| It was made a legend in songs and performance. The | | | | Man's Curve. It was a good thing it had a windshield |
| Chevrolet Corvette was lovingly known just as the | | | | because I would have had bugs stuck to my teeth |
| "Vette". The Vette was and still is a high speed | | | | from grinning so much. The thrill of standing still, shifting |
| performance car. It started out a a little sports car and | | | | into first gear, revving up that sweet engine and letting |
| now is grown up to a relatively large sports car. The | | | | out the clutch and being plastered to the back of the |
| earlier ones were made out of fiberglass. Come to | | | | seat was pure adrenaline pumping. That was my first |
| think of it, the light weight would help save gas today. | | | | experience of "pulling G's". Last time I felt that type of |
| Unfortunately, the fiberglass didn't offer much | | | | adrenaline rush was during chopper auto-rotations in |
| protection and you could easily punch a hole in it. The | | | | Nam. That was 40 years ago and I still love my Vette. |
| 1967 Stingray was born were an engine that taught | | | | Maybe it is the legend. Maybe we have gotten the |
| you what it was like to pull G's while still on the ground. | | | | legend mixed up with reality. All I know is I can't help |
| Factory Hot Rods became real in October of 1963, | | | | but smile when I remember my little Vette. It is hard to |
| when the GTO was born. At this time, the Corvette | | | | explain to my children why it was so special. I owned a |
| began to grow in size and weight. It was truly | | | | 1955 Ford though it was pretty it just didn't have the |
| becoming an American hot rod/sports car with looks | | | | appeal of the legendary Corvette. The royal blue was |
| to kill and performance to match. The Vette came in | | | | my favorite. I have a friend whose color was plum. |
| the 409 engine and then later move up to large | | | | Can you remember vinyl seats? I can! They were cool |
| horsepower engines. These powerhouses package | | | | looking and very hot functionally. I remember leaving |
| included a 400-horsepower V8 with dual exhausts, a | | | | my skin on the seat many times getting out that car. |
| Carter AFB four-barrel carburetor, a mild hydraulic | | | | Getting in the summer meant either cooking your legs |
| camshaft, and the kind of whip lashing neck pain | | | | or trying to keep a towel in the car to sit on. Once you |
| street-grabbing torque that left a smile on your face. | | | | started up that 409, you were transported to another |
| Other standard features included a manual | | | | world. The purr of that engine, the feel of the Hurst |
| three-speed transmission with a Hurst shifter (in those | | | | shifter and watching the gas needle drop was worth |
| days the Hurst shifter was not only very good but also | | | | all the pain of sitting on a hot seat. What hot seat? Oh |
| very cool), a heavy-duty clutch (very much needed), | | | | yeah, 4 mpg! It was a good thing gasoline was only 15 |
| heavy-duty suspension, US Royal red-line tires, a 3.23:1 | | | | cents a gallon back then. |
| rear axle ratio, and the famous Corvette emblem. The | | | | Jerbob Johnsen owns the "Smoking Hot Corvettes" or |
| Vette emblem itself was just as famous as the car | | | | "Corvette Auction House" specialing in bargains on |
| and was easily recognized. What Made The Chevy | | | | corvettes. If you are ready to buy your Vette, visit or |
| Vette So Coveted? Some things you never forget | | | | for a bargain on the corvette of your dreams. |
| such as my 1967 Stingray and Jan & Dean Dead | | | | |