I’m a woman whose father was a little extreme. I think he must have wanted a boy, because I got to do all the things typically reserved for boys. I love to win. I love speed and taking chances to win.
My father was always into cars, which was a good thing! He would take me driving when I was very young. I got to shift, then steer, and finally sit behind the wheel to operate the gas pedal. My first car was a brand new yellow 1966 Mustang convertible. One a Corvette drove up and stopped where I was standing. I went over to talk to the driver and he asked me on a date. I drove his Corvette and that was it; I was hooked! I later asked him if I could to borrow his Corvette and was thrilled when he said yes!
One weekend when my parents were down the Jersey Shore, I took my 1 year old Mustang to a used car lot down the street from our house. I gave them the keys, $5 dollars and signed the title over, which was in my mom’s name. In return, the salesman gave me a very large payment book, and a wave goodbye. I drove off the lot with a 1967 blue/blue/blue 327/300 auto convertible Corvette. Later that day, the phone rang and it was my parents. I told them I sold the car for a Corvette. My dad got on phone and said to stay put, because they were coming home. Right after I hung up, the phone rang again. It was dad, asking what color it was. Once they arrived home my dad said, “OK let’s go for a ride.”
That was my start up with the love affair with Corvettes. One of my Corvettes was stolen while I was at a tv repair store. I watched it go, called the police and explained what happened, giving them the direction it was going, the color and my license plate number. I didn’t get much cooperation from the local police, so I enlisted the help of a friend to go out every night and search. A close call in a particularly seedy area left me shaking in my shoes. I didn’t go out searching after that.
A few days later, a little old woman called my house and asked if it was my car blocking her house. It was, so I went over right away. When I got there, a tow truck was getting ready to lift it up into the air. “NO, no, no,” I cried out. “You can’t lift it like that!” Too late: the hook went right through my fiberglass nose. As I followed the tow truck to the impound lot, I noticed the hood was flying open, so I stopped the tow truck driver. The thieves stole the engine, transmission, etc. I had her put back together after the insurance company said the wanted to total it, but I ended up selling her and bought another one.
This one was a 1966 convertible 350/355 hp. I became the crazy person who would chain her up to pole, lock doors with the alarm on, chain steering wheel to shifter, and had a tilt alarm set so light that if the wind blew it would go off. One night I was at a party when my alarm went off. I ran down steps and tried to push open the door. It didn’t open, so I pushed it again and I was outside. The three guys ran away, alarm still sounding. When I went to turn off the alarm, I felt something warm running down my arm. I had gone right through the glass in the door and didn’t even feel it. I wrapped up my arm in towel went to hospital for stitches. When I asked what it would look like, the doctor said a half moon. I asked, “Like a “C?” He said yes and I said, “OK stitch me up doc.”
“C” for Corvette – so I carry my badge with me. Now I also have a tattoo of the Corvette Cross Flags on my lower back, just to make sure you know what I loved while I was alive.
Of the 3 Corvettes I have owned for a decade each, my best was the 427 L-88 cam, 2 four barrel Holleys on a tunnel ram. 654 HP 66 convertible, red, wider body from air dam, rear spoiler, side ground effects, which were all molded into the body. Next was a 1976 blower 327 530 HP. I currently have a 2009 Special Edition Jake Racing Z06, yellow GT-1 Le Mans. It’s #24 of #38 yellow, 6 speed, Z06 Corvettes made by GM with all its papers to show it a real JAKE racing. She has also appeared in Vette and Vette Vues magazines.
In all, I have owned 25 Corvettes so far and I’m looking for my 26th with more to come. As long as I’m alive and can buy one, I will own a Corvette for the rest of my life. Save the wave - Corvettes forever!