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I wasn't aware that any documentation was left behind... I was aware that it has been MIA ever since the government took possession of the car. I always gathered that the docs were lost in the transition somehow, but from your comments, it sounds as if they never took any of the paperwork to begin with.
After the seizure the GSA had Wayne, a GM rep, and another specialist come to Miami to verify the authenticity of the ZL1. Lynn had only had the car a short time, maybe 6 months, and the documentation came with the car when he bought it. After GSA got their authenticity confirmation all they saw was $$$ and never searched the house (also seized) for the paperwork.
Originally Posted by Rowdy Rat
From your post in the other thread, you mentioned that you observed a lot of this while Wayne still owned it. If that documentation included proof that this was the first car built for sale... Well, it would certainly put an end to any conjecture about factory assembled ZL-1 Corvettes sold before #29219.
I know, right? And yet there is still much dispute over this! I honestly haven't followed the trail on this car in many years so I don't know where the docs may be. Perhaps the new homeowner found it, and trashed them!
Originally Posted by Rowdy Rat
It is odd though... GM was cranking out ZL-1 Camaros in December of 1968 so you would think that the option would have been offered a least a bit earlier in a Corvette before September 1969.
I think that may have something to do with the Camaro's being COPO cars and the Corvette's being RPO's that had different protocols needing to be met for production.
Originally Posted by Rowdy Rat
It also puts into perspective how long ago some of this happened. If I recall correctly, Wayne found and restored that car sometime in the late 1970's... Over 40 years ago! Heberling was still alive, the car was relatively new, and documents/records for these cars were a lot easier to come by. It's no wonder Wayne Walker had a bunch of info on this car.
Wayne bought it in late 1976, I think John Zagos had already been killed in the boating accident at that point. My mother worked for him until he started Zip Products and keeps in touch with him to this day. She even bought her home from him! He is a neat guy and knowing that my real father wasn't in the picture and that I was a 100% gearhead he always made time to show me the many Corvettes he had over the years and I went for a few wild rides in some of them. I think I was more interested in the cars than his own boys! lol
Originally Posted by Rowdy Rat
Good stuff... Thanks for your comments Russell!
Regards,
Stan Falenski
Happy to share my experience! It's funny how that car has popped-up in my life since he owned it. In the Marine Corps in the late 1980's my unit was involved with Operation Snowcap, a DEA campaign, and may have lead to Lynn's arrest... In the mid 1990's I built a model of Wayne's ZL1 that won the model equivalent of "Bloomington Gold"... A spectator at one of the model shows told me the car was less than an hour from where I lived in Florida and after talking to Roger on the phone I went to see it one day in 2004. Roger was so kind, I got to go behind the ropes! Even after 30+ years that car still made me smile...
A friend told me he found my model pictures online doing a Google search for "1969 Corvette ZL1", that's how I stumbled across this site and got to share my experience with the car...
The longest-lasting impression I got from knowing Wayne was his kindness and willingness to share his passion for cars. I also learned how to turn my passion into a business from Wayne, a lesson I've used in the ensuing years. A big thanks to Wayne!
09-20-2012, 07:10 PM
