|
 One
of three Corvettes over the years, this 1959 model was the least quick of
the group, but it was a great grand touring car. The running gear was
pedestrian, with a low powered 327 V-8 (2-barrel carburetor) and an unusual,
but factory stock, 3-speed manual transmission. The car made all the right
sounds and was plenty fast enough, but it was at its best cruising down the
highways of northern New York State in the fall. Early Corvettes borrowed
heavily from Chevrolet's passenger cars (in fact the front cross member and
suspension from this car was interchangeable with that of a 1953 Chevrolet
sedan!) so handling could be described charitably as "fun." However, this
car still could keep up with others of its time and provided great pleasure
for many years.
When I first bought the car, it had been
de-chromed and painted a dismal maroon color, but after a collision that
destroyed the right front fender, I took the wreck to a body shop where
thirteen coats of paint were found to be on the car. The first coat, the
factory paint job, was bright red with white side coves, and that was how
the car was painted after the repairs.
The car stayed with me for seven years, but
after moving to California, I sold it to provide the financial wherewithal
to purchase my first airplane. |
