Corvette Blog

2011 Corvette

admin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:42:47 +0000

Corvette for 2011 will still include something for everyone: coupe, convertible, grand sport coupe and convertible, Z-06 and ZR-1. There are numerous upgrades to the the Z-06, especially in the brakes and suspension. Also the buyer this year has more option choices across the board. After last year’s production of just over 12,000 look for this year’s production to increase as the choices to buyers give more flexibility for personalizing your Corvette. Corvette is still the best bargain available in sporting machinery as far as this author is concerned!

Tough Times

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:49:37 +0000

This US economy sure is tough and there are a ton of great bargains out there in both new and classic Corvettes. My problem is, I am also in the tough economy and I am unable to pull the trigger on any of these great deals. This is very frustrating for a person who appreciates the intrinsic value of this hobby. Considering also that Chevrolet sold just over 12,000 new 2010 Corvettes for the model year, that bears out what a tough economy it has been. Of course, a good percentage were ZR-1’s AND Z-06’s so I am sure they didn’t fare too bad given everything GM went through last year corporate wide. An upcoming blog entry will concern the 2011 Corvette models, stay tuned.

Makes you Wonder

admin — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:16:45 +0000

I came across a 2007 coupe the other day at a dealer’s lot, a base model (1LT) with the six speed manual and bright Velocity Yellow paint. The mileage was only 1,695 and the asking price was $35,495.00 (USD). Now, I have seen many a C-2 and C-3 with low miles and understand why you come across them, especially when still owned by the original owner (looking to gain a return on an investment). I do not understand why someone would buy a new one, drive it for 3-4 years as sparingly as this one was and then trade it in. Believe me, if my situation had allowed, this yellow 2007 would be residing in my garage. I mean, a ‘new’ Corvette for less than 36K, seems like a no brainer to me.

Contemporary Corvette

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:21:41 +0000

This entry concerns Corvette salvage yards. I am wondering just how many Corvette exclusive salvage yards exist in the country. I live in close proximity to one of the more re-known ones, that being, Contemporary Corvette in Bristol, PA. The owner, Ron DeSchmidtt, is a life long Corvette enthusiast and runs what I feel is one of the most reputable, fair priced operations in the automotive industry. I have walked the grounds there and can tell you first hand that I understand Ron when he calls the yard his ‘field of broken dreams’. Indeed, when you look at some of the conditions some of these Corvettes are in you almost have to wonder about the circumstances behind the wreck, how did the driver fair. Certainly the car is a total and there had to be a few fatalities involved in some of these. That’s enough of the bad thoughts and I mention this because the human factor has to be considered. On the point of used Corvette parts, there is no finer (in my opinion) vendor on the planet and I want to post their phone number here 1-800-FOR-VETT (1800-367-8388) and if you call, you may very well speak to Ron (the owner) or Rocky. But, whoever answers the phone will be able to help you out. They deal in Contemporary Corvettes, those being 1968-current year (2010). Give them a call and see what they can do for you.

Making the most of your Hobby

admin — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:10:56 +0000

Talk about having your cake and eating it too. This is what a couple of guys I consider great friends and mentors did. Ron Nowacki an Ed Lieb in 1987 decided to take their love of Corvettes to the ultimate level. They both were dissatisfied with the direction the companies they worked for were heading and decided to open up their own business. Enter Corvette Paramedics located on route 206 in Mount Holly, New Jersey (phone 609-265-2702). They started out working out of Ron’s driveway and garage selling parts and doing minor repairs. They purchased a trailer and truck and hit the local Corvette shows, gaining a loyal customer base along the way. Long story short, the success they realized led them to buying a building and opening the business to include minor repairs to full blown restorations. Parts are still the main-stay, but, they offer every conceivable service from the most simple repair to NCRS quality restorations. They are both enthusiasts and are extremely knowledgeable about the car they service. Corvette Paramedics has been consistently ranked by Corvette Fever magazine as one of the ‘top 100 shops you can trust’. I trust them with my parts needs and have always found them to go above and beyond in customer satisfaction. It is with great pleasure I report on one company you should call for any part or service you may need and you will not find a more caring, honest, straight forward company out there. As their web-site (www.corvetteparamedicsinc.com) says ‘If your corvette is sick, don’t call 911–call the paramedics’. They offer parts and service for every generation, C-1through C-6.

The Cradle

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:22:08 +0000

This is the first installment of the blog entries I mentioned earlier. However, it will not be the ‘interview’ type as promised. Living in eastern Pennsylvania, I am fortunate to live close by the world’s largest Corvette dealer: Kerbeck Chevrolet of Atlantic City, New Jersey. They have been the number one volume Corvette dealer for quite a few years now (16 consecutive, I believe). I would have liked to conduct the interview to confirm information but was not contacted via e-mail or phone calls returned, so I will go with what I know. They have at all times 150 new Corvettes either in stock or inbound. That is quite a large number of Corvettes. I also consider them to be Corvette enthusiasts as they take the world’s oldest Corvette (EX-122) on promotional tours, have a few classic Corvettes in their personal collection and attend several of the area’s largest Corvette shows and events. Plus, they also host the annual Kerbeck ‘Toys for Tots’ run in late fall, usually the last big local Corvette gathering and it is a chance to co-mingle with other Corvette owners. You also get to drop the hammer as you drive in the procession with Corvettes of all vintages, an 18 mile long, wide open throttle run on the Atlantic City Expressway (with the blessing of the New Jersey State Police). Every year this event gets larger and larger and is absolutely a blast to participate in. So, if you are in the market, take a look at Kerbeck’s Corvette website. They offer substantial discounts on new Corvettes and have all models in stock at all times. I have mentioned them (Kerbeck) in a few other blog entries and do so for the reasons stated in this article.

The Only One

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:08:09 +0000

Corvettes have come in a variety of colors over the 47 year history of the car but there is one color that has been available in each and every year…………………white. What? You thought ‘all Corvettes are red’ as the book on the development of the C-5eries said. But in 1953, you had your choice of any color as long as it was Polo White with red interior. White was and has been continuous ever since. Although in 2001, it was only available on the Z-06 in speedway white. Some years, especially the mid seventies, the color ‘classic’ white(code-10) was the most popular color chosen. It was a crisp, bright vibrant white and my very first Corvette, a 1976 coupe, was adorned in this color with the oxblood (or firethorn red) interior, a very sharp combination. In fact I am pretty sure that a red interior has been offered every year as well to compliment and pay homage to the 1953 car. In 1977 the 500,000th Corvette rolled off the assembly line in St Louis and it was white with red interior. Likewise in 1991, when the 1 million milestone was reached, that car was white with red as well. In 2010 white and red is still an available combination, although i think back to when the interior was all red and not just the seats and lower door panels. The combination remains fairly popular and I recall a conversation I had with Wil Cooksey, then Corvette plant manager, he told me that there were several discussions over the years about deleting the color from the Corvette line-up, but in the end, white always prevailed. This says something for nostalgia while paying tribute to a timeless classic with a new car purchase.

1970 LS-5 Big Block

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:29:48 +0000

In reviewing a road test article for the 1970 Corvette, 454 LS-5 big block engine I was struck by the notes on the mpg’s of the car (7-8 mpg). Now with a fuel tank of usable capacity of say, 14 gallons that adds up to a ridiculously short cruising range–anywhere from 98-112 miles per tank. Now, these cars were built at a time when fuel was plentiful and relatively cheap. They were certainly ground pounding, thunderous machines and remain very popular today in the collector market despite the poor fuel economy. But, if you are buying one of these for a collectable or just to have and enjoy, then I guess fuel economy is low on your list. One thing for sure, the power off the line was impressive and could pin you to your seat. But in my travels across the country, there are some stretches of highway where you could run out of gas long before you come across a service station. Still, a big block Corvette is one of those automobiles that just have to be experienced to be fully appreciated.

Unappreciated in it’s Time

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:05:32 +0000

The Corvette has endured years of production and at the same time has been panned over by just about every major automotive journal and magazine out there. Whether it be a road test, comparison test, endurance test or what have you, the automotive press has consistently come away with a less than favorable experience and review. So why? Well, to many an automotive journalist, the car itself was of suspicious breeding (the very first models using stock parts right off the GM shelves). The love/hate affair continued into the all new for 1963 and the C-2 series, the C-3’s were dismissed as a serious sports car but more a ground pounding beast. The all new 1984 C-4 series was at first heralded and then again panned over, they claim it was too long a production run. The C-5 series was the second shortest production run next to the C-2’s, but, here again as the models kept coming the enthusiasm died down. Similarly, the C-6 has met with much of the same disdain. I feel it is the automotive press who is missing the boat here. The Corvette has seen many transformations and offered different models over it’s 58 plus year history. Compared to say Porsche (talk about a model long on the tooth), I am not knocking them, just saying when you compare the various models Chevrolet offered in the Vette, it is head and shoulders above what Porsche (for variety) has offered. I’ll admit here I am a bit biased as I am a Corvette enthusiast and never even bothered to really check out a foreign nameplate (my loss perhaps) but to me, with the all American sports car, the car was/is reliable, holds a great deal of it’s value and if the Corvette was to become more ‘European’, I think we’d lose a very unique aspect of this great automobile.

The Immortal Corvette

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:15:50 +0000

In 1973, Motor Trend had seen/predicted the end of Corvette production and stated “the current car with all the new federal safety/fuel regulations would be lucky to survive past 1973″. they didn’t think the car could make it in the corporate world of GM. Many years later, the current C-6 has seen numerous factory shut downs and furloughs of the employees, and yet somehow the car survives. Yes, I took the factory tour (these days it takes careful planning) way back in 2003 when they were building the 2004 models. The purpose of this post is to say the Corvette is one car that no matter what happens will always be immortalized whether it is in magazine ad, book, newspaper article, TV commercial, or song (yes there are a few Corvette songs out there). There are two kinds of people when it comes to Corvettes: those who have owned and those that wish they could. So, despite 26 weeks of Corvette plant closures in 2009, I look forward to the C-7 series.