This morning I was hanging around the motel since the American Le Mans series race was yesterday and there were a couple Porsche's in the parking lot getting ready to leave. They were scurrying about trying to decide if their motel bill was correct or if they had been over charged so I was chatting it up with the white Porsche's wife while she sat in her car waiting for hubby to return. I noted they had WA plates so I asked where they were from which it turns out was from Wenatchee, WA so we began to chat about this and that when her husband returned and joined in the conversation. He asked what I was driving and I told him an "09" Vette. He stops dead in his tracks and asks "and you're talking with her" I said well I'm not a car snob, and complimented him on his stunning white Porsche and he suddenly began to talk cars and about the races since they had stayed at the races yesterday and had no idea what had transpired during the final yellow flag laps. I had returned to my motel and watched the race on line and gave him the low down on how things transpired during and after the final yellow flag for the Corvette and Porsche teams. He was in full BS mode when his buddy departed and he had to go so our talk was cut short.

I wouldn't toss a Porsche out of my garage I just prefer the American built and looks of the Corvette.


PS: The races were a blast and I'll leave it at that. Don't want to be a spoiler for those who are busy and want to watch the rebroadcast next Sat. on CBS. Next stop is Le Mans in France!

George
Twisp, WA

 

A few of us went down there three years ago and stayed on the beach in Monterey with a bunch of other Vettes. We were in the Corvette Corral at the races so did not have occasion to chat with owners of other marques.

You should have asked if they wanted to convoy back to Wenatchee with you just to get their reaction.

 

So, Pat. Would you have been surprised if they had responded with enthusiastic acceptance?

I may be reading too much into this, but this (perceived) image of Porsche owners and enthusiasts being snobbish or looking down their noses at Corvettes is fascinating and, IMO, unfortunate. To both parties. I suspect there are a lot of Corvette owners who are perceived (and may very well be) the same way.

But at least it gives people like me (former Porsche owner x 4) a reason to post and to practice spelling "perceived" correctly.

I love my C6 and it's the best car I've ever had for what I bought it to do. I enjoyed my Porsches as well. Heck, I even like my Mazda 3. Zoom Zoom Zoom..

 

I love all cars. Well except maybe Yugo's. I just cannot get along with those Yugo snobs. ;-)

 

Yugo "Snobs"?

I suspect you're confusing Yugos with Trabants or Renault Fuego Turbos. (the only car to truly live up to its name - Fuego meaning fire in some language. Probably French)

Yugos are simply eastern European copies of some FIAT model, but without the cachet of actually being Italian. How can there possibly be snobs associated with this humble conveyance?

That reminds me, speaking of fascinating automobiles and our love for them, I think among the oddest events I've ever attended was a DeLorean Concours d'Elegance. However, it did provide me the unexpected opportunity to discover that some DeLorean interiors were black and some were gray. Wonder if they were in different classes?

I need to get a job.

 

Yes but the Yugo is the only one to make it across the big pond......

 

Based on what George had to say, yes I would have. I believe there are snob owners of every marque including Corvette and I have met a lot of them.

You have to go with the moment.

 

Au contraire (he says cautiously not knowing for sure if this means, "you are sooo wrong" or if he even spelled it correctly). The Fuego Turbo was a, forgive me, hot seller back in the mid-70's. I believe its stablemate, the Renault "LeCar" also made it over here. No doubt owing to its popularity with travelling circuses as a replacement for the aging and much-lamented Crosley as the clown-stuffing vehicle of choice.

And speaking of the Yugo, let's also give a tip of the hat to the marketing brilliance of the sole importer; one Mr. Malcolm Bricklin, developer of the gull-wing Bricklin SV (I think it was the SV) another hot seller and arguably the finest orange fiberglass automobile ever built in New Brunswick, Canada - or where ever it was assembled. Nash engine as I recall, though I seem to recall some of them made it to market - assuming there actually was a market for these beyond the demand among divorced orthodontists and flight attendants - with small block Fords.

Oh, in fairness, I must ackowledge Mr. Bricklin's remarkable success - such as it was - in talking Fiat into allowing him to import a couple of models they had already abandoned, namely the Fiat 124 (nee 2000)Spider and the X1/9, under new names, as the Pininfarina Spider and the Bertone X1/9 in hopes that American sports car buyers would not recognize them with new badges as the very same vehicles they ran away from in droves just the year before.

Wonder if ol' Malcolm had anything to do with the Cadillac Cimmaron. Now there's a car I was sure would attract a really strong group of snobs. Alas, not to be....

I'm being overly critical, aren't I? Wasn't this a thread that began over a friendly discussion between one of us and some some Porsche guys in Monterey? I'm sorry

 

I had a red X-19 while in the military. Great car. Only two things ever went wrong with it while I owned it
1. sliver of dirt in one of the jets (very common)
2. Didn't run to well after I t-boned a 16 yo who drove across the highway in front of me.
Really was like a go cart. Fun car.

 

I would gladly trade my 02 C5Z for a 997 GT3, anyone?

 

I would trade my '07 C6 for an '07 GT3. I would throw in my Porsche C4 for an RS model. I love these cars and I see snobs in all clubs and marques. I find most car guys very cool and appreciate all kinds of cars.

I think that those not accepting of other cars must have been bottle fed.

 

Could be, but I don't think it's a matter of non-acceptance, particularly on the part of the people on this forum. After all, how else would most of us even know about the weekly Redmond event, much less show up for it?

I have long felt that some - perhaps many - Corvette owners have a sort of inferiority complex because they don't feel their car is "exotic". I see signs of it all the time on this forum, vis-a-vis frequent posts about things like 0-60 and 1/4 mile comparisons, etc.

And you're right; there are snobs in just about every club. That's one of the reasons I don't belong to one.

I'm happy to say that I've met and befriended several people on this forum and run into them from time to time, often at events not purely Corvette related.

But you gotta admit, this is a forum and what better subject to discuss than other people's opinions?

 

Don't think I initially mentioned that my Porsche guy who owned the very nice looking white car had a noticeable German accent. I personally have found those with enough German in their DNA to have an accent to generally, but not always be opinionated and short tempered. I don't base this on a huge study or anything like that however my step father was of German decent, didn't have an accent but had quite the temper and subscribed when arguing, he who shouted the loudest was the victor in said discussion. Not sure how my mother stayed married to the man for so many years but that's an issue for an entirely different forum. Speaking of which to keep this on track he was very, very disappointed in me for buying my first Corvette back when I was 21 yoa. He didn't have much to say when I bought my first house when I was a year or two older.

The drive up today from Newport, OR to Lynnwood, WA was very tiring due to all the rain and spray making the need for intense concentration to keep the Vette in her lane. Had a guy in a newer Mustang try to whack her right front quarter panel coming down the hill at Tukwila just before South Center. He was forced out of his lane by a truck trying to occupy his right front quarter panel. Since neither of us was texting or yakking on our cell phones he was able to avoid the truck by jamming on his brakes and cutting left and I was able to avoid him having just checked the fast lane to my left and knowing it was vacant a couple seconds prior. Everyone snapped left half a lane and no one got a boo boo on their car. Ahhh, tomorrow evening I return to the country life over in Twisp, WA.

Oh, I saw a Vette today, yellow C-6 Vert, pilot was younger with a pony tail. It was along Hwy 34/20 west of Corvallis just before I jumped onto I-5 northbound. Anyone on the forum?

George

 

Glad you are having a good trip and I hear ya about the weather. We had a rain squall pass through Everett this afternoon that drove holes in the pavement. Fortunately it was short but nasty.

 

let me ask this- What do you guys think of nicely built Honda's? I'm not talking about show cars with expensive body kits.

There is no denying the fact that you can built a nice ( subjective) DD with excellent performance for not a whole lot. ( think naturally aspirated, pump gas, 30mpg on the highway, and a mid-high 11 second quarter mile time on slicks).


Or the Hyundai Genesis?
-RWD
-brembo brakes
-a respectable interior
- 2.0L Mitsubishi based engine that already has tremendous aftermarket support
-Less than $23k brand new.....

 

I've been on track with some well driven front drivers in anger and I have been impressed with what they are capable of. I'm not personally likely going to go buy a front driver car, but I have respect for what a well prepared econo-box can turn for laptimes.

I think the Genenis is a very done car. I would be more prone to 2011 Mustang, but for nostalga/emotional (I have owned 3 Mustangs), I think the Genesis is likely a better car for the $.

 

You meen like this:

 

Nicely-built Hondas? Are there any other kind?

No question; Hondas are excellent cars. So are Toyotas and Mazdas (my personal favorite) and Nissans. Hyundai is getting some really great reviews in the motoring press and the Genesis has been especially well received.

So, yes, you are not likely to get anything but positive opinions on those cars you mention. THAT IS if you leave "Passion" out of the discussion. The Asian manufacturers, despite their best efforts, cannot IMO design and build a Ferrari, A Porsche or a Corvette. Oh sure, they can build supercars with higher quality, greater performance, better reliability and at a price many of us can actually afford. Big deal. The unlamented Acura NSX may have been the best sports car ever built. It was so good it was almost boring.

Okay, okay, I know the Honda S2000 is a technical masterpiece and offers great performance for the money. It even looks pretty good too. To me, it has no soul.

I like a car that has an "edge" to it. you know, little quirks like heavy clutches, loud exhaust, performance that will kill you if you misuse it, and that your sister will never ask to borrow.

Make no mistake, the cars you mention are wonderful. If I need an appliance I usually go to Sears. If I want the driving equivalent of a refrigerator, I buy Japanese - and now, maybe, Korean.

Good question though...

 

No, Fred...he wasn't talking about your 600 hp engineering marvel. He was referring to the typical ricer with a "fart" can driven by a pimply-faced teenager who doesn't own a belt and can't figure out which is the front of a hat....

P.S. Am I too old for you to adopt?

 

So Todd, what would you say to the owner of this fine performance automobile???

Dean