Month: May 2012

With Father’s Day just a couple of weeks away, maybe it’s perfect timing for 45-year-old racer Jeff Nowicki to make his debut in front of his own dad at this weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Am Detroit 200 on Belle Isle in Detroit.

“I started racing in 1990 at a local Waterford track. My dad (Ron Nowicki, 70, of West Bloomfield) is excited for me — he’s my best friend and this is the first time he will see me race in a profiled event,” he said.

Nowicki will be behind the wheel of the No. 46 red Corvette for Team MBR (Michael Baughman Racing), sponsored by our friends at George Matick Chevrolet. The race will mark Matick’s debut with Team MBR, and it also will be the dealership’s first motorsports sponsorship

“As we’re moving into the 60th anniversary of the Corvette in 2013, this is a most exciting race,” Matick Chevrolet owner Karl Zimmermann said. “The Corvette is the iconic vehicle for Chevrolet and our entire Matick team can’t wait to race on Saturday. We’re ranked in the top 1 percent nationally of Chevy dealers for new car sales and look to transfer that success to the race track.”

The Detroit 200 is part of a full Grand Prix weekend set for Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3 and will mark yet another debut – the first time the series has raced in Detroit. You can watch it live on Speed from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Nowicki has a long history with Corvette, dating back to the days when his father was an engineer and worked for GM’s design staff. “For years, my dad would take me to the design studio,” he said, “and I was always in awe of the Corvette’s design. The Corvette really is America’s sports car.”

Matick Chevrolet is no stranger to Corvettes, either. The dealership features Michigan’s largest indoor new-car showroom with more than 100 vehicles parked inside, including 20 or more Corvettes on display at any time. Matick is also the exclusive dealer for Callaway Corvettes in Michigan.

“Sponsoring the No. 46 Corvette with Team MRB beats being a sign on the wall … it puts Matick Chevrolet down on the field as a player in the game,” Zimmermann said. “I became involved in racing a Corvette last year. That experience committed me to racing as a means to demonstrate both the incredible capabilities of the Corvette and Matick’s commitment to our ever-growing list of Corvette customers. This is a perfect fit to help strengthen our Corvette program, including our Corvette blog, and give it exposure at a national level.”

Nowicki won his first of three consecutive Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) autocross class championships at age 18 in a race-prepared Camaro before moving up to road racing in 1990, making an impressive debut winning the SSGT Regional Championship two years in a row and setting track records.

He later made his professional racing debut in the International Motor Sport Association’s (IMSA) Firestone Firehawk Series as a co-driver. Nowicki kept driving Corvettes, Camaros and Firebirds in Firehawk, IMSA and SSCA World Challenge events. He placed fourth in his first race at Road America and, in 1992, Nowicki dominated the SCCA IT class and was asked to become a part of the Morrison Motorsports Corvette team at the final 24-hour event in the World Challenge series. In 1993, he won the SCCA IT Championship in a Corvette.

This weekend, Nowicki and his driving partner, Michael Baughman, will drive a 2007 Katech-powered Corvette C6 in the highly competitive GT division. Managed by Baughman, who brings 30 years of motorsports experience, both as an owner and driver, the team has competed in Grand AM since the Series’ inception.

The two drivers will maneuver the #46 Victory Red Corvette around the winding 2.1-mile Belle Isle road course.

Sources:
westbloomfield.patch.com
CorvetteBlog.com

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Investigators with the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Vehicle Theft Unit served a search warrant on Mershon’s World of Cars last week as part of an ongoing investigation that was triggered when one Vehicle Identification Number was linked to two separate 1967 Corvettes.

Police started looking at the Springfield, Ohio classic car dealer after a customer who purchased a 1967 Corvette from Mershons in 1994 found out that his title was canceled.

“It was canceled because of that second purchase with a vehicle with the same VIN on it,” said Lt. Anne Ralston, public information officer for the OSHP. “VIN numbers are unique. They identify that specific vehicle and then there are what are called confidential VIN numbers.”

The confidential VINs are located on different places of the vehicle and car theft investigators use them as a cross reference to determine the validity of a vehicle.

Police investigators examined the second 1967 Corvette and found a second VIN which was linked to a car that was reported stolen in Texas in 1997 and never recovered.

Following the search of Mershons, authorities seized two cars, a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle and 1965 Pontiac GTO. Also taken from the dealership were two VIN plates and six Trim Tags.

Owner Dan Mershon said they took the Chevelle because the vehicle’s motor had no identification number on it and the 65 Pontiac GTO was taken because an identification number underneath the vehicle was not legible. Mershon said that it was common for numbers to be removed when an engine is rebuilt and that it could have happened at any point during the life of the car.

Mershon said he had been in business for three decades and has never had any problems with the law. “Obviously, I don’t sell stolen cars,” he said. In regards to the two seized vehicles, Mershon commented “To be frank, they spent the whole day there with 20 guys. They had to walk away with something.”

Lt. Ralston told the Springfield News-Sun that VIN tampering is one sign a vehicle may be stolen, and authorities look for numbers that don’t match at the various points of VIN location, plates that appear to be lifted or have altered numbers and plates that use different rivets than the manufacturer, she said.

“People do tamper with VINs,” Ralston said. “It’s probably less common than just someone stealing it as part of a crime, maybe they commit a crime and stole a vehicle to get away or a joyride.”

The investigation is ongoing and we’ll update with any new developments.

Source:
Springfield News-Sun via CorvetteForum.com

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Auctions America by RM will be hosting their annual Spring auction in Auburn, Indiana this weekend.

The 3-day sale takes place Friday – Sunday, June 1 – 3 at the sprawling Auburn Auction Park. Last time we counted there were nearly 400 cars up for grabs including over 30 Corvettes. You know the drill, so click past the jump to see our favorites being offered this weekend.

The Corvettes on the Auburn Spring menu are mainly nice driver-quality cars. There are no L88’s, LS6’s, or early fuel injected cars. If you’re looking for a cool ride for the summer like a 365hp 1964 Corvette roadster, this is place to go as prices likely won’t be sky-high like we’re used to seeing on the ultra-high-end collectibles.

If we were in the market here are the one we’d be looking at:

Lot #552 – 1957 Convertible
Powered by the 283CI/245hp dual quad engine, this white / red C1 features a four speed transmission, a black soft top, seat belt, and red wheels with the full wheel covers. It has achieved a NCRS Top Flight award. The auction estimate is $80k – $100k. We think it’ll sell closer to $80k.

Lot #422 – 1987 Convertible
This red/red has the standard L98 backed by the Turbo Hydra-Matic automatic transmission and has travelled just 5,300 miles since new. Amenities include power seats, cruise control, ABS, power locks, and a white convertible top. The original window sticker accompanies the sale. Auctions America thinks it’ll sell between $20,000 and $25,000. That’s pretty heavy for an early C4. We think $15k – $20 will buy it.

Lot #224 – 1978 Coupe with 21 actual miles
Yep, just 21 miles since new and it’s still on the MSO. The unrestored original car has the optional L82 and 4 speed drivetrain in addition to A/C, power steering, brakes, windows, seats and locks. We last saw this car at Mecum’s Indy sale a couple weeks ago where it was a no sale at $24,000. Even with the L82, 4-speed, and ultra-low miles, we don’t think it’ll approach the estimate of $32,000 – $37,000 here. And why are the catalog photos in black and white?

The Spring Auburn auction hosted by Auctions America by RM takes place this weekend at the Auburn Auction Park in Auburn Indiana. Vehicle sales take place Friday, June 1, 11am – 8pm, Saturday, June 2, 10am – 9pm, and Sunday, June 3, 11am – 6pm. If you can’t be there firsthand, you catch every minute via webcast on the Auction America website.

Source:
Auctions America by RM

Related:
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