Explore the tale of Bob Rapp’s two iconic red Sting Ray and Stingray convertibles — a heartfelt look at his enduring passion for Corvette, the unique stories behind each car and how these classic convertibles became lifelong symbols of style, adventure and automotive devotion.
A modern-day sleeper C7 2017 Corvette Stingray with a spooky alter ego Dateline: 5-27-22 / This story was originally published in the September 2019 issue...
Rene was a happy Corvette owner, enjoying his Corvette convertible in the beautiful Florida climate. There’s nothing quite like top-down motoring in a mostly warm, sunny area. All was well, that is until the C7 Z06 came out. Rene prefers convertibles, so when he learned that the new Z06 was available as a convertible; he just had to have one.
Michael Tran, of Baytown, Texas has been into cars since the age of eighteen. For years Tran bought and fixed up a variety of Hondas and BMWs, but in his heart, he wanted a hot American car; not a Camaro or a Mustang; a Corvette!
After his jewelry business took off, Tran started looking for a C6 to fulfill his very specific plans for his vision of a daily driver, supercar Corvette. But when the C7 came out, Tran knew that was the car he wanted. In 2014 Tran purchased a pre-owned Arctic White 2014 Z51 Corvette with black wheels and just 2,000 miles on the odometer. Since Tran knew exactly what he wanted for his Corvette, upon delivery, the car went directly to the shop for what would become a long journey.
All five Corvette chief engineers contributed mightily and in their own unique ways. But only Tadge Juechter has the distinction of having done hard engineering on five generations of Corvettes. When Juechter went to work in 1993 as chief engineer Dave Hill’s right-hand-man, there were two objectives; keep the then-current C4 fresh and interesting; and design and develop the most revolutionary Corvette to that date, the C5. After Hill’s retirement, Tom Wallace was Vehicle Line Engineer (VLE) and chief engineer for the Corvette. Wallace accessed that because of Juechter’s 15 years of experience, he was the right man for the chief engineer position.
The C8 ZR1 will have an all-electric, all-wheel-drive drivetrain with a combined electric motor power of 1,000-horsepower and 1,000-lb/ft of torque. Electric motors have their full torque starting at 1-rpm; that’s why diesel-electric locomotives are so powerful. Here’s the carbon fiber leap. Remember how we were stunned when the 2006 Z06 was debuted and we learned that the frame was aluminum. Next, all C7 and C8 Corvette have aluminum frames. To safely handle the tremendous leap on power, I predict that the C8 ZR1 will have a carbon fiber chassis. Think about it. We’ll see. Stepping off soapbox…
We all have a story about “the day” a Corvette grabbed your attention and never let go. For Joanne Woodard of Avon Park, Florida, the Corvette contagion occurred in 1986 when a Classic White 1974 350 Corvette stung her. 1974 was a pivotal year for Corvettes, as it was the first year that a Corvette did not have exposed chrome bumpers. This was a big deal because all Detroit cars had to abide by the new front and rear safety crash bumper government regulations. The 1973 Stingray had a soft bumper cover on the front and the 1968-1972 chrome bumpers on the rear. 1974 was the beginning of the chrome-less Corvettes.
When Tadge Juechter’s C7 Corvette debuted, fans were stunned to learn that the base model C7 was built an even better version of the Z06’s aluminum chassis. But wait, there’s more! The same new aluminum chassis would be used for the coupe AND convertible Corvette. This was a major breakthrough and bespeaks of advanced engineering. Here’s how Juechter’s team did it.
Juechter’s objective was to build a modern performance car that delivered enhanced driving experience, more efficiency that yielded more performance. Every element had to contribute to the overall performance and there would be nothing fake. That explains everything that we see on the C7 Corvette, but what’s unseen is even more amazing.
