about 27 years ago:
As a teenager - hitchhiking to the Hanover Mall (Mass) ...
don't know what year - but black with glass Ttops pulled over.
After looking at the C3 door handle with confusion for about 30 seconds,
I finally figured out how to get the door open.
Getting in, the glass tops and throaty growl of the exhaust
almost kept me from looking at the hot lady in the drivers seat
with black leather driving gloves.
I don't remember much else.

 

Uncle bought a 1971 convertible when I was five. I still remember that car today, beautiful red, with black interior and a black top.. As a kid growing up, I always LOVED vettes. Today Im 38, and cant spend enough time polishing my vette.

 

my first experience driving a vette was when i was sixteen (back in 1960 ) it was a '54.....unfortunately, it had a cracked block...the owner said i could have it for $1,000..... i said " no way, i dont have any money to fix it" ...... even if i had bought it, i am sure i wouldn't have it now........hindsight: 20/20.......

 

in late '53 the dealer in our town used an old vacant safeway store to store the new vehicles in until it was time to put them on sale. Back then new cars debuted in Sept of each year....anyway a buddy and I found a peekhole in the stuff they covered the windows with and had my first, very brief look at the 3 vets they had inside.....fell immediately in love.

 

First experience was a test drive in my 78 (spring of 1979) from a dealers lot....to quote the salesman..."next tme you do that,please warn me.." (just a quick lane change) Needless to say,the vette passed the test..still own it today...

 

Not really. My dad got his first Corvette when he was in high school. Always had at least one since. We had four when I was born and never had less than three until he died.

I helped pic the colors for the '85 that he ordered for my mom. I was 10 at the time. Took a 78 SA on a driving vacation to Gatlinburg, TN when I was about 5. I rode under the bubble... I also remember mom set off the alarm in that car once on main street. I think she forgot to disarm it before opening the door. She was so embarrased and flustered that she couldn't get it tuned off. Before that, I vaguely remember an orange 68 and something about the libarary, so I guess that's the first I can remember. Guess that would've been in about 76/77. I would've been about 2 or 3.

 

Was probably '67 or '68. Neighbor up the street had a black mid-year coupe, 4 speed, side pipes. I could hear him fire it up in his garage from 10 houses down the street. I'd often hop on my banana bike and hustle down to watch him back out into the street, drive 3 houses to the corner turn left and then gun it !!! I was hooked for sure.

 

I would always tease my wifes uncle about taking his for a spin. One day he drops by and I say my usual " When are we gonna go for a cruise?!" He tosses me the keys to his '64 vert 327 4 speed and my jaw dropped. "Don't tease me like this", I said. He replied ,"Go ahead and no need to rush back." I spent the next hour and a half in sidepipe heaven with the top down and the biggest grin splittin' my face!!!

 

My first experience was with a 1986 C4 that my parents bought as a "demo" car off the lot of C&M Chevrolet, with just over 2000 mi. on it. Fire Engine Red, air adjustable lumbar, power seats...

And I learned to hate this car. We had this car and an '84 Ford 150 for the longest time, and there were 4 of us in the family. Back before the seat belt laws went into effect, my sister and myself were forced to lay down in the back of that hatchback of the C4 anytime we'd take a trip. We were both small and able to shoehorn ourselves into the space where the astro top would fit.

I remember still to this day the problems we had with it...Tape deck went out in it 2 months after we'd bought the car, the air compressor for the lumbar seats got stuck on one night and caused a rupture in the driver's side bags, the power seats stopped working...It was horrid.

Then there was the instance that we took the car down to the dealer for a recall or some problem we'd had with the engine, I forget exactly what the problem was. The "mechanic" had taken the car out for a test drive, and we're down at the dealership waiting for 2 hours to pick up the car. When the mechanic showed up from his test drive, he had driving gloves, driving shoes, and a helmet on, all for his "test drive". Turns out the idiot had taken it to Qualcomm Stadium and was autocrossing our car in an event. I still won't forget my mother screaming at the top of her lungs at the service manager over this one!

And yet, somehow, I never learned my lesson on Vettes, as I've got a '74 with suspension that's completely gone, a knocking engine, and a paint job that's cracked and peeling. Go figure.

 

Late 60's early 70's all my friends had Chrysler muscle cars, I had a 52 Vette (but I was the one they came to for a tune up). Once C-3 body style came on the market I was hooked, have owned many of them ever since.

 

My first Corvette experience was the test drive for my 79...had it almost two years now.

I'm a nOOb.

 

3 years ago we brought it out of storage. my very first ride in it was with a shifter that just about fell out 2 miles from home, no heater core, no map pocket, no radio, and a mold coverd interior.

faster we went, the more debris got kicked up through the hole in the firewall. it was also about 85 degrees out side, so the cabin was pushing probably 130-140 degrees. boy was that fun....

 

1969. I had a brand new 69 GTO. Thought it was pretty fast until the "rich" kid across the street invited me for a ride in his 68 coupe. Pretty sure it was an L89. Had the three deuces and pretty sure the aluminum heads. 4 speed. We lived two blocks away from Interstate 57 so he heads that-a -way. Had to be doing 110 by the end of the on ramp. Seemed like a minute to travel the 3 or 4 miles to the next off ramp. Scared the crap out of me:o .
Few years ago at a funeral I ran into his younger brother. Told me the 68 got totalled one night. Didn't ask about the brother.
15 years later I finally got a Vette. Black 79 that I've had for 22 years now.
Mike

 

The first corvette i remember seeing was a white '53 that belonged to a neighbor. really liked the looks of the car. i was 13 or 14 at the time

 

When I was a kid my Dad usta take me to the N.Y. Autorama just about every year, in those early years it was held at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. I remember the '53 Corvette being on a turntable and asking Dad what kind of car that was, he said a Chevy, a Corvette, and that it had a "plastic" body and that the opinion (not his) at that time that it wasnt really a good idea,,,,how wrong that opinion was, been hooked ever since, Route 66 , Martin Milner and George Maharis didnt help either,,,only made me want one more, had to wait until 1967 for my first one. Peace,,,Moosie

 

Got a 57 matchbox white with red when I was 7 from my uncles Marthon gas station had that match box with me when I went to buy a 57/58 vet white whith red inserts for $19,000 got all the paper work done and the x-wife said she was prego and could not keep her the 57 vette that is (57/58 had mixed matched parts no numbers matching or anything like that just a hot car) so dream lost then 4 years later as I was getting divorced (she took my damn match box car too BITC* {little bitter} I was driving to see my girlfriend in lake charles and saw a 1976 vette on the side of the road for sale good shape $5400 I said yes wow never noticed how hot the c3 was until then, well the car sold by the time I made up my mind to buy it. 4 years later drving to the house from the base saw a red 81 on the side of the road just parked and put up for sale the engine was still warm called the guy first caller sold (to me) I was the first of around 80 call that guy got that day and people that wanted to buy it then still try to give me checks for it now oh yeah have to say the girlfriend going to visit is now my wife and looks hot next to my vette!! or any were else she stands

ps If anyone in florida can get my match box car back from x-wife i will give a reward! lol

 

An eraly childhood memory (3 or 4) of riding in the back of my dad's 67 - hitting my head on the rear window, hearing the roar of the engine, trying in vain not to lose my blanace in a turn shortly after regaining it from the previous one.

Then all of a sudden it's gone - and in it's place is some spoiled brat I had to put up with until I went to college!

I know now what my dad was doing, and I am doing the same thing to my 7 year old son. Times have changed though. He's buckled up riding shotgun sitting on a pillow so he can see out the window and he waves at every corvette he sees. It's in the blood now. He wants me and him to drive the vette everywhere, while Mom follows (distantly) the people mover!

He wants to say a few words:

If a teenager brakes a corvette he'll really want a new one!

There you have it - words of wisdom from America's youth! The great part about it - when my vette needs fixing - he's always there to 'help'.

 

How about this, my dad bought me this corvette when I was 17 for $600 and said I could make payments. Unfortunately, he took it away and sold it because I was not much of a mechanic back then and could not afford to keep it running going to school and working part time at Mc Donalds for $1.45 and hour. Man what I would have given to have that Vette today. That's me 37 years ago...

 

drove my buddies 72 (i think) LT1 around the neighborhood.

that thing was an animal. My leg hurt from the high pressure clutch after only 10 minutes of driving.

 

Cool Vette! (You had a nerd look in the pic...)