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I seem to be doing this all wrong. First, this Intro isn’t my first post on the Forum. Second, it’s not that I just bought a Corvette, it’s that I just sold one. It’s a long story that started 45 years ago, so if you’ll bear with me, here it is...
My grandfather was a car guy. My father was a car guy. What choice did I have?
As a boy, my Dad and I would sit on the steps in front of our house, and I would identify each car that went by- make, model, and year. I loved them all, but mostly, I loved Corvettes.
The first Corvette I ever saw in real life was a C2 coupe, which made a mighty impression indeed, but it wasn’t until the C3 made its debut that I truly fell in love, and vowed one day to own one.
After four years of college and four years of graduate school, during which I drove a 1964 Corvair, a 1966 Corvair, and a 1969 Mustang in succession, I began to make a decent salary through a Leukemia Society fellowship. So in late 1974, I started looking for a Corvette.
At that time early C3’s were just used cars, and most of the ones I looked at had been driven hard, and were tired, very tired. I could have looked at C2’s, but that never crossed my mind. And then one day my kid brother and I went to check out a used C3 at Scuncio Chevrolet in Rhode Island, and there on the showroom floor was a brand-new ’75 T-top, white over saddle, lightly optioned with PS, PB, and a 4-speed. It was my dream car in the flesh.
I’ll never forget what my 19-year old brother said seeing the look on my face when I saw that car.
‘Keith, you’re 25 years old; it’s time your dreams start to come true.’
Damn straight.
At the time, my best friend owned a Corvette restoration shop in Connecticut, and ran a ’68 in SCCA B-Production, shown here at Lime Rock Park in 1975-
He tried to talk me into buying either an early C3 or a C2 instead of the ‘75. In hindsight, that would have been a great move, as even big-block C2’s were still within reach at that time. But I was smitten by the white ’75, which I bought in June. Not only was it my first (and to date, only) Corvette, it was my first brand-new car. My GMAC car payment was more than my rent, but who cares? I finally had my Corvette.
The ’75 Corvette was my summer fun car for the next three years whilst I lived in Connecticut- a ’66 Corvair getting me through the harsh New England winters (great snow car!)- but in 1978 I moved to LA to join the faculty at USC. What could be better than your first cross-country drive in your new Corvette?
For the next ten years, the Corvette was my daily driver, making the 40-mile commute from Santa Monica to the USC Medical Campus on the I-10 freeway. This in a car with no AC! During that time the car was serviced by the famous Corvette tuner, Dick Guldstrand Engineering in Culver City, who also upgraded the suspension.
In 1987, I moved to Seattle, and the Vette continued to be my daily driver until 1994, when I decided to get something more modern and comfortable for my short daily commute. Two all-wheel-drive cars followed- a Mitsubishi GSX and a Subaru SVX, and then in 1999, a BMW M3. At that point the Corvette went into storage.
I drove the car sparingly for the next 20 years, always imagining that someday I would restore her. Age started taking its toll (on the car!)- the paint began to crack and flake, the bumpers became brittle. I started to restore the interior, but never got much beyond that.
In 2012 I recommissioned the Corvette and drove her to my new home on the west side of Puget Sound. For the next couple of years I used the car occasionally, but with several other cars in the stable- 3 vintage BMW’s and a ‘97 Acura NSX, the Corvette mostly just sat under wraps.
As it became increasingly clear that I was never going to restore the Corvette, I felt bad that she was just languishing in my garage. I decided to gauge interest in the car by posting on this forum last September, here-
In that post, I listed what I thought was a good price for a one-owner, numbers matching ’75 that needed work, and stated-
Would really like to see the car go to someone who will give her the care and attention she deserves.
Within a week, I had multiple offers on the car, but ended up selling it to a local friend who plans to restore the car with the help of his two teenage sons. He has already restored a ’68 roadster with his Dad, so I feel the car is in good hands.
That said, it feels weird not owning a Corvette. I am not at all interested in the newer cars, capable though they are, so for now I content myself with looking at C3’s for sale online. My dream car would be a chrome-bumper roadster, preferably 1970 or earlier with a high output small block and a 4-speed. In a perfect world, a 1970 LT-1 convertible will someday sit in my garage. And as long as we’re dreaming, let’s make that Mulsanne blue over black. Who knows; stranger things have happened...
So that’s my story. Do you think it might be OK for me to still hang around this board, even though I don’t presently own a Corvette? I prefer to think that I am a 45-year owner who is presently between Corvettes, and you never really know what might happen next...
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
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Welcome to the forum and great story. I can assure you that there are quite a few members on the forum that do not currently own a Corvette, so don't worry about that.
45 Years Ago...
