Project 'Vette

1972 Corvette Stingray - a 454 big block with nice loud Hooker headers & side pipes -yum!

Most people who know me well, know I'm a phlegmy shade of green when it comes to things environmental, and am very interested in electric vehicles and alternative energy, but they also know I've always been a bit of a petrol-head at heart, as well.

I've owned eleven motorcycles, one of which sparked a moderately successful foray into F3 in the late '80s, and a couple of tasty sportscars, including a Mark I Toyota MR2 (not supercharged, alas), and my current beastie, a '96 Nissan Silvia Qs.

I've had the Silvia for nearly four years now,and it still puts a smile on my face every day I drive it. Needless to say, its been breathed on, just a little bit

However, one thing I've secretly always hankered after, is a mean, nasty 'ol Yank V-8 Muscle Car. Totally un-PC, what the hell, you only die once, right! Now in NZ (and more-so in Aussie), you are either a Ford man, or a Holden man (unless you're one of those poor sad characters joining the welcomed resurgence of Mopar Madness, thanks to the the new 300C, but I digress).

I've always been a Holden supporter (R.I.P, Peter Brock - 05 for ever), and in US terms that means GM, and more particularly Chevy!

This trip to the US, coupled with the fortuitous availability of a wee bit of uncommitted capital , provided the ideal catalyst to make this a possibility - not to mention the chance of a kick-ass road trip. But in what car?

My initial thoughts were heading towards a '70 1/2 - '73 Camaro RS, but then I rediscovered Corvettes and then it simply became a matter of 'which one?'. I don't know what sparked my initial liking for 'vettes, but once I started looking into the marque in more detail there was no question in my mind, that a C3 was the way to go.

There are a few reasons for this; the C3 model, produced between 1968 and 1982, is what immediately springs to my mind when someone says Corvette Stingray. The first five years or so of production cover the classic years of the unbridled search for horsepower which characterize the 'Muscle Car' design paradigm, and finally, damn it all, there is no way I could afford a '63 C2 split window coupe anyway.

Also, being a bit contrary by nature, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for fibreglass bodied cars. I almost bought a Reliant Scimitar GTE once, but probably best not to go into that in a family rated forum. Despite the 'vette being a plastic fantastic, risk of rust in the chassis and birdcage are a significant factor in purchasing a 30-plus year old car, so I figured concentrating my search within the southern states would help stack the odds in my favour in this regard.

This factor was a major one in shaping the itinerary for the trip a clockwise loop of the lower 48. The main reason for this is, once I finally got my head around the distances involved, it made a huge amount of sense to do the majority of the 11,000 odd miles by train, and then drive the last third or so back to LA . . . a classic road trip through the south at the start of Autumn. Sounds mighty fine to me. And a good chance of picking up a nice 'vette somewhere between Florida & California.

So, now to find a Very Tidy 1970-1972, manual trans, small block Corvette. Much in all that the high performance LT1 model would be nice with 370hp out of the box in 1971, I think I'll be lucky to find even a good base model (only 300hp LOL) within budget, so I may have to look a bit further into the mid '70s. We shall see.

I've been tracking relevant sales data on e-bay and other places over the last few months, so I think I've got a pretty good handle on the market, and will start hunting in earnest as the convention in Portland draws to a close, and I head south. Let the hunt commence!