ssidekickbp

I love my C7, and I know I owe that passion for cars in general to my father. It's been five years today that he lost his battle with cancer.

I owe him my education and love for cars. We used to take his 72 Maverick in lime green to car shows all the time, and it's what got me into the hobby to begin with. I truly would not have owned any used corvettes nor bought my C7 had it not been for that same passion he had for cars.

He also worked hard his whole life to get me through college without any student debt. That's something I never take for granted as it allowed me to get a jumpstart on my own life. It's because of him, I'm able to be where I'm at the at age 31.

As a new father myself, I'm going to help nurture my own son's love for cars and corvettes the best I can to keep the tradition alive.

I just wanted to share as I reflect on today. Does anyone else owe their love for the Corvette to a family member?

AORoads

Very nice tribute.

bjones7131

RIP, Bible says "To be absent from the body is to be present with the LORD." Great story. God Bless

chefcg1

Nice tribute, keep the tradition going!

skank

While my father had a love for cars and would always talk about Packards (he was born in 1913), It was my uncle that exposed me to the Corvette. As a young man he worked at the local Chevrolet Dealership in Blue Earth, Minnesota. One day the all new 1953 Blue Flame Six Corvette showed up in the showroom and he told himself that he would get one one day. Later on in life Uncle Scott became very successful and finally bought himself the car of his youthful dreams. Only it was a 1954 model as very few 1953 were built and were very scarce by then. One of Uncle Scotts sons had also bought a 64 or 65 Vette and he also drives Corvettes to this day. I bought my first new Corvette at the age of 27 and another at 29. I then switched over to Ferrari's and stuck with Ferrari's. I've been waiting for Chevrolet to get the ZO6 heat issues corrected before I pulled the trigger on a new order as I promised myself I would never again buy a first or even second year model after having first year issues with both Corvettes and Ferrari's. The problem now is that it appears the ZR1 will be shown in January at Detroit Auto show so I am in a dilemma.

roadbike56

First, very nice tribute to your dad.

Yes, two folks. When I was just a little guy, my mom purchased a toy Corvette, I think it was a 54, not sure. It was one of my favorites which meant it got the crap kicked out of it. But that started my interest in Corvettes. Then my brother-in-law (deceased) had a significant influence on my interest in Corvettes. He purchased a new, 63 split window fuelie coupe before I had a license. I went for rides in it while it still had the new Vette smell. I loved the attention it got and the respect at the local meeting places for fast cars. Four years later he traded it for a 67, 435/427 coupe. By that time I had a license and was able to take it for a ride (wow, what power!). Within a few years I could resist no more and purchased my first Vette, a 69 350/350 Vert.

Vetteman Jack

Nice remembrance of your dad.

Best of luck in teaching that same appreciation for cars to your son.

Strake

Great tribute to your Dad......

I feel just as fortunate, and have posted about it too over the years. I like to "BLAME" my passion for cars on the fact that my folks brought me home from Bethesda Naval Hospital in a Jag Mark VII they had factory ordered and picked up at the factory in England the year before I was born ('53).

First car I got to drive was with my Dad in his '64 Triumph TR4 when I was about 12.... couldn't reach the clutch well enough to depress it, so we hop started it and I rode around the abandoned airstrip, with him in Okinawa where we lived.

When he retired from the Navy in summer '65 we moved to a beautiful lake community in Northern Virginia where I saw a number of Corvettes. I was quickly cautioned, that I shouldn't set my expectations on having a Vette, just because there were several in the neighborhood. I knew right then, the best looking car I'd seen was the C2 and I'd have one some day.

After a couple of VW's when I was 16, and 17, I went in halves $$$ on a 6 month old TR6 with Dad. Great fun, and we shared the fun together.

Dad went on to get a BMW, YEARS before they were in vogue.... He had a '67 2000 sedan. He was an Engineer by schooling ( US Naval Academy) and was all about technology and good engineering..... over the rest of their lives, they had other nice, well engineered cars too.

Eventually, I bought my '65 Vette and it was my daily driver living and working in FL.... I was 22. We're now on Corvette # 11.

Thanks Dad !!! Miss him every day, he passed over 4 years ago, at age 94. Spent his entire career serving our country, with combat duty in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.... retired as a Navy Captain. They are interned at the US Naval Academy.

itaylorm

Wonderful tribute. I owe my passion to my father who also has a C7

LDYSTIG

Who's cutting onions by me?!

Sorry for your loss OP, I can't imagine how hard it has been for you and your family.

I think many of us can agree that we owe a lot to our parents for their sacrifices and additionally, to our Dad's (or maybe Mom's) for introducing us to this great hobby!

C5North

Yep, my Dad. We picked these up at the NCM on the same day back in '09.

ssidekickbp

Thanks everyone. Some great stories were added here as well. I always enjoy hearing what got someone into these amazing cars.

sTz

I absolutely owe my passion for cars... and family... and everything else, to my father.

themonk

My dad as well and we lost him to cancer too.....f'k cancer!

ZMan64

Your Dad must be smiling now, knowing what a great son he raised. Young people like you restore my faith that this community will carry on. Thank you for sharing.

bluevette67

Beautiful tribute. I owe my love for Corvettes to my father as well and he lost his battle about 3 years ago. Not before going to Carlisle and sitting in and seeing a Laguna Blue C7 for the first time a few days before he died. Every time I take a long ride in my C7 I feel like he is there with me. Thanks for sharing !!

defaria

It's funny because looking back I'm not sure where I got my love of cars. Matchbox perhaps or Hot Wheels... I always picked the car that looked the most like a Corvette, though I didn't know it at the time because the Matchbox cars I was playing with looked like the vettes of a few decades to come.

My dad liked cars but he (and my family) were hardly in a position to buy race cars. No my dad had a number of station wagons! Remember those? I can recall riding with my brother sitting on the back hatch with the window down and holding onto the luggage rack. Man if a cop saw us doing that now-a-days I'm sure my dad would have gotten a ticket! Most of his cars had no damn seat belts and yet we all survived.

So I seems to have done this myself. I'm also a guitarist and I can't trace back to any family members who inspired my love of guitar. Again I did that myself. I also was the first to graduate from college though it was a junior college and to get into technology. I guess it seems I forge my own path.

As a guitarist I often do this song but always preface it with a story about how this is a song not about my dad, since he left when I was 10, but how I imagined a good relationship with your father would be. I'm always touch when I see the members of the band patiently listening to the song being played and at the verge of tears. Very touching...

davidtcpa

Nice tribute. I miss my dad as well. in the mid 1980's I had a 1981 and he had a 1986. It was cool us both having vettes. I certainly miss him.

Nawambo

God bless. May his spirit watch over you from the great beyond.

jschindler

Great story. My story is not quite the same, but my father was a huge influence in my life and a great father. He passed away at 90 years old earlier this year. Fortunately my mother is 91 and is a truly amazing lady.

You tribute to your dad is awesome.