Corvette Reunion and Back to the Bricks Wrap Up

The Checkered Flag Falls on the Corvette Reunion & Back to the Bricks Show
By Rick Tavel© All Rights reserved 

While the largest one day automotive event in the country was taking place on Woodward Avenue in the suburbs of Detroit, an equally impressive event was taking place sixty miles to the north in Flint, Michigan, a city rich in automotive history.  The spectacular Back to the Bricks car show and the Corvette Reunion welcomed a huge throng of automobile enthusiasts, including Mark Reuss, President of General Motors of North America.  Reuss was one of the featured speakers at the unveiling of a bronze statue honoring William “Billy” Durant, founder of General Motors.  Durant’s statue will join David Buick and Louis Chevrolet on the brick plaza of downtown Flint.  Most of downtown Flint was closed to accommodate the thousands of cars and crowd of spectators, estimated at over a half million, along the streets of the historic city.

Back to the Bricks Event kicks off in Flint, AKA Vehicle City

Cars of every type began lining the downtown streets at 6 AM, Saturday morning, August 17^th  to be a part of  9^th Annual Back to the Bricks car show and the 4^th Annual Corvette Reunion.  There were several thousand cars and trucks being shown, including classic, muscle, restomod, sports and race cars and if you are an automobile enthusiast there was plenty to keep you occupied.  Even the world famous drag racing team “The Ramchargers” were there with some of their vintage drag mopars.  The show has become so large that it is difficult to see all the cars in a full day.  

Al Hatch Founder of Bricks Event

Durant Statue

 One of the outstanding features of the Back to the Bricks show is the thousands of dollars it raises to fund statues of automotive pioneers to help revitalize the downtown of Flint.  The Bricks is a non-profit organization that over its nine years has raised money to fund four bronze statues.  The kick off of this year’s event was to unveil the statue of William Durant, the latest addition to Flint’s plaza.  The opening ceremonies got underway with a “fly over” by vintage “Hellcat” planes which were powered by Buick engines made in Flint.  Following the flag raising and national anthem several speakers gave brief presentations about the Bricks event and how important it has been to the rebirth of the downtown.  Mark Reuss, GM president and an acclaimed “car guy”, was one of the speakers at the unveiling and pledged GM’s continued support for the historic city and birthplace of the corporation.


Reuss President of GM NA

Just a few weeks before General Motors acquired the historic building which housed the Dort-Durant Carriage Company on Water Street, a building which has become known as “Factory 1”.   Reuss, acknowledged by many to be instrumental in getting the business back into the hands of car enthusiasts, said the final plans for the historic building were still being developed but implied one of the options was to house several of GM’s historic Buick and GMC vehicles which they currently do not have room to display on a continuous basis. 

One of the favorite parts of the Bricks event is the Corvette Reunion which drew in excess of 600 Corvettes from all parts of the US and Canada.  Appropriately, the Corvette Reunion takes place in the birthplace of the Corvette; Flint is where the first Corvettes were produced.  Corvettes of every generation were represented from outstanding restorations to wild customs and restomods.  The chairman of the event since its inception four years ago is Gary Drago, well-known, life-long Corvette enthusiast.   With the help of the Flint Corvette clubs, Drago and the committee have grown and organized this event into one of, if not the largest all-Corvette event in Michigan; an impressive accomplishment in light of the hundreds of Corvettes that come from all over the world to cruise the legendary Woodward strip just sixty miles south the very same day.  Both the Corvette Reunion committee and the Back to the Bricks committee impressively organized this huge event so there was few traffic back-ups which has been a complaint of pat events.  There was plenty of parking for both those showing their cars and spectators.

A few of the Vettes on display at the Corvette Reunion

The Corvette Reunion, though a part of the Back to the Bricks show, is actually a separate event organized and managed within the larger car show.  As a result there are some differences between the larger Bricks car show and the Corvette Reunion.  Though there is no charge to simply show your car in either the Bricks or Reunion, however, in the Corvette show you can register and pay a fee to have your car judged in a competition.  Awards are given in various categories from “Best in Show” to  “Farthest Traveled” the trophies are mounted on Bricks commemorating the historic brick paved Saginaw Street, the main street in downtown Flint which is now historically protected. 

The  Corvette Reunion requires several streets in the downtown to be able to accommodate  all the Corvettes that travel from as far away as California to be a part of the event.  The National Corvette Museum is also on hand offering merchandise and information on the museum. Each year the event has grown by approximately a hundred Corvettes and this year was no exception.

Anthony Bowling's "Personalized" Corvette

One of the hallmarks of the Reunion is the broad spectrum of Corvettes being displayed from award winning classic Corvettes to customized cars.  The show has one of the largest assortment of “personalized” Corvettes in any show.  Flint’s “TrendSetta Corvette Club” has an impressive representation of some of the finest “personalized” Corvettes that can be found anywhere.  According to Anthony Bowling, president of the club and a co founder of the event,  the outstanding “personalized” cars from his club have been invited to display their cars all over the country.  The former president of the Rainbow Corvette Club, Bowling is also the founder of the appropriately named, Trendsetta Corvette Club.   From the impressive workmanship and design in several of the club member’s cars, they are truly a trendsetting club.   Anthony’s white Corvette with Lambo doors is an outstanding representation of the cars in the club.

Steve Stone's 500,000+ mile 1963 Stingray

 As most of you know, Corvettes at Carlisle takes place this weekend and the Corvette on the center stage will be Steve Stone’s 1963 triple black convertible one of the participants in this year’s Reunion.  Just one of the things that sets Steve’s car apart is the over a half million miles he has put on the car since taking delivery of the car on February 27, 1963, four months after he ordered it,  when he was just eighteen years old.  The car has had four engine rebuilds/replacements, four replacement front end clips, due to accidents, and the interior has been redone twice.  He added the side pipes and disc brakes in the 70’s and had the frame restored in the 80’s.  The car has traveled all of the lower 48 states and 9 Canadian provinces and on long excursions he and his wife tow a small 5X8 utility trailer behind the packed sports car. 

Packing light is a requirement his wife has mastered especially  for their once a year trip to the Boundary Waters, which means they take a 22-foot canoe along as well.  Though he has owned the car its entire life he did put the car up for sale when he was drafted back in 1965.  He thought he was going to end up in Viet Nam so he wanted to make sure that if anything happened to him he would not leave his parents stuck paying off the loan on the car which they had cosigned.  However, the planets must have been aligned because he could not find a buyer, did not go to Nam and took that as an omen to keep the car.   Now he said he’d never part with the car and couldn’t picture driving anything else.  While showing me his picture and document album of the car, he expressed his feelings towards the well used Corvette, “I won’t take anything for it, not even if I were offered a new C7.”

Karyciak's Duntov Award Winning 1962

 Like other Corvette events, owners are more than willing to share their stories about their cars if asked.  What makes this event different is the vast quantity of Corvettes and great stories.  Like the beautiful 1956 and 1957 Corvettes owned by the Campbells, father and son.  Or like Jerry and Janet Karyciak’s story about their NCRS Duntov Award winning 1962 Corvette.  Jerry bought the 1962 convertible in 1978 when he was 18 years old.  When he found the car it was hardly original.  Among other things the car did not have the original engine in it since the seller said it was cheaper to put in a

The Campbell's 1956 and 1957 Corvettes

 

 

replacement engine than repair the original. But luckily the seller still had the original engine and sold it to Jerry along with the car.  That began Jerry’s fourteen year quest to find the correct factory parts for the car.  Finally after compiling the correct parts he was able to start his restoration in 1992 which lasted for three years.  Now Jerry drives the car everywhere and said the only time it has ever been on a trailer was on a trip to California where he received the Duntov Award.  He recently drove the C1 to Hampton, Virginia, for the NCRS convention.  The beautiful Honduras Maroon coupe is an exemplary example of the last year of a first generation car.

Jaclowski 1966 Sunfire Yellow barnfind

It’s always exciting to hear a story about a “barn find,” especially a Corvette.  Bruce Jackowski found his 1966 Sunfire Yellow convertible in a barn in Michigan in 2006.  He is the fourth owner of the car which was delivered to the dealer in January 1966.  Bruce discovered the car in a barn where it had been sitting for over fifteen years.  To get the car running Bruce had to rebuild most of the mechanicals, drop the tank and clean it and replace several hoses and lines.  He was surprised when he discovered in the same barn hidden from sight the original hard top for the car.  When delivered originally the car had been painted Trophy Blue but had been repainted Sunfire Yellow several years before it had been parked in the barn.  Bruce decided to keep the Sunfire Yellow paint as found, which is still in good condition.

Larry Courtney's Corvette Central Sponsored C5

 Even Larry Courtney, organizer of the recently completed Corvettes On Woodward event which drew over 500 Corvettes on Wednesday August 14, found time in his busy schedule to take part in the Reunion.  Larry, Michigan captain of the National Corvette Museum’s National Parade,  was hard at it pitching information on the 2014 Corvette tour.

 Throughout the event there was plenty of music and food available.  Both the Bricks and Corvette Reunion shows ended at 6 PM but the action continued into the evening with parties and a 50’s themed sock hop.

 If you are a Corvette owner, overall it was a great week to be in Michigan.  From Larry Courtney’s Corvettes on Woodward, to weeknights along Woodward Avenue, to the Back to the Bricks – Corvette Reunion show there was never a lack of things to do.  From all indications the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Back to the Bricks and the Corvette Reunion had larger turn outs of participants and spectators, were better organized and with more activities than ever before.  The only recommendation I would have for you aside from being in Michigan next year for these events is to get plenty of rest the week before because from the moment the green flag drops on the Sunday before the Saturday event it becomes a fun-filled Corvette endurance event.

 

 

                                                     

First Shots Corvettes on Woodward

First Shots Corvettes on Woodward

By Rick Tavel© All Rights Reserved  All photos from the author

 

Over 500 Corvettes Parade down Woodward Avenue as part of the Corvettes on Woodward Event 8-14    Photo Editor

 

I wanted to bring you the first photos of the outstanding Corvette events taking place in and around Detroit and Flint, Michigan, this week.  Along with the world famous Woodward Dream Cruise which unofficially has already ,Corvettes on Woodward, Back to the Bricks, and the Corvette Reunion will all take place over the next four days. 

 

Corvettes on Woodward Two or three abreast five miles long   Photo - Editor

 

 

Just some of the 500+ Corvettes getting ready to cruise down historic Woodward Avenue   Photo - Editor

Larry Courtney  Founder and Head of C O W

 Though officially the Woodward Dream Cruise does not start until Saturday, hot cars of all types have been cruising Woodward each evening since last Saturday to continually growing crowds of spectators.  Even Tuesday night’s temperatures which plummeted into the 50’s could not keep the crowds from lining the eight lane highway to watch the cars cruise by.  Wednesday morning Corvettes on Woodward kicked off with a tour of General Motors’ Heritage Center at 10AM then in the afternoon hundreds of Corvettes converged on the Bloomfield Hills Radisson Hotel to get ready for the 7 PM all-Corvette five mile parade down Woodward Avenue. 

Larry Courtney, organizer of the event, stages this event each year to benefit the Open Hands Food Pantry, which relies heavily on the generosity of Corvette owners participating in the event. It has grown into a premier Corvette gathering over the last few years attracting hundreds of Corvettes from as far away as Sweden. 



Just a small section of the staging area for the Corvette parade down Woodward     Photo - Editor

The large parking lot behind the Radisson Hotel in Bloomfield Hills began filling up shortly after noon on Wednesday with Corvettes of all generations.  Only one C7 made it to the event due to a GM edict from the legal department that prohibited any manufacturer plated car (which most of the C7 in and around Detroit are) from participating in any car show or cruise.  The "premise" is that these plates are issued for the purpose of testing new cars and as such are not to be used in cruises.  It's disappointing that GM is missing such a great opportunity to show off their newest new cars by letting the legal eagles get in the way of selling and promoting car sales!  However during the cruise I did spot three C7s without the manufacturer plates, a Lime Rock Green, a Velocity Yellow, and an Arctic White. 

Jan & Dean autographed dash

There were several interesting Corvettes from perfectly restored NCRS Bloomington Gold award winners, classic survivors, custom and restomodded cars to cars with interesting stories.  One of the most interesting activities of any Corvette show is to see how owners have modified their cars to suit their individual tastes and preferences.  It has long been my theory that one of the things that has made Harley Davidson so successful is the huge array of custom accessories that can be added to the bike.  Virtually no two Harley's are the same after a year or two because the owner has personalized it.   And many ways it's the

Jan & Dean tribute Stingray

same with Corvettes and their owners.  From a small accessory to wheels, exhausts, air intakes to a complete customization the owners are usually more than willing to tell you about their cars.   One of those was the C2 tribute to Jan and Dean's Deadman's Curve record.  Jan and Dean autographed the glove compartment of the car whose interior featured a chrome skull shift knob with red ruby eyes.

 

 At 5:30 PM I counted 480 cars in the lot and in the hour and a half left until start,

the event ultimately drew more than 500 Corvettes.  At 7 PM all 500+  Corvettes began the fifteen mile parade down Woodward Avenue two abreast.  Because the parade was not escorted through the stop lights the line of Corvettes got separated at spots due to the heavy cruising traffic on the eight lane highway.  The parade was over five miles long and literally crawled its way to the Open Hands Food Bank at 11 Mile and Woodward.   Woodward was so crowded, between 15 Mile Road and 12 Mile Roads traffic virtually inched along in front of thousands of spectators lining the historic avenue that was once the epicenter of street racing in the 1950’s and 60’s.   The audience lining the side of Woodward taunted the drivers to do burnouts which are illegal and subject to being issued a ticket, but several cruisers accommodated them with revving engines.  The aroma of racing gas permeated the area much to the pleasure of most gearheads.   All things considered Larry Courtney’s event was a good time and the food and cash donations raised for the food bank will feed thousands in upcoming months.

Corvettes Staged and Ready to Roll  Photo - Editor

So if you can’t be there to join in the festivities at least you can enjoy the pictures.  Stay tuned for updates on the Woodward Dream Cruise, the Back to the Bricks Event and the Corvette Reunion, all taking place the next few days.  The Revenant will be covering them all for my readers and to borrow one of Chevrolet’s old advertising themes from 1969, “Putting You First, Keeps Us First.”




Larry Courtney's car sponsored by Matick Chevrolet and Corvette Central has traveled the United States extensively participating in Corvette events.  The car dressed in the American flag is a familiar site in and around Michigan.  Courtney is the Michigan state chairman for the National Corvette Museum's 2014 National Corvette Caravan.  Larry and his wife Verna are outstanding ambassadors for the Corvette hobby and have been responsible for raising thousands of dollars for various charities.


Last Saturday Larry was instrumental in helping put on the America's Corvette Club all Corvette Show and in June he organized the Corvette event at the
GM Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit.

Don't ask me what it is but it is the only non Corvette roaming around the paddock area.  It drew a lot of attention being such a strange vehicle among the classic Corvettes.  One guy said it was the support vehicle for his Corvette!!!  Kind of looks like a carnival ride on steroids with a kick butt engine!

 

Corvette Reunion & Corvettes on Woodward – A Week of All Things Corvette

 

The Only Place to be August 14 -17
By Rick Tavel©July 29, 2013


Corvette Reunion will attract 600+ Corvettes from all over the country

One of the largest automotive events in the country is getting ready to kick off with almost a full week of pre events ranging from daily cruises and tours, a night at a drive-in movie reminiscent of the 50’s, to evenings of fun and partying with DJs and live music.  Then on Saturday, August 17^th, over 600,000 car lovers will converge on one of the largest car shows in the country where thousands of cars will be on display in Michigan’s “vehicle city”.  You may not realize we are not talking about Detroit and the world famous Woodward Dream Cruise,  though that event runs during the same period.  We are talking about the Back to the Bricks/Corvette Reunion in Flint, Michigan.   With the city’s approval most of downtown Flint’s streets are closed to normal automobile traffic to accommodate the thousands of cars on display and the event attendees.  

The Corvette Reunion is the largest all Corvette event in Michigan and one of the largest in the country

 

This is the Corvette Reunion’s 4^th year, which officially kicks off on Friday evening August 16, with a meet and greet and opening party at the Brick Street Bar & Grill.  The Reunion takes place simultaneously with the Back to the Bricks event and is technically an “event within an event”, utilizing Saturday’s Back to the Bricks car show as a platform for the Reunion’s own show, which will draw close to a thousand Corvettes from all over the country.  The event is so large that the National Corvette Museum located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will also be on hand at the show.  Though the Corvette Reunion is technically its own event, it has become one of the largest and favorite parts of the Back to the Bricks show taking up several entire streets in the “Vehicle City’s” downtown.

The Corvette Reunion has grown exponentially the last four years and has required significantly more street space each year from the Back to the Bricks committee which controls the allocation of street space for clubs and groups that wish to park together during the event.  There is no charge to display your car during Saturday’s Back to the Bricks show.   Individual show cars can be parked on a “first come” basis on any street not assigned to a car club or large group and as expected entrants vie for the best available spot, often lining up late Friday night to be among the first cars allowed access early Saturday morning.  However, if a large group or club wish to park together they must contact the Back to the Bricks committee in advance to be assigned sufficient street space, usually a portion of one of the side streets.  To be allocated space the club must guarantee enough members cars show up to fill the assigned spots.  This requires considerable advance planning  by the Back to the Bricks committee and also guarantees an adequate portion of a street can be held for the club and at the same time insures prime spots are available for the individual who wants to show their car. 

Club membership is not a requirement to participate in the Corvette Reunion and is open to all Corvette owners free of charge.  To display your car all that is necessary is for you to show up and use the proper designated “Corvette only” entrance located at 5^th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The gate opens at 6 AM.   However, this year to help offset the rising costs, which in the past have been covered by Flint’s four Corvette clubs and are now approaching $10,000 for the events, awards and trophies, those Corvette owners who want their cars to be eligible for competitive judging and awards there will be charged a $20 fee. However, it’s totally free to be a part of the Reunion and enjoy showing off your car with almost a thousand other Corvette lovers. 

Corvette Reunion takes up most of MLK Boulevard and several side streets

 

The Corvette Reunion has become the largest Corvette event in the state over the last four years under the leadership of Gary Drago, owner of Drago Corvettes, a well respected Corvette service and accessory business and Anthony Bowling, president of Trend Settas Corvette Club.  As early as 2006 Drago, not affiliated with any one club at the time and owner of a business that serviced all of the clubs, made an effort to get the Flint clubs to band together for the Back to the Bricks event and show all Corvettes, regardless of club affiliation, as one group.  Initially his proposal met with skepticism and resistance, mainly a result of club “politics” and the fear of compromising an individual club’s identity and also a result of the space he had been allocated from the “Bricks” committee was in some club’s opinion far from “prime”.  But each year Gary gained more and more support from members of the various Flint clubs who could see the benefits of his proposal.  Then Anthony Bowling, President of Trend Settas Corvette Club, supported the idea of having all Corvettes parked together.  Bowling’s plan was to create a Corvette event within the “Back to the Bricks” show and call it “Bring the Vettes back home,” in honor of the birthplace of the Corvette.  Bowling’s idea apparently resonated with the other Corvette clubs and appeared to be the spark necessary to support Drago’s idea of parking together band together for the event and fours ago the Corvette Reunion was officially organized. Drago became the Reunion’s chairperson with members from all four Flint clubs on the Reunion committee.

 The Back to the Bricks organizers were astounded when over two hundred Corvettes showed up the first time most of the clubs parked together in 2009.  The turnout was so large it required Gary and Anthony to negotiate for more street space for 2010 which officially became known as the Corvette Reunion.  Because the first event was so successful, Drago and Bowling not only requested more space for the following year but they asked for “better” space as well.  The first year of the official Corvette Reunion  saw over 300 Corvettes at the event and by 2012 the number rose to over 500 Corvettes.

Corvettes On Woodward - Getting ready to start the ten mile cruise down Woodward Avenue

Drago predicts that 2013 will top 700 Corvettes and if the weather holds may be light, especially if Larry Courtney and a large number from his Corvettes on Woodward event decide to join in.  Seventy miles south of Flint in the suburbs of Detroit, like last year Larry will be organizing Corvettes on Woodward which attracts five hundred Corvettes and is one of the most important and exciting “all Corvette” events in the country.  Larry Courtney is a well known and respected Corvette enthusiast and organizer of several Corvette shows and events.  He is the Michigan captain of the NCM 2014 National Corvette Caravan.  Corvettes on Woodward benefits the Open Hands Food Pantry and kicks off on Wednesday, August 14, with a tour of GM’s Heritage Center followed by a meet and greet at the Radisson Hotel in Bloomfield Hills.  Then at 7 PM over 500 Corvettes from as far away as Sweden will exit the hotel parking lot and begin their almost ten mile caravan down legendary Woodward Avenue to the Open Hands Food Bank.  The cost to join in is to own a Corvette and donate some food or money to the food bank.  The next day you can tour the exciting Lingenfelter Collection in Brighton, Michigan, and then in the evening get together at Hooters in Troy, Michigan.  Friday is filled with a tour of Katech Performance in Clinton, Michigan and requires advance reservations.

Corvette Coral at Corvettes on Woodward

 That leaves the 500 Corvettes free on Saturday to take part in the Woodward Dream Cruise or head north and be a part of the Corvette Reunion.  If you want to be surrounded by other Corvettes there really is no choice but to drive to Flint.  And if you’re set on the Dream Cruise you can do the Corvette Reunion early and be back on Woodward in plenty of time to be a part of the Dream Cruise Saturday evening.  You can get all the details on Corvettes on Woodward right here on the Corvette Forum in the “Great Lakes” Regional forum. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/great-lakes/3308134-corvettes-on-woodward-update.html

 So if you are into Corvettes there is only one place to be the third week in August to surround yourself with other Corvettes and Corvette owners.  Start in Bloomfield, Michigan with Corvettes on Woodward and the exciting events and activities Larry Courtney has planned and then Friday afternoon set your sights on Flint so you are there to be a part of the Corvette Reunion.     http://corvettereunionatbacktothebricks.com/

I'll be posting pictures of both events so check back!  Better still would be to see you there!