The Moment That Changed Everything

This story first appeared in the August 2023 issue of Vette Vues Magazine – I have been writing stories for Vette Vues since 2011. In 2017, Vette Vues Editor, Bonnie Wolf asked if I would wordsmith stories about readers cars. The owners send me their photos, I Photoshop the images, interview them, and write their stories. The interviews are fun because, after a few minutes, we’re just two Corvette enthusiasts, jaw’n about Corvettes. I always ask, “What was your first Corvette moment?” That moment that separates “before-and-an-after” on all things “Corvette”. Everyone is different, but it usually happens when we are kids.

The special “it” quality of Corvettes is ephemeral and hard to define in a way that “makes sense”. New Corvettes have always been expensive. Some old Corvettes were notoriously undependable. For most people, Corvettes are not comfortable cars. And Corvettes are not terribly “useful” cars.

So, what is it about Corvettes that has captured America and beyond for seventy years now? It’s a spirit of fun and excitement, in motion. For some, the excitement is “driving”. For others, it’s the car’s great looks. And for those with a passion for racing, Corvettes are high testosterone, high adrenaline machines. For many of us, it’s all of the above. Corvettes can be a powerful addiction. (a lot of heads are nodding up and down right now)

So What Was My First Corvette Moment?

When I was ten, my mother took me to the Collingswood New Jersey Library where we lived. What a wonderful place, full of neat science, and military books, full of diagrams, and illustrations. Like most kids, I liked to draw, so I drew, tanks, rocket ships, guns, and maps.

Then someone gave me a stack of car magazines. I didn’t know much about cars, but I began to get familiar with the different brands. My brother Bob is seven years older than me, but his first car wasn’t ever interesting; a 1959 Rambler. But when he got a 1957 Bel Air, even I could see, that was a cool car. Continue reading “My First Corvette Moment” →