Month: May 2012

Every little kid at some point in his or her life wanted to be an astronaut at one time or another. Only a very few actually end up living out there spacey dreams. Neil Armstrong did just that when he became the first person to step on the moon in July of 1969. Unfortunately, you can’t be the first person on the lunar surface, but you can at least drive his Corvette if you have the winning bid on eBay.

According to the seller, Mr. Armstrong took delivery of his 1967 427/390 Corvette coupe on December 15th, 1966 from Jim Rathman Chevrolet in Jupiter, Florida. Rathman, the noted racer, had struck a deal with NASA to provide Corvettes to the astronauts. Armstrong kept this air conditioned big block for about a year before turning it back in. Since then it was kept by another NASA employee until the current owner acquired it in February of this year of a 30 year courtship. Can you say “flip”?

The car itself hasn’t been on the road since 1981 as evidenced by all the storage dust in the photos. At some point in its life it sported fender flares which have now been removed. The seller states that NOS fenders come with the car. Currently it runs well enough to get it around the garage, but it will need a complete restoration to bring back to its as-new condition. The seller has several new parts to help get you started on your project.

We all know that documentation is critical when it comes to collector cars of any make, not just Corvettes. This car comes with the tank sticker which shows the following options: 427/390 motor, A/C, 4 speed, and Transistor Ignition in addition to tinted and power windows. The car also comes with the original Protect-O-Plate with “N.A. Armstrong” emblazoned on it.

With the current bid closing in on $250,000 (and the reserve not yet met) we wish there was a little more paperwork to go with this car. That’s already a hefty premium over a typical 1967 in need of a full restoration. Hopefully the bidders have more information than we do, especially when you factor in all the cheddar it’s going to take to get this one back to #1 condition.

Get your bids in now as the auction closes on 2:51:51 PDT on May 6th.

Source:
eBay via BringaTrailer.com

Related:
Corvettes and Astronauts Celebrate 50 Years Together
Gus Grissom’s 1967 427 Corvette Sells at Russo & Steele
Corvettes on eBay: The A Team’s 1984 Corvette

 

At the 2012 NCM Bash held last weekend at the National Corvette Museum, GM test driver Jim Mero and engineer Jeff Mosher talked about their last visit to the Nurburgring in 2011 where the 2012 Corvette ZR1 lapped the famous circuit in 7:19.63, beating their previous run in 2008 of 7:26.4 and claiming the unofficial title as the fastest production car on the ‘ring.

Since then, a special factory race-prepped Viper ACR reclaimed the title with a run of 7:12.1. But the ZR1s 7:19.63 lap is one that owners and enthusiasts point to as validation of everything the Corvette is known for.

This seminar was probably the one I enjoyed the most as it provided Corvette owners an in-depth look into all the work and preparation that is required for Mero and the ZR1 to put down a sub-7:20 lap time at the Nurburgring.

Corvette Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter provides the setup for the seminar, giving the background on all the things that the “Track Ratz” do when it comes to engineering the Corvettes. By their own admissions though is one of the most fun things they have the opportunity to do is validating the ZR1 and Z06 at the Nurburgring.

The process that the team prepares for running on track like the Nurburgring is the same as how Corvette Racing may prepare for a long track like Sebring or Le Mans. By segmenting the track into sections and analyzing the data within those key areas of the segment, they can concentrate on determining the best braking spots, where to shift and where to stay on the throttle to achieve the best possible time.

Utilizing all the data collected and running simulations of all the segments, Mosher determined that the Corvette ZR1 is capable of lapping the Nurburgring in 7:16 seconds.

Here’s the one-hour video of the seminar, uncut and unedited, from the National Corvette Museum’s Chevrolet Theater:

Now that you’ve seen all that goes into a record setting Nurburgring lap, click the link to watch the 2011 run of the 2012 Corvette ZR1 on YouTube.com.

Related:
[VIDEO] 2013 Night Race Blue 427 Convertible Corvette Walk Around
[VIDEO] 2012 NCM Bash Seminar – Engineering the Corvette
[VIDEO] 2013 Corvette Friday Walk-Around Seminar at the 2012 NCM Bash
[VIDEO] What’s New For 2013 Corvette Seminar at the 2012 NCM Bash
[PICS] 2013 Arctic White Corvettes on Display at the NCM Bash
MSRP for 2013 427 Convertible Edition Corvette to Start at $75,925
Corvette Museum Bash Notes – Day 1
Callaway Shows Off the 25th Anniversary RPO B2K Corvette
[PICS] First Look at 2013 Corvette Night Race Blue and 60th Anniversary ZR1

 

A Connecticut leader says he is just trying to keep unscrupulous people from taking advantage of a tax break for antique cars.

But legitimate car collectors just see it as a tax increase for them, including Sam Romeo, who owns a 1959 Corvette, a 1972 Mercedes 350SL and a 1983 Chevy Caprice.

Right now, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles caps the annual assessment at $500 for each of the 47,730 cars in a special program for vehicles at least 20 years old. Under state Rep. Jeffrey Berger’s proposal, that assessment would go up to $2,500 and would be limited to vehicles at least 30 years old.

“With the ’83 Chevy, I don’t think it’s worth $2,500,” said Romeo, who called the plan “out of line.”

Berger claims that there is “a lot of fraud” the way the current program is set up. “You have people driving around in a 1992 Toyota Corolla with an antique plate on it,” he said.

But that’s not the way collectors see it. They think it’s an attack on the collector car hobby.

“These cars have been around for a long time and have paid their dues to society,” said Frank “Skeets” Yantorno, who recently purchased a 1947 Plymouth Coupe and lives in Greenwich. “If someone chooses to resurrect them, why should we be penalized for that?”

Wayne Carini’s father was an early advocate for the Early American plate program, which began in 1951 for autos at least 25 years old upon lobbying of groups such as the Model A Restorers Club. He was also one of the first recipients of the special plates.

“People will think twice before they go out and buy a collector car now,” the younger Carini said. “You get the guy who’s just `Joe worker’ who’s worked hard all of his life and he’s finally saved up enough money to buy a collector car, and all of a sudden now the tax is going be (quintupled).”

Source:
GreenwichTime.com

Related:
Australian DMV: Racing Stripes on your Classic Corvette? No Registration for You!
My 1966 Corvette Gets a Valentine Treat: A YOM License Plate
Corvette Vanity License Plates from Corvettes at Carlisle

 

Here is a brief walk around video we shot and posted to YouTube.com in HD as we tried to capture the new blue color on a 2013 427 Convertible Corvette that was on display at the National Corvette Museum’s Bash held in April 2012. Night Race Blue is the new blue exterior color for the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette. It’s very dark but when in direct sunlight, the metallic color really shines.

This is a really difficult color to describe let alone capture on film, but if you have seen the Centennial Editions’ Carbon Flash Metallic in the sun, then you can envision the same effect with Night Race Blue.

Our pictures of Night Race Blue from the 2012 Bash.

Related:
[VIDEO] 2012 NCM Bash Seminar – Engineering the Corvette
[VIDEO] 2013 Corvette Friday Walk-Around Seminar at the 2012 NCM Bash
[VIDEO] What’s New For 2013 Corvette Seminar at the 2012 NCM Bash
[PICS] 2013 Arctic White Corvettes on Display at the NCM Bash
MSRP for 2013 427 Convertible Edition Corvette to Start at $75,925
Corvette Museum Bash Notes – Day 1
Callaway Shows Off the 25th Anniversary RPO B2K Corvette
[PICS] First Look at 2013 Corvette Night Race Blue and 60th Anniversary ZR1

 

Want to get a mini-Corvette fix? Then come on down to the National Corvette Museum on Saturday, May 5 at 9:30 a.m.

Junior Achievement of South Central Kentucky will be holding its annual Mini-Corvette Challenge that day, helping to raise money for JA programs.

Officials with Junior Achievement met Tuesday to finalize plans for the event, which will feature 21 teams racing Corvette go-carts around the parking lot of the museum, competing for the gold cup.

“We match each race team with an area school, and so those kids at the school become the fans for that race team and they come out on race day and then they can also check in on race day and the school that has the most students to sign in receives a $500 cash prize, this compliments of Papa John’s, and a pizza party for the kids who come out that day,” says Heather Rogers, the president of Junior Achievement.

The Mini-Corvette Challenge has raised more than $46,000 since beginning in 1995.

The public can watch for free.

Junior Achievement’s goal is to teach thousands of students about the world of business,, including how to be ready for the workforce and how to become financially literate.

Here’s a very good promo running on WBKO and check out their photos from last year’s Mini Corvette Challenge.

Source:
WBKO.com
Photo Credit: WBKO

Related:
Corvette Museum to Host Junior Achievement Mini Corvette Challenge
Corvette Museum Gets Zoning for Motorsport Park
2012 Corvette Hall of Fame Inductees Announced