Corvette Excitement at the Concours d’Elegance of America

 Corvette Excitement at the Concours d’Elegance of America

By Rick Tavel © July 29, 2013

 It appeared that the 2013 Concours d'Elegance of America at St. John's was going to be rained out on Sunday when Saturday’s storms prevented much of the event set up.   Though rain was forecast, after only a brief shower the 374 exhibitors rushed to get their cars displayed on the beautiful but wet fairways of the golf course.  Though the temperatures were unusually cool, the rain held off except for a short sprinkle around noon and the wet weather didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the car owners or the 10,000 enthusiasts who braved the threatening skies and to view some of the finest cars in the country.  

Award winning C.J. Titterrington's impeccable Z06

 Of course as expected, the category that created some of the most interest and crowds was the 50^th Anniversary of the 1963 Corvette category featuring historic 1963 C2 race Z06’s and completely stock Corvettes.  Throughout the event the Z06’s were surrounded by enthusiasts who wanted to get a close up look at some of the historic race cars which took on the legendary Shelby Cobras which had started to dominate the race tracks in 1963.   Three of the  four “big tank” cars on display were racecars and one was a stock “tanker” that had no race history.



Titterington (left) with mentor & Z06 expert Franz Estereicher

 One of the historic Z06 racecars, C.J.Titterington’s impeccable black Z06, took home one of two ribbons awarded to 1963 Corvettes.  Titterington’s impeccable restoration was the only one of the racing Corvettes to receive an award at the show. (see article on Corvette Blogger July 24  “The Epic Journey of C.J. Titterington and His Z06”  http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2013/07/24/the-epic-journey-of-c-j-titterington-and-his-1963-corvette-z06/ ) His car, originally raced by Alvin Forsyth during the early 1960’s, drew high praise for the documented, historically accurate, extensive, and lengthy restoration.  The restoration was supported by a five inch binder of historic documentation, photos, and racing records on the car.  Titterington did the restoration himself with the help of a few friends and under the guidance of his mentor, Franz Estereicher, the world’s most knowledgeable authority on C2 racing Z06’s.  During the restoration Titterington made contact with many key individuals who played a part in the history of the Corvette including Al Forsyth’s wife, now in her 80’s and also a racer of a 1958 “fuelie”.  In addition he had the original mechanic and crew chief for Forsyth’s car, Steve Shiner, in the 1960’s, now almost 80, go over the engine and install an exact duplicate of the special cam that he installed a half century before. Many important facts concerning the car were gotten from Laura Forsyth and Steve Shiner during long hours of conversations.  In addition Dan Ferri, the second owner of the car and also a competent road racer, offered input on the race history of the car.  It was this attention to detail throughout the restoration that resulted in a world class restoration.

Michaelis' Z06 originally raced by Dick Lang

Right next to Titterington’s Z06 was Terry Michaelis’ Z06, originally raced by Alan Lang, having just returned from Hampton, Virginia, and the NCRS convention where it was honored with the exceptional “Heritage Award” which Michaelis proudly had displayed on the front seat of his beautiful Corvette. (See article in Corvette Blogger July 18 Historic 1963 Corvette Invited,,,http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2013/07/18/historic-1963-corvette-z06-race-car-invited-to-the-concours-delegance-of-america/)  Michaelis is nationally known for owning, restoring and selling some of the most historically significant Corvettes in the country.   Nabers Brothers of Houston did the exceptional restoration of the award winning car at a cost of over $200,000.  In June the car won Best in Class, First Place, and Special Display awards at the 34^th Annual Ault Park Concours in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Michael Owen's 1963 Split Window Coupe

 Besides Titterington’s Z06, the only other 1963 Corvette to win an award was an completely stock, Saddle Tan 1963 split window coupe which had just undergone an extensive restoration by Master Works Automotive Services in Madison Heights, Michigan, and owned by Michael Owen of Florida.  The car was in pristine condition appearing as it would have sitting on the dealer’s showroom floor.  Owen’s car has been shown nationally and has been awarded eight NCRS Top Flight awards along with the NCRS Duntov Mark of Excellence award and has also achieved Bloomington Gold.

 Sadly, the winner of the Best in Show was not a Corvette.  That honor went to a magnificent 1931 Duesenberg Model J Tourster Derham, owned by Joseph & Margie Cassini, III. The European Best of Show winner was a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Boat tail Speedster owned by Roger Willbanks.  However had an award been given for the category of cars creating the most excitement, the “50^th Anniversary of the 1963 Corvette” would have easily won.

Best of Show Winners

 

 

                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Epic Journey of C.J. Titterington and His 1963 Z06

 

 

The Epic Journey of C.J. Titterington and His 1963 Z06

By Rick Tavel© All rights reserved

 We all have heard numerous fascinating stories about the history, performance and build specifications of found then often restored Corvettes over the last several years.  “Barn find” cars of all types are always special and it seems that Terry Michaelis’ Pro Team Corvette has had more than his share of interesting barn-find Corvettes, finding two 1963 Z06’s with race histories within the same year.   After selling the first barn find, Michaelis began an impeccable restoration on his second race Z06 discovery, the car originally campaigned by Dick Lang in the early 60’s.   This 1963 Corvette Z06 was found in a barn less than twenty miles from Dick Lang’s original Chevrolet dealership, and today, following Michaelis’ impeccable restoration, at a cost of over $200,000, it is now being shown and winning concours throughout the country.  But perhaps an equally, if not more interesting story is the story of C.J. Titterington’s 1963 Z06 race car which will be displayed along side of Terry Michaelis’ Z06  at the upcoming Concours d’Elegance of America in Michigan. 

 The fact that Titterington’s Z06 is not a “barn find” in no way diminishes the interesting story of the car and its builder, a story that begins in February 1963 and continues with its extensive race history through Titterington’s purchase of the “used up” race car in 1976 and his long, often painstaking restoration of the car.  The other part of this story is the fact that CJ has ended up with a historically significant, concours quality 1963 race Z06 that he personally built and restored over the years, a piece at a time.  It is a story about the hundreds, if not thousands of hours Titterington, with some help from his three sons, CJ Jr., Jesse, and Justin, and some friends put in to the restoration.  It’s about the detailed fabrication of missing or unobtainable parts by CJ, an ironworker by trade, to exact GM design specs. It’s about the extensive research and contacts made along the way, unearthing the history and specifications of the car.  It’s about following the recommendations and guidance of one of the most knowledgeable experts on racing Z06’s in the world, Franz Estereicher. It’s a story about keeping your eye on the prize and a commitment to excellence.  It is the stuff dreams are made of and it refutes the belief that cars like CJ’s are out of reach for the common man.  What it is not is a story about having hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay someone else to do a world class restoration. Simply it’s a story about a man and his car, his vision, his plan, and his commitment to make the car live again.

CJ Titterington's 1963 Z06 As raced by Alvin Forsyth

 To begin the story we have no choice but to start when the car was born.  And in 1963 for Corvette it was the beginning of more than Titterington’s Z06.  It was the beginning of an entire new generation of Corvette and it was introduced to a more than enthusiastic audience. The new C2 was actually introduced in the fall of 1962 and racers throughout the country couldn’t wait to get their hands on the new faster C2, especially in light of the Shelby Cobra’s anticipated introduction.    Titterington’s car was built in late February of 1963 for Alvin Forsyth, shortly after the announcement of GM’s ban on racing, and was delivered to Clark Chevrolet, in Homestead, Pennsylvania.  Alvin Forsyth took over Clark Chevrolet, a dealership in which his father was the majority stockholder, a few months later and changed the name to Forsyth Chevrolet.  Al Forsyth had been racing Corvettes successfully throughout the east since the late 1950’s. 

 Along with the new Corvette came the hopes that Corvette would continue to be able to dominate the race tracks throughout the country even with the threat of the much publicized “new gun” in town, the now legendary Shelby Cobra.  The first showdown between the new C2 and the Cobra took place in Riverside, California, on October 13, 1962.  Chevrolet, also aware of the threat the Cobra posed, offered the first four Corvette Z06’s to well known racers, Dave MacDonald, Bob Bondurant, Jerry Grant and Doug Hooper in hopes of continuing their dominance on the track.   In September, Chevrolet delivered a preproduction pilotline Z06 via air freight to Mickey Thompson in California for initial testing before the October Riverside race.  This is the car that Doug Hooper drove during the race.  The other three drivers flew into St. Louis two weeks before the race and drove them back to California. The race was getting national attention especially due to the

Riverside October 1962 Race

showdown between the Corvette and Cobra and the engineers of the two heavyweight contenders were not going to miss the battle.  Zora Arkus-Duntov and Carrol Shelby were both on hand to offer their guidance to the teams.  The Corvette driven by Dave MacDonald and the Shelby Cobra driven by Billy Krause battled for the lead most of the race until the Cobra could no longer continue due to rear suspension problems.  This left the lead solely to MacDonald who was way out in front of the rest of the cars until he had to retire, shredding a tire on the rear and damaging the suspension too badly to continue.  Doug Hooper in the Mickey Thompson sponsored car went on to win the race. 

 The Corvette victory was great news for Chevrolet and the Corvette. Word of the victory spread quickly across the country and racers rushed to order their Z06’s.  But production problems in the fall of 1962 prevented all but the first specially assigned fifteen cars being delivered before January of 1963 even though several were ordered almost immediately after the Riverside race.   And so it was with the Z06 Alvin Forsyth ordered to race on the tracks in the east.  This car was built and delivered in late February.  It was ordered and delivered in Tuxedo Black with the black interior, a rare choice for the race equipped 1963 Z06.  It was the Z06 with the big 36 gallon gas tank and radio delete.  Weather conditions in the Northeast prevented Forsyth from ordering the car with the heater/defrost delete option. 

Al Forsyth on the Track 1963

 Alvin Forsyth raced the car until 1969 with some success.  He had several podium finishes in local races and in the top ten in most of the regional races he finished.  He finished third in the 1964 Watkins Glen 500.  His wife Laura was also involved in Alvin’s racing and she also raced a 1958 Corvette “fuelie”.  In 1969 the car was sold to Dan Farri who also continued to race the car until he sold it to Titterington in 1976. 

 CJ was only 19 years old when he scraped together enough money to buy the car.  He had a C1 Corvette that he had purchased from his sister and to help raise the money for the Z06 he sold the car back to her.  Keep in mind that in 1976 the car was considered to be nothing more than an old beat up Corvette, but CJ knew otherwise.  He was a “car guy” and knew a lot about performance cars.  He worked at a gas station while he was in high school and worked on cars, including his 1957 Chevy that was eventually sold and exported to Europe.  He had been reading automobile magazines since childhood and knew what the Z06 was.  Other than that, he knew very little about his car.   But when he purchased the car from Farri, CJ had no intention of racing the car and wanted to restore the car to be street legal.  At that point it was a lofty goal.

#81 Al Forsyth Z06 in 1963

When he got the car it had only a stripped down race interior.  There were tie downs welded on the frame and no bumpers on the car. So to get the car “streetable” CJ began restoring the car which required him finding and installing a complete interior and bumpers.  He searched locally to find the needed parts from a wrecked car and found an interior from a wrecked 1963 for a couple hundred dollars.  In addition, he removed the roll bar and then removed the tie downs from the frame, which required him to do some frame restoration. Of course all of this was done in stages as the money for the parts became available.  But after almost four years he had gotten the car “streetable” and restored to the point he was invited to show the car at a judged Corvette show in 1980.

 Even though the National Corvette Restorers Society was formed in the mid 1970’s still very few enthusiasts knew much about the specifications of the early race Corvettes from that period.  Even the “experts” knew very little of the history, importance and exact build details of the early Z06’s.  Used Corvette racecars had little value or significance except to a very small group of enthusiasts.  CJ relates a story of his experience at the Corvette show in 1980.  There were well known judges at the show and when they began crawling all around CJ’s Z06 they seemed more and more perplexed.  CJ wondered what was bothering them.  Finally one of the “expert judges” asked Titterington “what that big thing behind the seats” was.  CJ realized the so called “experts” had no idea that it was the “big tank”, the “tanker” option for which collectors pay a huge premium today.  

 About a year after that show, in 1981 something else happened that offers some insight into just how perceptive C.J. Titterington was from a car enthusiast’s perspective, he bought a second project car, an original 289 Shelby Cobra.  The car was apart and in pieces but it was all there.  Titterington realized that the prices on these cars were continuing to escalate and he knew that if he did not purchase one at that time that he would be priced out of the market very soon.  So like he did with the Z06 he scraped together the money to buy the Cobra much to the dismay of his father who couldn’t understand why his son would pay the price of a car in pieces. He still owns the car today and is in the process of restoring the Cobra to the same standards as he has his Corvette Z06. 

 Early in the 1990’s CJ decided to re-do his original work on the Z06.  Though his car looked good CJ had decided to do a more accurate restoration since parts availability had improved since his the work he had done initially.  Then shortly after he began the “second restoration” of the Z06, he got married and most of the work on the Z06 and Cobra was put on “indefinite hold”.  Much of his free time was spent working on his house and during the next decade more of his time was taken being a father to his three sons, which left little or no time for the restorations.  So what he originally thought was a brief hold on the cars early in the 1990’s turned into the cars sitting, mostly untouched, for almost fifteen years in an unheated garage.

 But over the fifteen years Titterington never stopped thinking about bringing the Z06 and Cobra back to life with a complete restoration.  Finally as his sons got older he had more time to concentrate on his cars and by 2005 he was ready to begin a completely fresh restoration on the Z06 and to continue to chip away at the Shelby Cobra. At this point Titterington decided to do a complete body off restoration on the car. But even though CJ knew he was going to do a thorough restoration, he had not yet considered bringing the car back exactly to the way it was delivered and first raced. He still was considering using authentic but not necessarily Z06 parts.

 Rebuilding the engine was one of the first things Titterington tackled.  He knew the engine should be rebuilt and he was also aware that doing it when the body was off the car and the engine out was the time to complete it.   In addition no matter which way he intended to take the restoration he knew the engine would need to be done regardless.  So the engine was completed early in 2005.  The restoration proceeded slowly over the next few years, a result of budgetary and time constrictions, but whenever he got the chance to buy some original parts for the car he did, sometimes parts that did not come on his car originally.  His three sons offered to help him when they could and he got a few hours each week from one of his friends, Dave Ley, who tackled the body and paint work on the car.

 It was during this phase that CJ acquired an authentic Corvette Grand Sport hood and a set of two bar knock off wheels and planned to use the parts on his restoration, even though they never had been original to the Z06. But again during this restoration he had not decided to restore the car to exact original race specifications.

 During the ongoing work, he continued to research the history of his car and made contact with Alvin Forsyth’s widow, Laura.  After several phone conversations with her, she invited him to her home to show him pictures, memorabilia and reminisce about Alvin, the races, their 1958 “fuelie” and 1963 Z06, and other racers and teams.  CJ learned much from those conversations including the names of many of the original component suppliers.  In several of the photos Laura shared with him, CJ noticed the same man working on the Z06.  He asked her who he was and she told him it was, Steve Shiner, the original mechanic and crew chief on Alvin Forsyth’s Z06 .  She explained that Shiner had worked at the Forsyth Chevrolet dealership and was the mechanic who did all the work on the car.  In addition Shiner would accompany the car to the races and also act as crew chief.

 When Titterington returned from his meeting with Laura Forsyth, he immediately began trying to find out if Shiner was still alive and if so to make contact with him.  He began calling every “Shiner” in all of the phone books around Metro Pittsburgh until, by chance, he found a relative of Shiner’s who put him in contact with the mechanic who was now well into his 70’s.  After a few conversations about the car,  CJ found out that the mechanic continued to do a little work in his back yard shop even though he had to use a walker to get around.  Since he had already had the engine in the Z06 rebuilt, CJ asked Shiner if he would consider rebuilding the engine for his 289 Shelby Cobra.  Shiner agreed and CJ assisted him.  During the several hours of the rebuild Shiner would relate stories about Forsyth, the races and several well known racers of the time.  Shiner also told Titterington that he had worked his “magic” on the fuel injection system of the car and that Forsyth had wanted a special camshaft installed in the Z06.  Having gotten to know David Crower, owner and founder of Crower Cams, Shiner called him and explained exactly what they were looking for.  Crower specially ground a unique cam for Forsyth’s Corvette.  CJ was disappointed knowing that somewhere during the car’s past the Crower cam was replaced.

 Even though Titterington devoted almost all of his free time to the restoration process, working mostly by himself except for the one evening a week when his friend would come and assist him, the restoration moved slowly.  After two years the body was still off the frame and though CJ had learned a lot about the car from Laura Forsyth and Steve Shiner he began to think more about the direction the restoration was headed. 

 During his research Titterington had learned that Forsyth ordered the car with the “radio delete” option, so he began his search for an accurate original “radio delete” dash.   Then in 2007 while Titterington was at Corvettes at Carlisle, hunting an accurate “radio delete” dash for his Z06,  he was introduced to someone that would change the course of the CJ’s  Z06’s future and the entire focus of the restoration.  He met Franz Estereicher. 

 Estereicher is recognized as the foremost authority on racing Z06’s in the world and though he tries to keep a low profile anyone who owns a C2 Z06 or who has studied these cars recognizes the fact that there is no one with as much knowledge about these cars.  Estereicher has assembled perhaps the most thorough library about the Z06 and other racing C2s and includes, drawings, specifications, production records, historic documents and photos.  He has an extensive library of reference documents, articles, company communications and photos. Estereicher knows the provenance of every known Z06 and knows exactly the way each of these cars left the factory and where they went.  In addition, he owns one of the first Z06’s produced (Vin 30837S100809), owned by Mickey Thompson and raced by Bill Krause.  In addition he owns another extremely rare 1962 Corvette raced by Tom Swindell.

 Estereicher knew about the existence of Forsyth’s Z06 but its whereabouts over the last few decades was unknown.  So when the vendor at the legendary Corvettes at Carlisle mentioned that one of his customers was searching for a radio delete dash for his Z06, Franz’s interest was peaked.  When Estereicher met Titterington he asked him if he was the owner of a black Z06?  And when Titterington told him he was, he asked him if it was the #81 Z06 raced by Alvin Forsyth.  CJ replied that he had been the owner of the car for almost thirty years. Franz was ecstatic to have discovered the missing Z06’s whereabouts.  They immediately began talking and it didn’t take CJ long to understand that he was not talking to just another Corvette enthusiast, he was talking to someone who knew more about racing Corvettes than anyone he had ever spoken with.  Subsequently he discovered there was virtually nothing Estereicher didn’t know about the 1963 Corvette Z06.  After several conversations with Franz, including an meeting at Estereicher’s home which went well into the early morning hours, centered on the car, its history and the restoration he currently had in progress, CJ was convinced that the only proper way to restore his car was to bring it back to exactly the way it was when it began its racing life.  He realized that in order to do this he’d have to make changes to the “second restoration” he had begun. The Grand Sport hood could not be used and the two bar knockoff wheels had no place on the car.  Estereicher knew exactly how CJ’s car was delivered, he had reverse engineered the original Corvette design documents to the date CJ’s car was manufactured and he also not only knew but could document the history of the car.  Under Franz Estereicher’s guidance a detailed restoration plan was decided on and begun. 

 During the process Estereicher was more than willing to help him.  He shared his reverse engineered diagrams and specification drawings so CJ could insure that the exact parts used in the restoration were date correct.  Though CJ had restored the frame prior to meeting Franz, afterwards he realized that the paint used was a gloss and, not being the factory specification, would have to be changed to conform.  Whenever CJ need advice on a specific part he would speak to Franz before he proceeded to insure the information he had was correct.  From early on CJ was quick to tell anyone that Franz was and continues to be his mentor.

Now with the final restoration plan in place, CJ realized that the engine, though already rebuilt, had been sitting too long and decided to have the engine freshened while it was removed from the car.  He also realized that to be 100% accurate he should have that Crower cam that Steve Shiner, the original mechanic and crew chief for Forsyth’s Z06, told him about.  So he asked Shiner if he could locate a duplicate.  Though it was a long shot, Shiner contacted Crower and unbelievably they had saved the exact specs for the specially ground cam they had done in 1963 and they reground an exact duplicate.  Shiner, the mechanic that had installed the first cam almost fifty years before, installed the exact duplicate in the rebuilt Z06 engine.  While he was at it, the aging mechanic also performed his “magic” on the fuel injection system, exactly as he had done for Forsyth.

 Other details of the car had been uncovered as well and Titterington was committed to restoring the car to exact specifications.  On the original car large holes were cut into the rear Plexiglas® window for air extraction and to help reduce the heat inside the car during long endurance races.  Titterington had the original workmen reproduce exact reproduction rear windows. 

 It is that type of detail which has characterized the restoration of CJ’s car over the last five years.  CJ credits several people for the way the car has evolved. Obviously first and foremost is Franz Estereicher who has guided CJ’s final restoration on the historic Z06.   He is particularly appreciative to his friend Dave Ley, who consistently gave up evenings over the years for the restoration of the fiberglass body and the paint work.  Anyone who has ever tried to restore a black fiberglass car knows the difficulty of getting it right and Ley has done an exceptional job.

 What Titterington has set out to achieve has evolved over his thirty seven year ownership from making his car “streetable”, through a “second restoration” and then finally to an award-winning outstanding restoration resulting in highly coveted invitations to concours and historic events.  CJ has just begun to show what he has accomplished and his car will compete with the finest examples of Chevrolet’s legendary 1963 Z06’s in the upcoming Concours d’Elegance of America on July 28 in Plymouth, Michigan.  One can only wonder when nineteen year old C.J. Titterington bought the “used up” race car in 1976 if he had the slightest idea that he and the car would one day be the focus of thousands of automobile enthusiasts at some of the most prestigious events in the county.

 

 

                                                         

 

 

My Generation

The High Price of “Living the Dream” - Le Mans 2013
By Rick Tavel© 6-24-13  All rights reserved.  Do not duplicate without permission

 Like many Corvette “true believers” I watched the 24 Hours of Le Mans with hopeful anticipation that the Corvette team would somehow be able to add victory number eight to their impressive twenty first century record of class wins at the legendary race.  It would have been an impressive and fitting end for the final Le Mans appearance of the C6-R, next year the racing version of the new C7 will take its place.  It was the first race in the last several years where the Corvette racing team was not the favorite going into Saturday’s race, arguably the most grueling endurance event for sports cars in the world.  The two car Compuware C6R team qualified seventh and eighth in the GT Pro (GTE) class, behind the dominant  two Aston Martin Vantages, Porsche’s two new 911 RSRs and two Ferrari 458 Italias and just ahead of the new SRT Viper GTS.

 However, in what proved to be one of the most challenging and tragic Le Mans event in years, the Corvettes were prevented from adding an eighth Le Mans victory.  Not only was the new competition a factor but the weather made the race one of the most challenging in recent times. 

Sadly the GTE pole winning #95 Aston Martin driven by Allan Simonsen left the slippery track at the infamous Tertre Rouge resulting in a devastating wreck that took Simonsen’s life and cast a pall over the event.  Thankfully all six members of the Corvette team survived the grueling 24 hours without incident due to their almost faultless driving.  It was evident that the Corvette team’s sheer persistence, experience and skill paid off in their impressive finishing positions, even though the Aston Martins, Porsches and Ferraris were clearly faster. The #73 C6-R driven by Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, and Jordan Taylor consistently improved their position moving from seventh to a just off the podium fourth place finish.  And the #74 C6-R driven by Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner, and Richard Westbrook improved their position two spots and finished seventh. 

 Prior to the race Corvette Racing Team Manager Doug Fehan admitted that this year the Corvettes were searching for more power to be able to compete with the newer, faster cars.  And almost prophetically, it was the factory Porsche cars that finished first (#92)and second (#91) in class followed by the #97 Aston Martin.  Afterwards Fehan praised the driving abilities of the six Corvette drivers.  But perhaps it was veteran driver Tommy Milner who said it best, “I’m really proud of all the guys at Corvette Racing – both the crews and everyone involved.  To perform in conditions like these shows how strong the team is.”

 And as Corvette aficionados we should all be proud of the six members of the Corvette racing team, proud of what they accomplished not only at Le Mans but of all the time they have spent behind the wheel of the Corvette testing and refining the car’s performance.  For every hour they put in during an actual race event they spend countless more hours testing and tuning the car so that it performs up to expectations.  And there have been no GT cars that have been more successful than the C5-R and the C6-R.

 As avid Corvette fans I’m sure that we have all had the thought one time or another of how lucky the Corvette drivers are to be able to “live the dream,” be able to spend countless hours racing our favorite cars, to be able to experience the thrill of victory in a world famous race, to have legions of fans and admirers, and to be sponsored by a factory team.  For those of us who have raced you know how important and what a full factory sponsorship means to a driver, knowing that you can take calculated risks, often necessary to win, knowing that if it doesn’t pay off the damages will not come out of your pocket.   And every race driver knows that to win a major race requires risk, pushing the limits of the car and yourself.  We can look at the Corvette racing team and think how fortunate they are to be able to be behind the wheel of a successful race car like the Corvette and have a full factory sponsorship.  And they are fortunate, they will tell you that themselves.   But what they won’t tell you is the countless hours they spend testing, the thousands of hours of practice and hundreds of races to get where they are.  They won’t tell you about the important times they have had to give up with their families, birthdays and anniversaries missed,  times when they should have been with a family member during an illness or had to miss a child’s special event at school because they had to be in the car racing or testing.  They won’t tell you about the agonizing hours of concern and worry their spouses and partners endure each time they get behind the wheel of the race car or the strain it puts on a marriage.  Those are just some of the hidden prices of “living the dream.”

 As fans we should remember the courage it takes to get behind the wheel of a car as powerful as the Corvette C6-R and race it against others at speeds over 200 MPH.  It is something that successful drivers are almost oblivious to because once they start thinking about the dangers they face every second, once they let fear enter their thoughts their performance will suffer.  It takes more than a little courage to race cars at the speeds required to win, even though they may not be conscious of it, but to do it in the rain takes a special kind of courage, rain like the miserable weather the drivers had to experience at this year’s Le Mans.  Tommy Milner said, “I’ve never been part of a Le Mans that had conditions as difficult as this. They changed on every lap and on every corner.”  Then of course in addition to the rain there was the reduced visibility and the dismal, dreary pall that engulfed the track throughout much of the 24 hours.  Then add the reduced visibility of night.  Oliver Gavin called it out, “You had to wing it and take a big gamble sometimes.”  It takes a lot of courage to “live the dream” when that dream is driving for the Corvette racing team.

 

And they do it because they love it, they love the competition, the wheel to wheel battling with another car, they do it because they love to win.   And of course they do it for us, their fans, despite the risks to their families and themselves.  The love of what they do is their consolation and the justification for risking it all.  But this year at Le Mans the driver of the GT poll sitter, Aston Martin Vantage, Allan Simonsen, paid the ultimate price when his car hit a barrier at the Tertre Rouge.  An experienced 34 year old driver, he had raced at Le Mans seven times and raced in hundreds of other races all over the world.  From Denmark, he had acquired the title of “The Great Dane” to Australians where he frequently raced.   Respected throughout the racing world, his social media biography simply stated, “professional racing driver, living the dream”.  He had driven that same turn countless times over the years but on the fourth lap, in the rain he became the first driver to lose his liin a Le Mans endurance race since Jo Gartner in 1986.

 

Though the design and safety of race cars has improved dramatically over the last few decades, as fans we frequently forget just how dangerous racing can be.  Though with the safety of the moncoque  frame , the Hans device, improved fabrication materials, safety equipment and the improved crash barriers surrounding modern race tracks serious injury and loss of life has been drastically reduced, but the risk and the danger is ever present.   It’s things that we, as fans of the sport don’t like to think about.  We’d rather think about the thrill of watching our favorite driver expertly hitting the apex at the Tetre Rouge corner and getting on the gas, passing another car down the long Mulsanne Straight at over 200 MPH.  And rightfully so, that is what it is all about, that is what keeps us coming back.  But every so often we should think about what our Corvette drivers, and all race car drivers, are putting on the line when they get behind the wheel.  We should remember what they and their families are sacrificing.  Allan Simonsen will no longer be able to cuddle up to his wife on a cold night or see his baby daughter grow up .  We should remember as fans just how much it costs to “live the dream”.

My Generation FIRST READ

My Generation

First Read
By Rick Tavel© 6-7-2013

 It happened just the other day.  I was browsing one of my favorite automobile image sites,

Omnibus of Speed (http://omnibusofspeed.tumblr.com/) and there it was, something I had not seen in over fifty years, a picture of the cover of the first book I had ever read (excluding of course the Dick and Jane books that our school class was forced to read together), Henry Gregor Felsen’s Hot Rod.  Felsen wrote several novels centered around the growing interest in hot rodding  and the car culture in  the 1950’s. 

Though his books may not be considered to be the great American novel, sorta 50’s pulp fiction for teens, it would be interesting to know just how many young boys’ imaginations and love of books Felsen’s books inspired.   Felsen was able to portray a young boy’s coming of age centered around the culture of hot rodding, car clubs and the teenager’s special relationship for his car.  In fact, it was Felsen’s ability to accurately depict this which earned him the title of, “the granddaddy of the street rod”.

 Felsen wrote over sixty books on various subjects as a novelist, getting his start as a freelance journalist while in the Marine Corps, stationed in the Pacific.  While serving in the Marines he also edited the Marine Corps magazine Leathernecks.  He lived most of his life in Iowa and taught part time at Drake University.   During his long career as a writer Felsen’s most success came from the series of books centered around hot rods, speed, and car clubs.  His most successful novel Hot Rod, first published in 1950, was followed by Street Rod, in 1953, Crash Club, in 1958.  Rag Top and Road Rocket were also part of the series.   Combined, his hot rod novels sold over eight million copies. 

 

Today Felsen still has a following from several of those who were lucky enough to discover his novels before they were old enough to get their drivers license. A first edition Hot Rod sells for several hundred dollars and most all of his hardback hot rod novels are considered rare.  In fact  there is a hot rod car show tribute to Felsen on September 22 in West Des Moines, Iowa. http://www.henrygregorfelsentribute.org/

Though Henry Gregor Felsen my not be considered to be in the same category as Hemingway or Salinger, millions of young readers can thank him for the hours of exciting reading he provided before video games and the internet, often under the bedcovers with a flashlight after their parents ordered “lights out”. 

 

My Generation

My Little Fixed Roof Coupe

by Rick Tavel© 5-22-13 All Rights Reserved

 

If you are like most other enthusiasts you have owned or still own that one special car that you enjoy above all others, a car for which you have developed a special relationship.  And often times that car is neither the best performer, most valuable, the rarest, nor the most significant car you have owned.  Often times it may, in fact, be the antithesis of those attributes nevertheless it doesn’t change your feelings towards the car.  It is not unusual to feel this way about a car, not like the guy on “Boston Legal” that fell in love with his alarm clock.  No, it is more like the feelings the Beach Boys had for their “Little Deuce Coupe”.    Now that I am firmly ensconced in my sixth decade and having owned more cars than the years I have racked up a few of just such cars come to mind.   One of those is my little Fixed Roof Coupe, a 2000 metallic pewter Corvette.

To many Corvette enthusiasts that may seem an unlikely choice, especially when compared to a the other more potent and more valuable Corvettes I have owned over the years.  I have had faster and more optioned Corvettes.  I have purchased most of my Corvettes brand new and have been the sole caretaker of those beloved cars, but none of those cars hold my complete attention and excite me like the unpretentious 2000 FRC,  purchased used from a collector’s estate with less than 15,000 miles on the odometer.  It currently shares our Arizona winter home’s garage with a Daytona Sunset Orange metallic C6 which I bought new the first year the C6 was introduced in 2005.  In addition I subsequently also added a new blade silver Grand Sport convertible.  So the thirteen year old C5 had some very competent siblings.  And these were not the only cars in the collection, only the newer, more powerful, fully optioned and technically superior Corvettes with which the hard top had to compete. 

 

Those of you who know the history of the fifth generation Corvette or have read James Schefter’s informative book All Corvettes Are Red about the very difficult endeavor of designing and building a replacement for the aged C4 at a time when GM was in an upheaval and economic crisis, may recall the debate about building a stripped-down, entry level car referred to by some as the “Billy Bob,” know today as the Fixed Roof Coupe.   Schefter’s book touches on this controversy but does not go into great detail about it, staying more focused on getting the C5 coupe to market.   In short there has always been a debate within GM whether to build a stripped down, “decontented” and lower priced model of the Corvette to help entice younger buyers or those that could not afford the “pricey” sports car.   Once it was decided to build the “fixed roof coupe” officially designated the hardtop within GM, there was a great deal of speculation and heated debates about just what the FRC would actually be.  There were two camps among the enthusiasts and also within GM who each held their own very specific ideas of what the FRC would be and what its purpose would be. The marketing group very clearly wanted a

decontented Corvette with less performance that would help boost sales from a considerably lower entry level price point.  Engineering disagreed and wanted the FRC to be a performance model, a street legal race car, that would take advantage of the new model’s lighter weight and stiffer chassis.  That faction was headed by Dave Hill, then Corvette’s chief engineer. The marketing group, opposing Hill’s performance model, was led by Brand Manager Dick Almond, who saw a stripped down, lower priced, Corvette as a way to capture those buyers who lusted for but couldn’t afford the ever rising price of America’s only real sports car.  Both sides had valid points to make. 

As the development program for the C4 replacement got underway, Jim Perkins, then Chevrolet’s General Manager, advocated a lower priced Corvette he referred to as a “Billy Bob.”   There is an exciting story about the ensuing battle up until 6 months before its introduction over what the car would actually be.  In fact the Chevrolet dealer’s ordering guide released in the spring of 1998, just a half year prior to the car hitting the dealerships, actually was based on the Billy-Bob version of the car with an automatic transmission, base suspension, limited engine speed and a minimal list of options.  The ordering guide quickly had to be recalled and revised when Dave Hill and his team won the battle for the FRC to be a performance model - not the Billy-Bob that had almost made it to production.  In fact when the final version of the car was unveiled you could not order the car with an automatic transmission or a base suspension, all FRCs were 6 speed manuals with the Z51 performance suspension.   The only options available on the car was a power driver’s seat and the sound system, the other Corvette options were left to coupe and convertible buyers.   Today we know for two years it was the predecessor to the acclaimed Z06 which debuted to an enthusiastic public in 2001.  The Z06 then became the only Corvette hardtop designation within GM.  

And maybe its controversial inception is just one of the reasons that the FRC has endeared itself.  It is unassuming and yet extremely competent.  Put aside the controversial opinions when it was introduced about  the “too fat” rear,  it was the best performing Corvette in the model line-up, the result of the stiffer chassis (over 10% stiffer than the coupe) and lighter weight (90 lbs to 110 lbs) due to the lack of the coupe’s heavy rear hatch glass, roof panels and other luxury options.  When introduced the Corvette brand manager said, “We’ve tailored the hardtop to appeal to those buyers who are primarily interested in performance.”  Despite the outstanding design and engineering that went into the hard top, many of those who had not experienced the car considered it no more than  a Corvette stepchild and assumed it to be the cheap, economy Corvette even though it cost only a few hundred less than the Coupe and could outperform it.  But after the little hardtop earned its stripes on the track the former “Billy-Bob” model became respectfully known as the “Hardtop for Hardcores.”

Moving on to the design and engineering it is interesting to note that the 1999 Chevrolet Corvette convertible was voted to be the best engineered car of the 20^th century by the Society of Automotive Engineers a model that shared almost all of its desgn and engineering with the hardtop.  The performance and quality improvements the C5 made to the problem plagued C4 are huge and owning both models I can attest to that fact.  The C5 is virtually rattle free and leak-proof, notorious problems that plagued most C4’s.  The interior design, access, egress and comfort is much improved over the C4.  The redesigned chassis, utilizing an inventive backbone design, eliminated the high door sills which almost required any older Corvette owner with hip issues to be hoisted in and out of the cockpit.  Analog instruments returned, succumbing to pressure from Corvette owners, ending the hated “video game” electronic dash of the C4. 

 The most controversial  issue of some vocal Corvette enthusiasts in the design of all C5 models was that they considered the derrière of the car was too large, referring to the car as “ass heavy.”  But regardless of design preferences the wider rear of the car allowed the use of larger tires which was a critical component in the outstanding handling of the Corvette.  Most of those criticisms have faded over time in favor of praising the overall smooth, flowing, even sensuous body lines.  But in many enthusiasts’ opinion the C5 is the most beautifully designed Corvette in history and some consider the Fixed Roof Coupe and Z06 models to be the most beautiful of the entire generation.  John Cafaro and his design team, led by Dan Magda, created a timeless, classic and at the same time modern exciting body that continues to garner accolades a quarter century after the original design was penned.

My 2005 Daytona Sunset Orange Coupe

But despite the great design, quality and performance of my little Fixed Roof Coupe, I am constantly reminded by my other C6’s that they are clearly “better” cars, at least in every quantitative measurement.  It is something my son, “the engineer”, lectures me on and I appreciate him taking the time trying to educate me about all the mathematical and performance theory as to why my preference for the C5 is clearly a sign of “old age.”  And even though he is really a car guy first and an engineer second, he does understand the subjective allure of a particular car.  He understands the importance of the way a car “feels” and concedes even though he still prefers the C6 and C7.  And it isn’t that I don’t love the my C6s and realize just how outstanding they truly are.  I know that the C5 would get its ass kicked by a competent driver in a C6 every time.  It is just that to me the little FRC is like a pair of fifteen year old Levi’s or a pair of broken in Birkenstock sandals – comfortable, and in my sixth decade comfort is important.

When I turn the key in the C5 and my aftermarket Borla® exhaust bellows and burbles there is no better sound.  Literally I never have turned on the radio in the car other than when the car was purchased to see that it worked.  Once that was determined it has remained silent.  Though Pink Floyd, Metallica, and even REM is nice to listen to, it just doesn’t compare to the  symphony of sounds the “outdated” LS1 makes.  And maybe it’s just my imagination but it seems to me the road feel communicated through the leather steering wheel, which feels like it was custom made for my hands,  is the perfect balance.  The often maligned leather seats seem like it was molded for aging ass and I can get in and out of the driver’s seat without having an engine hoist lower me in or hoist me out of the cockpit like I do in the C4.  And even after all these years the inside of the car smells like leather, not like the evaporating PVC molecules (or whatever the stuff is) in my C6.  By the way whatever happened to the smell of a new leather interior – I am interested to find out if the new C7’s upgraded interior has been able to rediscover the smell of real leather.  I hope so, even if it is “canned”.

In the performance category the C5’s 345 HP LS1 coupled with the lighter weight of the FRC offers me a good balance of performance and handling.  It offers me a spirited driving experience and is plenty fast for the public roads.  If I were going to race the car I would want more power and better handling of the C6, but I gave up my SCCA pro license years ago so I won’t be doing any competitive track events in the foreseeable future.   So my other C6’s and their even improved suspension and power may never be put to the ultimate test, at least not by me. I’m content to watch my son on the track these days.  The car handles the turny-twisties country roads like on rails – and yes the C6’s are even better but at this stage in my life the C5 can handle everything I can in good judgment throw at it.

Quantitative analysis and statistics aside, simply we are a good match.   If not a match made in heaven, then a match made in John Cafaro’s and Dave Hill’s design studio, deep in the bowels of the GM’s Warren, Michigan tech center and on the assembly line during the second week of November of 1999 in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  When I am driving my little Fixed Roof Coupe  every one of my senses (other than taste) are “maxed out” and what else can an enthusiast ask from any of their cars.  To paraphrase a popular song from the sixties, “I’m not braggin’ babe so don’t put me down, But I’ve got the hottest set of wheels in the town… It’s my Fixed Roof Coupe, now you know what I got!”