is that he always treated us punk kids like we were real people, always with respect. Even though I'm sure he grew tired of it, he was always willing to talk cars. He was the guy who convinced me that it was cool to own a Corvette.
When the C3 came out this same gentleman traded in the '63 for a...are you ready...brand new '68 L88 coupe. I was in high school at the time. I didn't know the significance of L88 at the time but he graciously educated me. I remember the car like it was yesterday. It looked just like this one:
That was it - after experiencing his '63 and then his '68 I knew that I had to own one some day. It took me until 2005 but I finally ordered a new 2005 Z51 coupe and kept it for nine years.
When I ordered my '15 Z51 coupe, I had my friend's '68 in mind. That's what prompted me to go with Laguna Blue and the Carbon Flash hood stinger. I remembered his special L88 hood and the stinger was the best way for me to have a "somewhat special" hood on my car.
#17
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Sep 2012
Location: Hagerstown MD
Posts: 6,876
Received 1,738 Likes
on
1,174 Posts
St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
Mike, You are a lucky man. Made a career out of doing something you enjoy while making dreams come true for your customers. A job well done! Keep up the great work.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#18
Race Director
Member Since: Nov 2013
Location: Gulf Coast AL
Posts: 13,190
Received 112 Likes
on
60 Posts
St. Jude Donor '14-'15-'16,'19
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Thanks Mike...as always, enjoyed your Sunday post....My first Corvette was a 78 silver/silver (not anniversary edition) I bought used in 1984...sold in 1986 shortly after my son's birth.
My daughter in law's, Grand-father sold his split window 63 right before I purchased my 14-C7...wish I could have bought it...he purchased her new in 63. She sold for 85K and was in pristine condition...sigh...
My daughter in law's, Grand-father sold his split window 63 right before I purchased my 14-C7...wish I could have bought it...he purchased her new in 63. She sold for 85K and was in pristine condition...sigh...
The following 2 users liked this post by Lipstic:
george vee (09-14-2015),
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
#19
Team Owner
2 things:
Grew up owning Firebirds, so the Corvette was the natural progression when I got older.
Attending Le Mens 3x in the early 90's.
Combining the 2:
Chevy released the Z16 in Le Mans Blue commemorative package in '04 and that was that, the first of 3 Corvettes for me.
Grew up owning Firebirds, so the Corvette was the natural progression when I got older.
Attending Le Mens 3x in the early 90's.
Combining the 2:
Chevy released the Z16 in Le Mans Blue commemorative package in '04 and that was that, the first of 3 Corvettes for me.
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)
The following users liked this post:
Mike Furman@Criswell (09-13-2015)