All in the family
01-18-2019, 09:09 AM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
All in the family
The C8 section is a special section. It has made us revisit our love and loyalty to Corvette and the many Corvette people like Jim. You guys are great.
Leave a comment on this thread below and and show the love for the men who made our dream car come true. Copy comments here also.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ns-passes.html Pay your respects here.
Leave a comment on this thread below and and show the love for the men who made our dream car come true. Copy comments here also.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ns-passes.html Pay your respects here.
The following 5 users liked this post by Shaka:
AORoads (01-20-2019),
Asleep@thewheel (01-18-2019),
firstvettesoon (01-20-2019),
John T (01-18-2019),
tomlink (01-18-2019)
01-18-2019, 10:29 AM
#2
Race Director
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: Cape Cod, Mass.
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2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C8 of the Year Finalist Unmodified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C1 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2017 Corvette of the Year Finalist
2016 C2 of Year
2015 C3 of Year Finalist
Rest in Peace Jim. He absolutely kept the Corvette alive and risked his job to do so. He was well respected by everyone that knew him.
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Shaka (01-18-2019)
01-18-2019, 10:53 AM
#4
The Consigliere
Member Since: May 2006
Location: 2023 Z06 & 2010 ZR1
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Jim was good egg. Corvette wouldn't be here today without him.
RIP, Jim.
RIP, Jim.
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John T (01-18-2019)
01-18-2019, 12:13 PM
#5
Team Owner
A couple of things about him. During the C5 development, he was against a mid-engine design and that is why the C5 wasn't a mid engine. Dave McLellan and Chuck Jordan fought just as hard for the mid engine design,
He was also against the run flat tire as standard equipment of the C5 and the C5's cargo area has a center section that is for a space saver tire. He had Goodyear develop and tool up for both run flat and non run flat tires for the C5. The run flat tire was to be an option, as it had been on the 1996 C4. After he retired in 1996, the decision was made by GM to have the run flat tire as standard equipment on the 1997 C5.
GM saved the C5 as he fought hard to get it approved, developed and tooled up. $250,000,000 was a huge amount in the early, mid 1990's that GM didn't have, and GM was prepared to pull the plug on the Corvette in 1992. Jim saved the Corvette from extinction by,his tireless efforts to get the C5 in production. It was a hard uphill battle all the way.
During the early days of the C5 development, a million dollars was used from other accounts, that was not approved for the C5. When the unauthorized spending was discovered and the **** hit the fan, Jim said he would pay it back to GM out of his own pocket(it didn't happen as GM forgave him for his misdeeds).
I really doubt that we would be talking about a C8 today, if it hadn't been for Jim Perkins and the C5. The C5 was a winner from day one and it's very strong sales each and every year let to the C6 and then the C7 and now, the C8. We have no idea how successful the C5 might have been if it had been a mid engine, but we sure know how successful it was being a front engine design.
Thanks Jim. The Corvette community owes you a lot.
He was also against the run flat tire as standard equipment of the C5 and the C5's cargo area has a center section that is for a space saver tire. He had Goodyear develop and tool up for both run flat and non run flat tires for the C5. The run flat tire was to be an option, as it had been on the 1996 C4. After he retired in 1996, the decision was made by GM to have the run flat tire as standard equipment on the 1997 C5.
GM saved the C5 as he fought hard to get it approved, developed and tooled up. $250,000,000 was a huge amount in the early, mid 1990's that GM didn't have, and GM was prepared to pull the plug on the Corvette in 1992. Jim saved the Corvette from extinction by,his tireless efforts to get the C5 in production. It was a hard uphill battle all the way.
During the early days of the C5 development, a million dollars was used from other accounts, that was not approved for the C5. When the unauthorized spending was discovered and the **** hit the fan, Jim said he would pay it back to GM out of his own pocket(it didn't happen as GM forgave him for his misdeeds).
I really doubt that we would be talking about a C8 today, if it hadn't been for Jim Perkins and the C5. The C5 was a winner from day one and it's very strong sales each and every year let to the C6 and then the C7 and now, the C8. We have no idea how successful the C5 might have been if it had been a mid engine, but we sure know how successful it was being a front engine design.
Thanks Jim. The Corvette community owes you a lot.
Last edited by JoesC5; 01-18-2019 at 12:22 PM.
01-18-2019, 04:34 PM
#6
Read All Corvettes Are Red.
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Shaka (01-18-2019)
01-20-2019, 01:02 AM
#7
Team Owner
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Location: Northern, VA
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
I remember the near-death of Corvettes during the C4 years and read a long time ago about some of the effort made to get the C5 out the door. Had no idea who was involved but figured it had to be some of the "bigs" and a lot of others who were respected in their various areas of expertise. Hats off and RIP to Jim Perkins!