Hi Everyone,
It's August and the kids will be going back to school soon, so please drive with care. Before I go any further with my report I want to wish Lisa Lafferty our very best and a speedy recovery from the surgery she had. We look forward to seeing her real soon. We miss you, Lisa.
By the time this report is finished we will have had our July 29 meeting at my home. So far I have received some great ideas from members via e-mail. My plan is to get enough ideas to carry us well into the next year.
I hear a few people are making plans to attend the National Corvette Museum's Labor Day weekend. If anyone is interested call Joan and Gary Wollenhaupt or Jon and Pat Gardner. They are making the trip.
Before you know it we will be traveling to Islamorada in the Florida Keys for "Corvettes in Paradise". If you have not made the trip down the turnpike with twenty to thirty CORVETTES, it's a blast! Before the Keys, we will have Octobervettes at Old Town, Oct.12-14.
Homecomings are not far off, so if you can help out please give Shelley Schwartz your name. It's a great way to show your car off and raise money for the Russell Home.
Let's Go For It
Wavin'-2U
Save The Wave
Mr. Dan
- Dan Dragonetti, President
We have 175 members to date. Our newest member is Vince Van Vranken, who owns an 82 Silver Green Coupe. Make sure you introduce yourself when you see him!
Just a note: if you see a guest come into a meeting, please encourage them to sign in and take some time to try and make them feel comfortable. We can be a bit scary to people who don't know us!
I still have some shirts for sale for $12.00. I only have size small. I also have some left over tank tops and some of your long sleeve T-shirts. I have a limited amount of sizes. If you're interested just see me at a meeting.
Well that's all for me. Hope to see all of you out at our events in the next couple of months.
Save The Wave!
Lisa
Hey Corvette people, as club Governor I am naturally interested in every facet of your CFCA Club. After reading our Club's newsletter each month I am reminded of how lucky we are to have such an excellent vehicle for informative distribution of club related items. Last month's issue was no exception, my pride and belief in the Club's future was still well founded. I slowly went through each aspect of the newsletter and then spent a moment reflecting on the sponsor ads that do much to support each issue.
Jon
Now mind you, I am not totally without credentials for such a task. Having been associated with CFCA since 1986, and myself having been the Club's newsletter editor for several years, I know a little about what the gig is like. Additionally, as Governor I have had the chance to see first hand other national entries during various NCCC newsletter competition events. Some clubs have high dollar sponsorships that allow slick paper and color photographs, and there are others that put out quality work much in the same manner that your CFCA newsletter is issued.
Firstly, our newsletter is punctual (very important), expertly packaged, fully supported with articles from each of your club officials and packed with heads-up information on coming events. Generally, each issue has article contributions and support by one or more club members. Articles from our members, no matter how small or large, go a long way in keeping the vitality and interest level of the Club at its peak. Additionally, and without exception, there will be articles about past events that attempt to bring each of you up to speed on the flavor of what's happening out and about and also what other clubs are doing. I wish our National Council "Blue Bars" magazine could be anywhere near as punctual.
I believe that when you see something going on that you like and enjoy, spread the word. I have wanted to do this article for a while, but I easily procrastinate. Each month after reading the latest issue I say to myself "That was good", and I again remind myself of how the newsletter, and the club itself have evolved.
One by one I went through the sponsor ads. What was my experience or knowledge of them? First off, Roger's Corvette Center. From first hand experience I can tell you that Roger and his brother Dave run a first class business and are friends to all Corvette enthusiasts. My business dealings with Roger's have been positive and very professional, and my fun times with Roger have been a blast. Just visit Roger's show room and see the real "Dream Team".
Burke Corvettes, Dewey's Just Vettes and Chris Cruz Artistry. While not having actual first hand experience with these sponsors, all I have to do is ask around the club to find satisfied customers. It seems that most of our club has had work done by this group. On Burke's body and paint work, I know of no finer place to take your Corvette. Go ahead, just ask around the club. You'll see what I mean. Dewey has a great following as well. Just ask Mark Gustetter. Fuel injection for a 59 straight axle, no problem. Dewey does great work and no task is beyond his capability or knowledge of Corvettes. Chris Cruz… Wow. THE place for paint graphics on your pride and joy. Chris' work can be seen all over the state at various car shows. The originality and quality of Chris' work is phenomenal. Just ask Joan and Gary Wollenhaupt about their wonderful experience with Chris' work.
Eric Schwartz Garage Doors. Got a new one at my house. Eric does first class service and installation work and what a difference a new door can make to your home. Give this club member a call. Trust me, the experience will put a fresh look to the front of your house and a smile on your face.
Sonny King's Orange Buick/GMC. Our very own Rudy Rudolph places this ad. Rudy has sold me two Corvettes and two SUVs. How's that for first hand experience. Rudy is very knowledgeable about his product and cares about his customers. Over the years, Rudy has worked tirelessly for the club and has cultivated a very good following of CFCA members.
Classic Chevrolet. Wow do we owe this dealership a round of applause. Classic, in providing us with meeting space is so much appreciated that I can't say thanks enough. I think that Classics is one of the better Chevy and Corvette dealerships in the area. Many of our club members can attest to the professional manner in which they provide both sales and service. Remember, they sell more than just Corvettes and their service center is tops. Just ask Lisa Lafferty about how Scott, their Corvette specialist bends over backwards to help. Again, give them a call.
Willard Appliance. You wouldn't believe how long Gene's father and now Gene has been in business in Orlando selling and servicing appliances. There is a simple reason for a company staying in business for so long. They are good, and give a fair deal. Gene Willard has so many neat cars and stories to tell, and… he can send you home with a beautiful new GE cooking range and refrigerator. Again, give him a call.
Eckler's. Come on; stand up, who hasn't purchased Corvette parts from Eckler's? I don't see anyone standing. Boy, do I have first hand experience with Eckler's. I believe that at one point, CFCA membership had greater, yearly dollar purchases than some of Eckler's Commercial accounts. We know this because they keep track of our purchases as a group. Eckler's has been a friend to CFCA for more years that I can count. In addition, they sponsor several fun activities each year that benefit all Corvette clubs and enthusiasts. The Eckler's staff is always there to help and provide whatever your Corvette needs may be.
Two new advertisements are now supporting your CFCA Review. They are "Corvette, The American Dream" and Century 21. If any of you were lucky enough to be at the St. Augustine "Vettes at the Village" car show, you would have seen the Corvette Owners' TV Guild in action. Perhaps by now some of you have seen some of our club members on "Corvette, The American Dream" on the Sunshine Network. Some of these sequences were shot at the St. Augustine show and along with promotional items, shows America what the Corvette experience is all about. Future shows will do the same. Maybe even at the Key's car show. Log onto their web site; see what its all about and then join up like many of your fellow club members.
Century 21. New members Sue and John White are supporting not only our newsletter, they are supporting the Russell Home by contributing $150 for each buyer or seller referral coming from a CFCA member that results in a sale. Wow, how neat. That's putting money where your mouth is, as the old saying goes. Sue and John are great members. As new to the Club as they are, since joining they have been to just about everything that our Club has done. They are active and looking to get the most enjoyment they can from the Club. I support their business and their future with CFCA.
So, the message is clear. Support our sponsors and your CFCA newsletter editor. Each of them helps and supports us every month.
That's keeping it simple.
Due to the rather lengthy "Legendary Grand Sport" article I submitted, we'll keep this month's Competition Report to a minimum and ask you to defer to the Calendar of Events and web site for upcoming activities. Keep in mind that this is YOUR club! If you have an idea for a future event or activity, please let us know by dropping your idea in the suggestion box at every meeting or email anyone on the Board.
CFCA Points Standings (as of 7/23/2001)…
General Membership:
-Hutch-
CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE
The Legendary Corvette Grand Sport
The story of the Grand Sport is one of those tantalizing what ifs of automobile racing history. Here is the story in a nutshell. Chevrolet had prepared its brand new Corvette Stingray for a fall 1962 introduction. However, GM was no longer producing America's only sportscar any more. The irrepressible Carroll Shelby had announced his Ford powered Cobra would also have a fall intro. Zora Arkus Duntov was intrigued and the Chevrolet team was a tad nervous about being outstaged by a Ford powered product. Corvettes had pretty much ruled the roost in A production sportscar scene and the debut race where the two sports cars would meet was at Riverside Raceway in October 1962. Ouch! Because of their unreliability, the Cobras did not last, but while they were out there, they ran rings around the best Corvettes on the west coast. What to do? The engineering staff at GM were car guys to a person and to say they were distressed was an understatement. Something had to be done. What was done was the Corvette Grand Sport.
Paul Van Valkenburgh in his landmark book, Chevrolet-Racing? Fourteen Years of Raucous Silence describes the process of the creation of the legendary Grand Sport in this fashion," It couldn't be an obvious race car, but a lightweight version of the production version of the production Corvette seemed to be within the letter of the AMA rule." There were to be 100 or 125 lightweight Corvettes built depending on who is telling the story. The engineers started off with a brand new aluminum tube frame, with an integral rollbar. All the additional components were made out of lightweight materials and finished by hand. The body was made far more light and strong with hand laid fiberglass. Everything in the interior was lightened while giving the appearance of being stock. Window lifts were abandoned, the plastic windows being hand lifted or lowered.
When it came to engines, there were many options open. Chevrolet had come up with the famous or infamous - if you are a Ford fan, "Porcupine" 427 engine for stock car racing. This engine was definitely a possibility and Mickey Thompson used the engine in the various Grand Sports he ran. There were iron block engines of various displacements. The Mecom Team used a 377 ci engine with side draft Webers on a ram type manifold to destroy the Shelby team at the Bahamas Speed Weeks Trials in 1964. There were also aluminum blocks of varying displacements used in the car.
However, what Duntov wanted in his heart of hearts was an all aluminum DOHC engine for his lightweight Grand Sport Corvette, as in his sights was a visit to LeMans and to steal some of Ford's thunder. There were three DOHC engines actually assembled, according to Paul Van Valkenburgh, but the first one was not actually put on a
dynamometer until after the GS was cancelled. The engine put out 550 horsepower and Duntov drove around with one of these engines in his personal Corvette for a while. I'll bet he surprised many a street racer with that car.
To make a long story short, there were only five Grand Sports built. They were supposed to be either scrapped or used as test cars. They did find their way into the hands of people who appreciated them, however. Of the five built, three Grand Sports, #003, #004, and #005 were loaned out to "semi-private" entries and the drivers were Roger Penske, A.J.Foyt, Jim Hall, Dr. Dick Thompson (the world's fastest dentist) and Canadian John Cannon.
In January 1964, Zora Duntov had Grand Sports numbers #001 and #002 converted to roadsters in order to prepare them for the Daytona Continental races. You see, engineers had calculated that the cars had to do at least 200 mph on the oval section of the course and the coupe bodies provided too much lift at that speed. There was the danger that the cars could become airborne. By cutting down on the frontal area and eliminating the lifting tendencies of the bodies, the Grand Sports could have done the job. We will never know because the cars were never entered. They were removed to a Chevrolet garage in Warren, Michigan were they were stored.
Now the story of #002 and #003 becomes even more interesting. In 1965, Tony DeLorenzo whose father was a Vice President at GM, wanted an unusual car to take to a car show at Notre Dame where he was a student. Grand Sport #002 was taken out of storage. While all Grand Sports were originally painted white, #002 was painted Cadillac Firemist Blue for the show. #002 is the only Grand Sport to have a body trim tag containing a paint formula.
Roger Penske bought #002 in January of 1966 and sold it to George Wintersteen in April of that year. He fitted it with a Traco built big block of 427 ci and campaigned the car until he sold it in February of 1967 to George Thorne, a competitor who lived in Georgia.
Today, the True Believer in Corvette greatness must be asking, what happened to all those neat Corvette Grand Sports? Well, if you mean all, then think in terms of those mere five Grand Sports produced back in late 1962. The current owners of these cars form an exclusive club.
CONTRIBUTED ARTICLE
Ramblings from the Road
Corvette of the Month. I've received positive feedback to the idea of highlighting member cars in the newsletter, so it looks like this will become a monthly feature. I'll draw at random from our member photos posted on the website, so if your car isn't there yet, better get a photo to our webmasters pronto!
This month, our feature car is Bob and Shelvie Estes' 1992 Callaway Corvette. Bob consented to sending me some background info, so I'll turn the podium over to him:
"We had bought a new Black Rose convertible in 94 and were having a great time with all the road trips etc. We headed to Bowling Green for the 1994 Grand Opening of the National Corvette Museum. On the third morning of the Caravan, we assembled in the parking lot of OpryLand in Nashville.
As we got on the Interstate, the State Police waved frantically getting everyone to "Open" them up and get "Gone" With the top down, we did exactly what he wanted....I was feeling pretty good as the speeds went 90...100...110..., Then we heard something flying by us, still changing gears. Shelvie pointed and said, "I want one of those" It happened to be the Callaway we now have.
Ours is vehicle number 3 (92-003), the only triple black convertible made in 1992 out of a total of only 47 vehicles. Callaway certifies all his vehicles when he finishes...This one is certified 4.2 seconds 0-60...12.4 in a quarter mile...171 top speed...(slower than most others because of rear gears and being a convertible)
The items from Callaway are...Wheels and run flats,3.92 gears, naturally aspirated engine package (430 hp), Aerobody package, and paint. Callaway races Vettes. At high speeds, C4's would want to "lift" so he designed the unique aero package to eliminate the problem. In races it has been stable at speeds of over 250mph. The package also includes a Carbon Fiber nose and tail."
Bob & Shelvie's Callaway was recently a featured segment on the "Corvette The American Dream" TV show and appears on our Members page at: http://www.cfca.net/members_page.htm
CFCA Cares. As our membership grows, we often lose touch with our members that may be ill or otherwise in need. For many of our members, CFCA is a part of their "extended family", and as such, we'd like to "be there" in time of need. At a recent meeting, Dan suggested we have a person to be the focal point for CFCA. I guess we're struggling a bit to come up with an appropriate "title", with suggestions ranging from "sickness and distress" to "warm and fuzzy". Whatever the choice is, I believe the point is that "CFCA Cares" and Patti Hutchinson has graciously volunteered to be our contact. So, if you know of someone who's ill that needs a little cheering up, or someone who's recently experienced a loss in the family, give Patti a call.
Wotta Website! If you haven't visited our website in a while, you really need to take a gander! Busily helping Hutch maintain one of the best Corvette sites on the internet, Joe Stillman, our new webmaster (or "webslave") has been busy enhancing the look of quite a few of our pages. Take a look at our Sponsors, Members, and Classifieds pages. Also, in keeping with some discussion at recent meetings, we're now highlighting CFCA members on the Sponsors and Classifieds pages and in the newsletter with a special new logo.
Vettes at the Village 3. At this time, results of the NCCC Concours are not yet official, pending approval by the Regional Competition Director. For those interested, we'll have the results at an upcoming meeting. Of the 82 NCCC members and 52 cars participating in the NCCC event, CFCA accounted for the largest club turnout with 28 member entries and 18 cars. Great show and thanks to everyone who participated!
Trivia Time, NASCAR fans! Like the drivers and crewmen, the tracks of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series have distinct personalities - and colorful histories. See how many you can identify in the following trivia challenge:
NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM NEWS
To help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Corvette, the National Corvette Museum will have it's third National Corvette Caravan. At this time a final date has not been set pending information from Chevrolet. It is anticipated that the caravan will be the last of June 2003. This will be the event of a lifetime for Corvette enthusiasts! Be sure to keep up to date as plans evolve at http://www.nationalcorvettecaravan.com. There is even a web site devoted to the Florida contingent of the carvan, chaired by Susan Barton. See http://www.floridacorvettecaravan.com.
The NCM now offers a mailing list service to allow you to keep current on NCM events and promotions. Check it out at: http://www.corvettemuseum.com/ncmnet/index.htm
NEW! NCM Members-Only section of the NCM website! It's a special area to introduce members to hot news, Corvette Store specials, event updates, special offers, and Museum information. A members-only mailing list as well as exciting updates will be made available through this special site before it is made available to the general public. To access this site, you must be a current member of the NCM in good standing. For details, see: http://www.corvettemuseum.com/members/
One of the features of the newly redesigned website is information on the recently announced 2002 Corvette and an interview with Sam Winegarden, chief engineer for GM Powertrain's small block team, as he discusses the new 2002 LS6. Be sure to visit and check out: http://www.corvettemuseum.com/specs/2002/index.shtml
Slightly over 20% of CFCA members are also NCM members. Let's raise that percentage in 2001! Become a member!
The National Corvette Museum was built by and continues to grow thanks to its members; members who believe in its mission of preserving the past, present and future of the Corvette.
For more information, please contact the NCM at 800-53-VETTE (800-538-3883). The National Corvette Museum is a nonprofit foundation exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to the National Corvette Museum are tax deductible as provided by law.
Gary
- Gary Wollenhaupt, NCM Ambassador
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