Classic Corvettes

...now browsing by category

 

World’s Shortest Bucket List…

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Dave Freeman co-authored 100 Things To Do Before You Die. It’s a best-seller that begged us to live each day like your last, “This life is a short journey. How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth?” He suggested creating a list of 100 things and mark them off one by one.

Personally, my list begins and ends with buying a classic Corvette. Anything else I’d list pales in comparison to the opportunity of Corvette ownership. The friendships, destinations, adventures, and lifelong memories have ensured a long list of 1,000 things I have done; preferably behind the wheel of a classic Corvette. Now that’s heaven!

Two Special Corvettes… that I really like

Friday, September 11th, 2009

A. 1967 Goodwood Green L89 Coupe with its original motor. One of only 16 produced in model year 1967 and one of only three known to have its original motor. Simply known as the Ed Cole Brass Hat COPO “Special Handling” car. This well-known show car is available with original Kelsey bolt-on aluminum wheels from ProTeam’s Personal Reserve Collection at $275,000.00 for a very limited time.

B. 1969 Lemans Blue L88 T-Top with restoration motor, M-22, and 4.56 posi. The owner history reads like the who’s who of the Corvette hobby. This car is available from ProTeam’s Personal Reserve Collection for $225,000.00 for a very limited time and is an absolute steal (gift).

For more information or questions, email terry@proteamcorvette.com.

Celebrity Pick at Carlisle…

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

It was an honor to be asked to be a celebrity judge at the recent Corvettes at Carlisle show and the choice was a hard one considering there were about 3,000 Corvettes to choose from. After walking row after row of mostly C4, C5, and C6′s or restored C1′s, C2′s, and C3′s, I came across an original, unrestored, unmolested black 1963 coupe that was in excellent condition making his decision, finally, easy!!! Congratulations to Jeff and Angela Boldosser for preserving a great original car and sharing it with almost 60,000 attendees at one of North America’s premier Corvette shows.

Monterey Madness…

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

When Bad Data is Good News and $118.7 million is Pretty Good! Five auctions in three days sold 558 classic cars. The average price was $212,711.00 per unit. 67% of the cars crossing the block went home with new owners. However, when compared to 2008, the numbers look a bit scarier, ie: nearly $139 million in sales in ’08, 70% sold, average price was $367,000.00 (+). All told there was a 17% decrease in sales from this year to last. The numbers don’t reflect the real story though. Experts, garage mechanics, and weekend warriors have all been reading the tea leaves for twelve months and they knew what would happen. There were no surprises and some real highlights like the $7.25 million paid for the Shelby Cobra. There was no speculating or nay-sayers just real bids for real cars and this is the real news out of Monterey for the collector car market and the enthusiasts who inhabit the hobby. Email: terry@proteamcorvette.com

Three Special Corvettes… that I really like

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

A) 1963 Sebring Silver Split Window Fuelie with an original GM OEM body, motor, transmission, and rear end in show condition as evidenced by its June 2009 NCRS certificate and judging sheets. Most deducts were related to over restoration (I like that) and operational issues (since fixed). This is an absolute beauty that I know well. ProTeam Corvette stk #1053A

B) 1968 T-Top Pre-Production Pilot Line Car, VIN #15 [escapee]. This probably is the first t-top ever built as the 1968 t-top production was delayed to around VIN #10,000 due to body development/launch problems. This car probably spent the first six months of its life at the Milford Proving Grounds doing body development duty. This is a very important car as the t-top launch in model year 1968 proved so successful that it finally replaced the convertible by 1976. 477,275 t-tops were produced from 1968 to 1982 and this is probably the first t-top ever produced. This Corvette is a gift a $50,000.00 which is subject to change in late August. ProTeam Corvette stk. #203X

C) 1970 LT1 Convertible is a very rare car as only 1,287 were produced with only 30% being the convertible. The combination of being a red convertible and having factory documentation makes this a less than  1 of 50 in the world. ProTeam Corvette stk. #1049A

For more information or questions, email terry@proteamcorvette.com or tmichaelis@charter.net

What Happened To All The Real Car Guys…

Monday, July 13th, 2009

that enjoyed the chase? You know the guys who would never buy a Corvette without looking, inspecting, touching, and test driving a car prior to the purchase. Here’s my personal challenge. Get out from behind the computer screen and personally inspect that Corvette of your dreams with your own eyes and participate physically in “the chase”. It might even be fun and you won’t be disappointed!!!

Would you like to discuss the rise, fall, and rise again of “real car guys”, email me directly at terry@proteamcorvette.com

Personal Reserve Collection Show Results…

Monday, June 29th, 2009

are in for the following NCRS and Bloomington sanctioned shows where ProTeam’s Personal Reserve Collection cars were judged:
June 5/6 NCRS Detroit:
- 1953 Corvette, VIN #39 = Top Flight
- 1953 Corvette, VIN #268 = Top Flight
- 1967 Corvette Convertible Red 435 = Top Flight
- 1968 Corvette Convertible Red/Red L88 = Top Flight
- 1969 Corvette T-Top Black 435 = Second Flight
June 11/13 NCRS Wisconsin Regional:
- 1967 Triple Black 400 hp w/factory air = Top Flight
- 1968 Red/Red L88 = Top Flight
June 25/27 Bloomington Gold Certification:
- 1953 Corvette, VIN #39 = Bloomington Silver certification
- 1953 Corvette, VIN #93 = Bloomington Gold certification
- 1953 Corvette, VIN #268 = Bloomington Silver certification
- 1967 Convertible 435 hp Red/Red = Bloomington Silver certification
- 1968 Convertible L88 Red/Red = Special Collection
- 1969 Convertible L88 Yellow = Special Collection
- 1969 T-Top L88 Green = Bloomington Survivor certified, Bloomington Gold certified, Bloomington Benchmark certified
- 1970 Convertible LT1 Laguna Grey = Bloomington Survivor certified, Bloomington Silver certification
- 1971 convertible LS6 Export = Special Collection
- 1972 Convertible 3,000 miles White = Bloomington Survivor certified, Bloomington Gold certified, Bloomington Benchmark certified
- 1981 T-Top 3,000 miles Beige = Bloomington Survivor certified, Bloomington Gold certified, Bloomington Benchmark certified
These results speak loudly as to the quality of our special  Corvettes and our shop employees who painstakingly prepared them for judging and now we’re off to the NCRS National convention which takes place in San Jose, California on July 12-17, 2009 with three very special Corvettes. See you there!!! Comments and/or questions should be directed to terry@proteamcorvette.com


tMichaelis at work on the judging field Bloomington ’09

Two Mid-Year Corvettes, ie: Bookends

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

The search and purchase of the most desirable mid-year Corvettes ever produced…

Number one would be a 1963 Corvette split window coupe equipped with factory fuel injection (327-360 hp) and a 4 speed transmission.

color: Preferred color would be tuxedo black with a red interior, although I would settle for a black interior. I would make absolutely sure that the trim tag and VIN tag were the original and have not been off the car. I might settle for riverside red but prefer black.

condition: I would want to buy a body-off restored car with few excuses or a low mile survivor that is unrestored, unmolested, in at least number two condition.

awards: I would like a car that has been judged by the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) or Bloomington Gold within the last five years as it adds credibility and helps me sleep better.

price range: I would love to buy the above described tuxedo black examples for $125,000..00 but I am a realist and know that a “real deal” car would more than likely push me to $150,000.00 to $175,000.00.

Number Two would be a 1967 Corvette convertible equipped with a 427-435 hp engine or a 427-400 hp with factory air. I would want a 4 speed transmission with as many options possible. I prefer factory side exhaust but know I can always add (bolt-on) this owner preferred option later.

color: Preferred color would be tuxedo black with a red interior, although I would settle for a black interior. I would absolutely be sure that the trim tag and VIN tag were the original and have not been off the car. I might settle for rally red but prefer black as only 815 Corvettes were painted this color in 1967.

condition: I would want to buy a body-off restored car with few excuses or a low mile survivor that is unrestored, unmolested, in at least number two condition.

awards: I would like a car that has been judged by the NCRS (National Corvette Restorers Society) or Bloomington Gold within the last five years as it adds credibility and helps me sleep better.

documentation: I would want an original motor car or an original unmolested unrestored car where in documentation would not be necessary. If the car was restored with a restoration motor, I would want as much factory/delivery dealer paperwork (documentation) as possible, at least a tank sticker, window sticker, warranty book/protecto-plate, car shipper, or dealer invoice. At least one of these items would be necessary and the document would be subject to scrutiny by Al Grenning’s CCAS for an affirmation of its legitimacy thus reducing the stress of subjectivity and guru options.

price range: I would love to purchase the above described tuxedo black examples for $275,000.00 to $300,000.00 but I am a realist and know that a “real deal” car would move my checkbook closer to $350,000.00 which is still a hard find even in our current lackluster economy. A rally red example would be much less since Chevrolet produced almost three times as many.

The ultimate mid-year bookends! A high performance small block and a big block. One coupe and one convertible… and both black. email your comments to terry@proteamcorvette.com

I May Be Preaching To The Choir…

Monday, May 4th, 2009

But… Corvette’ing is a Great Stress Reliever… and people are still buying Corvettes and will be Corvette’ing this spring, summer, and fall as owning a Corvette goes way beyond the investment/R.O.I. factor… it actually gives one “bragging rights”

It is easy to get caught up in the “bad” news of the day and forget there is life out there and that it is always better in a Corvette.

$170 Million Spent on Collector Cars…

Friday, February 6th, 2009

The love affair is still hot as car collectors spent over $170 million in January 2009 on collector cars at ten public collector car auctions. This all goes against the grain when you listen to the news about the US economy but at least owning a collector car rewards the owner with something tangible that other investments lack. The media pundit’s “doom and gloom” forecast was over shadowed by the car collector’s passion and enthusiasm which shows our hobby’s resiliency and in many cases an opportunity, where as, one may have the chance to buy a rare car today that may not ever present itself to the market again, at least not in the short term.

note: The beautiful weather in Arizona and Florida may have had something to do with the excellent results previously described.

email comment to terry@proteamcorvette.com