Cruzin. River City Corvette Club. Cruzin into. E-Newsletter. March Volume 19, Issue No. 3

Transcription

1 Cruzin River City Corvette Club E-Newsletter March 2013 Volume 19, Issue No. 3 Cruzin into

2 CRUZIN E-Newsletter Twenty One Years and Counting Cruzin is the newsletter of the River City Corvette Club (RCCC) of the Chattanooga, Tennessee and surrounding area; created by appointed members for the benefit of the membership. All rights reserved except where expressly waived. For RCCC membership rmation contact Jerry Ray at 2013 Officers President: Robin Peterson Vice President: Ron Kellogg Treasure: Nancy Price Secretary: Mike Nabors Board of Directors Ron Hasting Norma Harless Joe Rath Joe Usalis Membership Chairman Jerry Ray 2

3 Presidents Desk 4 Welcome New Members 5 Is the Corvette the Best Sports Car in the World? 6-7 Friday Night Lights 8 Corvette Museum Bash (Trip) 9 General Morgan Inn (Trip) 10 Activities and Car Shows 11 Event Calendar 12 For Sale 13 Support Our Sponsors Integrity Chevrolet #1 on Automotive Row 2110 Chapman Road Chattanooga, TN Sales: Service: Certified Corvette Technician Chris Williams Insurance Agency Chris Williams-Agent FARMERS Auto * Home * Life * Business 7161 Lee Hwy. STE 600 Chattanooga, TN Bus: Fax: Dairy Queen 5433 Highway 153 Hixson, TN O'Charley's - Hixson (423) Southern Restaurant - Hixson Pike (423) West Coast Corvettes ext

4 February was an exciting and busy month for RCCC. First, we celebrated Valentines Day at The Station House. Evie Usalis planned a wonderful evening for us complete with a beautiful rose for each of the ladies. Dinner was wonderful and the entertainment was fabulous! Suzanne and Parks Hall are doing a wonderful job with our "Friday Night Lights" Dinners. We have been to Backyard Grill, Sugar's Ribs and Mt Vernon Restaurant. If you haven't attended this dinner series, you are missing out...great food and always a good time to be had! March usually kicks off car show season...cruise Ins, Vette Trips, etc. We have a lot of activities planned, including the Apple Barn in Pigeon Forge, the Bash at the Corvette Museum, and our "Spring Fling" trip to Greenville, Tn. visiting with the VOTS (Vettes of the Smokies). Robin Peterson The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible will make its world debut this month at the Geneva Motor Show. At the Corvette Museum's Bash, April 25-27, we will have the opportunity to see both the coupe and convertible 2014 Stingray up close, and hear from members of the Chevrolet team responsible for the new design. Be sure to attend the March Monthly meeting on Thursday March 21st at O'Charley's in Hixson...See you there! 4

5 Steve and Karan Bailey owners of a 2008 C6 Velocity Yellow coupe. Alex Cirosi owner of a th Anniversary Convertible. Lindsay and Kim Lemmons owners of a 1995 Coupe. 5

6 Is the Corvette the Best Sports Car in the World? What do you think? Well, let s look at some of the competition! Let s first define a Sports Car as a two seater, so if it has four seats it can t compete. I wouldn t have any trouble justifying the value of a Corvette over cars with a back seat anyway. In that category though, is the Mustang, but its primary competition are the Camaro and Dodge Challenger. They are both a little front heavy, so they can t handle curvy roads nearly as well as Corvette. The high horsepower models with names like R/T or Shelby on them can cost nearly as much as a base Corvette, so you may as well buy the Vette. The next category is for smaller sports cars, like the Miata, Sky, Solstice, and Honda S2000. Of these, only the Miata remains in production. Plenty of them can be found for sale, though, if you really look hard. If you enjoy slinging a car around in By Mike Nabors an SCCA autocross, these are the cars for you. The Miata is the most popular. Field Reporter Some race Corvettes in these events, but truthfully the typical course is too tight to enjoy in the larger Corvette. If your pocketbook is really limited, there are some good buys in these. There are autocross series that are strictly for Corvettes against other Corvettes, so that might be for you. Which cars are the true competitors for Corvette? If the above cars don t really compete, who does? There s Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Porsche, and a host of other exotics. The Ford GT would, but it is no longer in production. The biggest competitor, locally in the US, is the Viper, now no longer labeled as a Dodge, just as Chrysler separated its trucks into the brand Ram. Except for ZR-1, Corvette prices are much lower than all these, with only the Viper approaching the ZR-1 price, but the Viper is still a limited production car. Performance wise, how does the Corvette shape up against its competitors? Very well thank you, better on some race courses than others. Bang for the buck in performance, Corvette leads them all. The current ZR-1 is still right there with price compared to Viper, and way, way, way (did I say way enough?) less expensive than the exotics. Its performance rivals the fastest cars in the world, all at a great price, but there s more. Which of Corvette s competitors gets the best gas mileage? Can you say Corvette? Well, most owners of those others could care less. If you have to worry about the price of gasoline then you don t need to buy one of the others. But that s the point, you can own a Corvette if you DO worry about gas mileage! Corvettes actually get better gas mileage than your average family sedan, especially on the highway. What about reliability and cost to maintain? Well, those other cars can t just go down to the local Chevy dealer, but for the most part, Corvette can. Admittedly, the dealer has to be Corvette certified, with a technician certified to work on them. Some are better than others. Your small town Chevy dealer isn t likely to have one, but most major Chevy dealers will. More than Viper dealers (still at a Dodge dealer). And can you imagine what you have to do with a Ferrari or Lambo dealer. Which of these cars would you label as the most reliable? Did you say Corvette? YES! You got it right again. I recently read about a former (yes, former) Lamborghini owner and his description was a horror story. I can t say they are all bad but he said he constantly had to get things fixed, and the expense? Well, there was something on the order of having as much money in expenses as he had originally invested in the car (but he did buy it used). I hear Ferrari drivers have similar stories. Of course, as expensive as those cars are, if you can t afford to pay, as they say, you can t afford to play. 6

7 Is the Corvette the Best Sports Car in the World? Here s how reliable a Corvette is. You can drive it every day to work if you wish. You can drive it to Wal- Mart anytime you wish. You only have to be mildly careful about dragging the nose when you encounter dips in the road, or in going into driveways. The engines rarely need more attention than an oil change if you treat them halfway decently. Your biggest expense can be tire replacement. No one parks their Lambo or even their Viper regularly at a store parking lot of any kind, and there s a reason for that. Many of those cars are rarely driven! They sit in some collector s garage. Tires for a Bugatti Veyron cost about $20,000 a set. Corvette is the car that competes very well with the fastest cars in the world, at a lower price to buy, at al lower cost to maintain, with daily drivability, and I haven t even mentioned the items like traction and stability controls to keep you in your seat and out of the ditch. To go on, the Corvette is more readily available than any of its competitors, and can be bought at discounted prices. Want more? There aren t very many car clubs for those other sports cars. I ve heard of a few Viper clubs, but every medium sized city and larger probably has at least one Corvette club. Aftermarket accessories? There are whole companies dedicated. For many, owning a Corvette is just the beginning. It s what happens after they buy that is part of the Corvette experience. Finally, is there another car on this planet with such a cool name? NO! And does it matter what year you own? NO! Ok, later models, particularly from 1997 on, are the most reliable and trip worthy even Corvette has had to progress! So what is the best overall sports car in the world? Overwhelmingly, it s Corvette. If you don t think so, reread this, and this time let it sink in. What is my favorite Corvette.MINE. I hope your favorite Corvette is.yours! If it s not, then save up, there s a new C7 coming out later this year, and bargains galore in the used market. Pick one out! Michael Nabors 7

8 What is Friday Night Lights? It has become a tradition for RCCC to have a leisurely dinner on Friday evening as a way to kick off the weekend. We just sit around in a relaxed atmosphere and enjoy the company of good friends. If you want to really get to know your fellow Corvette enthusiasts this is a great opportunity to do so. For 2013 we continue the tradition with Parks and Suzanne Hall pulling together the restaurants and letting the club know when and where. A very big thanks to these two. Sugar's Ribs we may have forgotten to take pictures, but we all had a great time at Sugar s Ribs on Friday, February 15. The music was cool. The cue was hot and in spite of a capacity crowd, they pushed a bunch of tables together right in the middle of the room so the 18 or so of us could all sit together. It took a little time to place our order at the counter, but the food came out quickly and efficiently.. When we made arrangements to meet there, the owner told us his barbecue was probably the most expensive in town, but it was also the best. Many of us agreed. It was delicious and worth the price. Friday Night Lights is a fun event. If you haven t joined us, you should give it a try. It s rmal and a great opportunity to get to know fellow club members. Also, if you ve got a restaurant you d like to recommend, please contact Parks and Suzanne Hall at ontheroad1958@aol.com. Keep in mind the simple criteria. The menu should be varied and the parking adequate. Suzanne Hall Mount Vernon getting ready for the weekend one more time. 8

9 I think we all may have a touch of cabin fever and are ready to get the Vettes out and run them a bit. Our first trip will be to Bowling Green, KY for the Corvette Museum s Corvette Bash which is the kick off of the NCM on site event season. The Bash traditionally marks the rollout of the next model year Corvette; the place where you can see them up close and in detail. Bash 2013 will provide enthusiasts the first chance to see the new C7 up close as well as getting all the latest rmation about the all new 7th Generation Corvette. Seminars will feature speakers discussing Chassis, Powertrain, Interior and Design and electronics. As in past years there will be a large contingent of GM engineers and designer from Warren Tech Center, Milford Proving Ground and the Bowling Green Assembly Plant ready to answer your every question. Activities include: Seminars by the C4/C5/C6 Specialist Paul Koerner, the Corvette race team members Doug Fehan, Corvette Driver Tommy Milner and Danny Binks, Rides in vintage race cars, free guided road tours, two celebrity choice car shows, the Ladies Oasis, and the expanded Garage Party with women of the GM Corvette Team. The ladies will cover all aspects of Corvettes including maintenance, engineering and even high performance driving. New activities include a Golf Scramble with Kirk Bennion and Gerry Panetta, members of the Corvette Design team, A shopping excursion to Opry Mills. A chance to sit down and talk with the Colonel. dats me. In preparation for 2014 there will be free guided tours during the event and also provided directions for 10 of the longer Museum Road Tour Routes. Individuals or groups are invited to utilize these directions to conduct their own tours on their own schedule. Several members have already booked rooms and are ready to roll into Bowling Green. The event runs from April 25th - 28th. This should be a great trip to start the 2013 season. For more rmation: Some of us are staying at the Sleep Inn (KY143) 185 Greenwood Lane, Bowling Green, KY Phone: (270) Fax: (270) reservation can be canceled up to Wednesday April RCCC has stayed here before and It was a nice, clean hotel not too far from the museum and just off of hwy 231 the route we take up from Lebanon and I-40. Several members are traveling up Thursday afternoon April 25 and returning Sunday morning April 28. Some may go up Friday and come back Saturday evening. Come join us in celebrating the roll out of the 7th generation Corvette!!! 9

10 Mike Nabors is pulling together our Spring Fling trip. Do you like curvy roads, a bit of history and a lot of class? This trip is for you!! Here are the details: Date: Leave on Saturday, May 18th, return on Sunday, May 19th Route: Travel via "Corvette Roads" (somewhat curvy) to Greenville, TN Overnight Arrangements: We will stay at the General Morgan Inn, in the historic district. This is a highly recommended, historic Inn that everyone raves about. Overnight rates are usually $125, but we have secured a discounted rate for club members of $95, very comparable to some of the "regular" hotels in the area. Google General Morgan Inn if you want the photo tour. How to make your reservation: Call the General Morgan Inn - the front desk manager is named "Nancy", but whoever you talk to tell them you want one of the rooms reserved for the "Corvette Club" and make your reservation. Be sure to mention the $95 rate. Also, make them early as I have reserved 8 rooms so far. If those fill up fast I can add more, but if you wait too long and the other rooms fill up (they have 51) then you would need to make other area hotel arrangements. The phone number is: Let Mike Nabors know that you are going, and have made your reservation so he can keep up with who is going. Parking Arrangements: The General Morgan has an indoor parking garage below the inn, and they will reserve (rope off) parking spaces to enable us to park our Corvettes so they will be together, secure and protected from weather. Activities: Activities include dinner at the Butcher Block restaurant, and the "Vettes of the Smokies" (our good friends the "VOTS") will enjoy dinner with us, hosted by our friends Jimmy and Pam Napoleon. They are very excited that we are coming. Tour the City Garage, a car museum there in Greeenville! We will keep you posted as to other activities as we are working with Pam on those. 10

11 Club Activities: Are you in or are you out? Corvette Museum Bash, April 25th through 27th Bowling Green, KY RCCC Spring Fling to the General Morgan Inn at Greenville, TN May 18th and 19th. Car Shows: March 22, Corvette Expo, Sevierville TN : March 23 Daytona Spring Turkey Rod Run April 13, Baton Rouge Corvette Club St Jude Open Car Show April Hot Springs AR Corvette weekend April Vettes Doing Beale Street Memphis April 19 & 20 Vettes Doing Charleston, SC April Grand Rod Run Gatlinburg April 27 Mid Alabama Corvette Show Birmingham May 3-5 Blue Suede Cruise Tupelo, MS May 31 thru June 1 Corvettes doing Myrtle Beach June 15 Vettes of the Smokies All Corvette Show June Corvette Summer Somerset, KY cruise in August 9 11 Vettes in the Midwest Joplin, MO August Corvettes at Carlisle Carlisle, PA Sept Grand Rod Run Gatlinburg Sept Vettes on the Lex Corpus Christi, TX Oct 4-6 Vettefest Gatlinburg Oct 3-6 Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend Eureka Springs, AR Oct Corvette EXPO Sevierville, TN 11

12 Events March Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00pm 10 Daylight Savings Time Begins Move clocks ahead 17 Apple Barn Cruise map 11 RCCC Board Meeting 153 6:30pm :00pm :00pm 31 Easter Sunday Legends Open Car Show New Orleans RCCC Monthly 22 Corvette Expo Meeting O'Charley's March Hixson 6pm eat Meeting at 7pm Good Friday Vietnam Veterans Day 23 Daytona Spring Turkey Run March April Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday :00pm 7 8 RCCC Board Meeting 153 6:30pm :00pm Barrett Jackson Palm Beach Fl April RCCC Monthly Meeting O'Charley's Hixson 6pm eat Meeting at 7pm th Annual Vettes Doin Charleston Hot Springs AR Corvette weekend April ICCC Beale St :00pm :00pm National Corvette Museum Bash April National Corvette Museum Bash April National Corvette Museum Bash April

13 Set of brake pads that came off my 09 Corvette. Less than 300 miles on them. If you can use them come get em. FREE Larry Harless, Very lightly used exact reproduction ZR1 fiberglass front splitter purchased from West Coast Corvettes earlier this year. It was mounted on a 2011 Grand Sport for several months. It comes painted in flat black and is in GREAT condition. For more rmation see z06zr1grand-sport.aspx Asking $350. Call or Darrell Widner