When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
At the risk of getting a little too personal, my story begins when I was 3 years old. As was typical with most boy toddlers back in those days, I was fascinated with all things mechanical, whether it was a car, boat, airplane, rocketship, eggbeater or whatever. My earliest memory on earth: I had a recurring dream that I could always clearly recall the next morning - that I as a 3 year old I was actually driving a car. Back then I didn’t know what kind of car I was driving, but it was small, orange and it had shiny black vinyl seats. Years later I put the puzzle pieces together and realized it was a mid-year Sting Ray coupe. I don’t even know if a C2 was available in orange, but that’s actually what happened in my dream. More recently, my figurative dream goes like this: I keep a list of 10 cars I would have in a collection if my resources were unlimited. Number One on the list:
A 1967 Sting Ray roadster. L79, M20, 3.55 axle, rear exhaust, Elkhart blue, white leather and power windows. This one is very unlikely to ever happen, but if it did, its primary function would be to just sit there so that I could behold its beauty. Of course I would keep it mechanically fit so that it would be ready to pounce at any moment without notice.
But alas - back to reality. Where I can only have one toy car at a time. And it ain’t no ‘67 Sting Ray. However I’m still really giddy right now because I recently moved up to #2 on my top 10 list – a 2014 base Stingray. I have to plan my moves carefully because I can only exchange toy cars once per decade. Stepping stones on the path to my first Corvette over the past 30 years include:
1972 4-4-2 convertible (shameless clone – including OAI and Hurst Dual Gate)
1992 Formula TPI 5-speed (waited 3 months for factory order to show up)
2001 WS6 6-speed convertible (gonna miss this one. It’s a really good car)
All of above have been great fun. I joy ride a lot (in whatever the current hot rod might be), every day that the sun is shining in the summer months. C7 will be perfect for my driving style - i.e. putt-putting between tiny farming towns, mixed with occasionally taking it out on the nearby superhiway – and holding down the “T” at “WO” in 2nd gear until it touches the rev limiter in order to clean the carbon off the tops of the pistons and to stretch the metal out a bit. And just holy wowza, the performance of the C7 is sooooo good. I’m a bit of a dreamer, however my wildest fantasies could have never imagined a car could deliver such an incredible driving experience. Of course this statement seems like a joke to folks that are playing with a ZR1, or a 911, or a 6-second drag car. But my level of amazement with the C7 is similar to what a caveman would experience if he was presented with a laser-sighted rifle.
Gotta go. Have to start working on wearing out the wheel bearings.
And finally at long last…
A 1967 Sting Ray roadster. L79, M20, 3.55 axle, rear exhaust, Elkhart blue, white leather and power windows. This one is very unlikely to ever happen, but if it did, its primary function would be to just sit there so that I could behold its beauty. Of course I would keep it mechanically fit so that it would be ready to pounce at any moment without notice.
You and me too brother...That would be awesome. However, you have a great toy on your hands right now.
05-25-2018, 03:44 PM
½ a century of dreaming…
