COB VETTE NEWS. October Anniversaries. Presidents Corner. What s Happening This Month See page three. Volume, 34 Issue 10 October

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1 COB VETTE NEWS Volume, 34 Issue 10 October Hello everyone, Presidents Corner It looks like the corvette gods are still with us. The sun is still shinning on most events which have gone off without too much trouble. Niawanda Park show, St. Gregory car show which I attended and was a lot of fun and a few of our members did win awards. Let s hope the weather goes to the end of October. What s Happening This Month See page three. I can t forget our 11 th annual Corvette Caravan. The weather was great and Cappellino s did a wonderful job with breakfast for all who attended. Unfortunately, they had a water main break in the Town of Boston and Cappellino s was affected but we all got through it. Off to the Grape Vine via the Southern tier where we had great support from the local fire companies and Police. I just want to say good job by Skip and Pete and everyone who helped to make the caravan a success A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL. October Anniversaries 11 th Jim & Nicolet Brett 29 th Bob & Debbie Tkach Remember, nominations will re-open for officers at the October meeting for the final time, we will vote on them at the November meeting. Some of our members joined the York County Corvette Club at the Chevy plant on Friday, September 25 after which we went to Mississippi Muds for lunch. We all had great time and they really enjoyed their stay with us. We have been invited to come to their neck of the woods to repay the hospitality. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF Please remember that your club dues are now overdue so get them in A.S.A.P. Drive safe Mike B. 1

2 Officers President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Mike Buccilli Bob Kaczmarek John Biggie Marianne Pastore Board of Directors Sue Brownlee Dick Brownlee Jim Kelly Frank Pastore Skip Polowy Wayne Scudder Rich Zahner Committees Membership Newsletter Phone Comm. Sunshine Comm. Webmaster Activities Dir. Club Photographer Or Barbara Lipome Dennis Buckley Lynda Graham Karen Rothenberger Diane Skeide Jim Bonus Lynda Graham Dan Krakowski October Birthdays 2 nd Donna Biggie 3 rd Jim Brett 3 rd Rich Zahner 4 th Pat Nowak 7 th Sam Iraci 7 th Jim Pepe 9 th Frank Pastore 11 th Dick Brownlee 12 th Chris Balmas 13 th Patti Kirkland 16 th Cindy Erdey 16 th Kathy Huber 18 th Dan Krakowski 18 th Nancy McHugh 23 rd Ken Kaczka 27 th Marianne Pastore 29 th Dan Wroblewski Meeting every second Saturday of the month at First Presbyterian Church 9675 Main St. Clarence, NY, Meeting starts 7:00 p.m. Corvettes of Buffalo is open to all Corvette owners and enthusiasts over the age of 21 Visit us at Send Articles To: Dennis Buckley djbuckley40@yahoo.com Submissions must be in by the 26 th Late submissions will be published the following month. 2

3 WHATS HAPPENING IN OCTOBER October 3 October 10 October 11 Hilton Apple Festival, Hilton NY (10am- 5pm) COB Club Meeting Clarence Church 7pm Peek & Peek Car Show 1405 Ye Old Road, Clymer, NY (9am - 4pm) OCTOBER TRIVIA QUESTIONS 1. What feature was first introduced on the 1968 model year? 2. What is the most collected thing in America? 3. What year did Corvette introduce the 8 track tape player? 4. Who won the Best Actor and Best Director Oscar for Dances With Wolves? 5. Who built the ZR-1 engines for Corvette in 1990? Answers on page 6 3

4 [Nicholas Wallace ] [ Photography by Rick Cole Auctions/Ron Kimball ] 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88 Rarely does a manufacturer make a point to not advertise one of its products, particularly one that is its peak performance offering. An exception to the rule was this 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray L88. And that intentionally low profile when new is part of what makes this car so valuable today. The brainchild of Zora Arkus-Duntov, director of GM s performance division, the 1967 L88 Corvette was powered by a highly-modified version of Chevy s 427-cubic-inch V-8. Although the factory-claimed horsepower was 435, real power output was somewhere between 540 and 580, enough to allow a stock L88 to run mid-to-high 11-second quarter-mile times. The L88 could only be ordered with certain options such as a performance suspension, Posi-traction differential, and upgraded brakes, while others such as a radio and A/C were not available. Since the car was to be built in limited numbers, Duntov wanted as many of them as possible to end up on racetracks. As such, GM tried to discourage individuals from buying the L88 (the car s extremely conservative power rating was a ploy designed to turn off the casual consumer), instead focusing on racing teams. The L88 stayed in production until 1969 with a total of 216 produced. This example, currently being offered by Rick Cole Auctions, is a 1969 model with a claimed 2576 miles on the odometer. Aside from the mileage, this car is also impressive due to the fact that it has never been restored and was originally purchased and raced in C/D s lovely home state of Michigan. Bidding on this car is expected to reach the neighborhood of $500K to $750K. Clearly the L88 is no secret among Corvette collectors instead it s more like the holy grail. Submitted by Wayne Scudder 4

5 CORVETTES at CARLISLE FLAG PICTURE Gene and Bernie Colucci were honored to have their Silver 1963 s/w fuelie Corvette Coupe as part of the Corvettes at Carlisle American flag picture. The Colucci s Silver 1963 Coupe is the 3 rd silver car down on the simulated silver pole on left side of the picture. To see a time lapse video of the flag being assembled: (ctrl+click) 5

6 Principal's Trophy On Saturday Aug. 29, Mount St. Mary's Academy in Kenmore held their fourth annual car show and fair. Dick Brownlee won the coveted Principal's Trophy with his beautifully detailed 97 Vette as chosen by the student judges. OCTOBER TRIVIA ANSWERS 1. Hidden windshield wipers. 2. Stamps Kevin Costner 5. Mercury Marine in Oklahoma. 6

7 The following article is reprinted with the permission of: ( and ). John Meyerhoff and Mary Carol Plott s Corvette Love Affair, Pt 2 Mary Carol s Corvette Personal Passion Story Story and Photos by K. Scott Teeters Last month we told you about Lake Placid, Florida Corvette couple John Meyerhoff and Mary Carol Plott and their stable of driver Corvettes. Before the C7 Corvette came out, John had one of each generation Corvette! Between John and Mary Carol they have nine Corvettes (five are John s and four are Mary Carol s), but not all nine are in Florida. John also has a place in upstate New York. When it comes to performance cars and Corvettes, what is usually the case is that when a couple gets together, at first, it s the guy that s the car guy. Yes, there are exceptions, but generally speaking performance cars are a guy-thing. For most gals, it takes a while to warm up to machines. But that s not Mary Carol. The car bug got a hold of her back in 1965 and never let go. In late 1965 Mary Carol took delivery of a new /390 Super Sport Impala Convertible with the then-new, 3- speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. Super Sport Impalas PAGE 64 Say you saw it in VETTE VUES MAGAZINE AUGUST 7

8 were well-appointed, handsome full-size cars, and with the 427 and droptop, it was a beauty and a beast. The L36 Mark IV 427 had a single four-barrel carb, hydraulic lifters, 10.25:1 compression and was rated at 390- horsepower and 470 lb/ft. While on paper the L36 looked down 35-hp from the solid-lifter Corvette version, it was a genuine torque-monster. So, what s a pretty young lady living in Northfield, Ohio going to do with all the horsepower and torque, go cruising? No way! Mary Carol went drag racing at her local drag strip, Thompson Drag Raceway. I made sure the car had a really good tune-up, borrowed a set of slicks, and for two years was undefeated in Stock Eliminator class. I really loved drag racing that car! Around the same time, Mary Carol was going to college to learn accounting. These were the pre-computer days when accounting and bookkeeping was done on paper with an adding machine. Mary Carol took a parttime job at a local Sears Store that turned out to be a life-changing decision, as she spent her entire working career with Sears. Looking for adventure, Mary Carol took an accounting job with Sears in California. In the 60s, California was THE place to be. After settling into her new life, one day she happened upon what was for her, a stunningly beautiful car. At a local Chevrolet dealer, she feasted her eyes upon a Goodwood Green Corvette Roadster, with a 4- speed, side-pipes, and aluminum wheels. That was IT! She traded in her Impala convertible, thus beginning her love affair with Corvettes. Unfortunately, this was the time when Corvettes were the car most likely to be stolen, with insurance companies taking massive advantage of the situation. One day Mary Carol came out of the office at the end of the day and her Corvette was gone. The job at the Sears office in California lasted until 1970 when Mary Carol was transferred back to Ohio and along with her belongings; she brought back her itch for another Corvette. Mary Carol s father worked 8

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10 as a salesman at a local Chevrolet dealership and helped her out with her itching problem. In 1971 she took delivery of a War Bonnet Yellow (available only in 71 and 72) 350/270 Corvette convertible. The base-engine roadster was nicely appointed with a 4-speed transmission, power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, and AM/FM radio. While the car isn t a high-winding LT-1 or a stump-puller big-block 454, it was a very nice daily driver. And drive, she did. While Mary Carol did not know it, Zora Arkus-Duntov wanted his customers to ENJOY their Corvette. As a daily driver, Mary Carol did just that and by 1975 when she married her husband, David Plott, the car was beginning to show signs of use. Fortunately for Mary Carol and her Corvette, David was a car guy and started what turned out to be a long restoration project that took eight years, with the help from John Drahos of Corvette Conspiracy, in Cleveland, Ohio. In the meantime, she and David had other nice cars and trucks as daily drivers, but when Corvettes are in your blood, there s always that Vette itch-thing. By 1982 it was too much, with her 71 in various stages of restoration, Mary Carol had to have another Corvette. So in 1982 she bought a Silver Metallic 1981 Coupe with a Charcoal interior and an automatic transmission. There were no engine options in 1981, just the base 350/190, but by then all of the basic creature comforts were standard on a Corvette. The previous owner installed a shift kit in the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission, so it took Mary Carol a little while to get used to the car s hard shifts. Small-block Chevy engines respond nicely to headers, so she had a set of Headman Headers installed, along with a 1969 factory side-pipe setup with the chrome covers. Many lament that the later C3 Corvettes don t have the stout horsepower numbers of the earlier C3 cars. While this is indeed true, Mary Carol s says 10

11 that with the headers, side-pipes and sharp tune on her 81, it drives and performs on par with her 350/ Corvette. I m talking just my driving experience with both cars, but then again I don t race them, so they both feel like the same Corvette, they just look a little different. It kept me going while my 71 was being worked on. The final step in the 71 s restoration was the paint, laid on in 1987 by local car painter, Ed Rothtel of Cruising Solution in Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty-eight years later, Mary Carol s 71 Corvette is still wearing Ed Rothtel s paint job! Meanwhile, Mary Carol s career at Sears was blooming nicely. When computers entered the business world Mary Carol went to the Institute of Computer Management in Cleveland, Ohio for mainframe computer programming. Sears was an excellent company for moving up in the business. With another degree on her resume she became a computer programmer and eventually manager of several Sears stores. At one stage of her career she was working in the magnificent Sears Tower in Chicago. That was totally overwhelming. We were used to small Ohio towns and Chicago was total culture shock. The traffic and the roads, the congestion, and speed of things, was almost too much. It really wasn t for us. But Sears was a very good company to work for and Mary Carol was able to transfer to the Sears Distribution Center in Columbus, Ohio. Then by the mid- 80s personal computers were beginning to catch on in retail outlets and Mary Carol managed two, stand-alone Sears computer stores selling IBM and Apple Computers. But sometimes, business models don t always mesh with new technology and the Sears computer retail stores didn t work out. By the early 90s Sears offered Mary Carol an early retirement package she couldn t refuse. Retirement can often times open up new opportunities. After living all their lives in northeast Ohio, it was time to move to a warmer climate. Lake Placid, Florida seemed to meet their needs for sun and fun. Mary Carol did the scouting work and when she found the right house, she called David and told him, Get rid of the snow shovel! I found the right place! Lake Placid is truly a small town situated in the middle of miles and miles of orange groves, farms, cattle ranches, and lots of lakes. Think Mayberry and you re close. So in 1997 Mary Carol and David left Ohio and never looked back. In 2002 tragedy struck when Mary Carol s husband David died from a sudden heart attack after 27 years of marriage. David was car guy and along with Mary Carol s 71 and 81 Corvette, they had a speed boat with 427/400 Corvette engine. In 2004 Mary Carol bought a Torch Red 2001 Z06. Aside from the car s track capability, one of the things Mary Carol thought was cool about the car was that it came with a DVD that explained everything one would need to know to race their Z06. While she s not a racer, it s neat knowing what the car is capable of doing. The car is completely stock except for an aftermarket hood liner, emblazoned with the Z06 logo, and a 11

12 few dress- up engine covers. She keeps the car so meticulously tidy, that with the gorgeous red and black interior; her Z06 has won more than its share of car show awards and trophies. Two months after purchasing the 01 Z06, an opportunity came along to recapture a 67 Corvette. The car was a super-clean Marina Blue 327 Coupe with factory side-pipes, aluminum wheels, and a 700R 4-speed automatic transmission. Mary Carol still had the 427/400 big-block engine that was in David s speedboat. So, she had the engine rebuilt and returned to auto specs, added a 3x2 carb setup, aluminum square-port heads, and Headman headers. The engine work was done by Mary Carol s Oakwood, Ohio engine friend, Danny Stanton and has been dynoed at 470-hp at the crank. Ed Rothtel, owner of Cruising Solutions, in Cleveland, Ohio (same guy that painted her 71 Corvette), repainted the 67 Coupe. The body was block sanded and found to be in excellent condition needing no repairs. All that was needed was an aftermarket big-block Stinger hood. While the car s interior was in pretty good shape, it needed some refreshing work that was performed at an interior shop in Titusville, Florida. The completed project is stunning and is probably a better Say you 12

13 car than Mary Carol s original Corvette. The big-block engine sounds fantastic, delivers ground pounding horsepower and torque, and is not over-stressed. And with the 700R 4-speed automatic and it s tall, overdrive 4th gear, when Mary Carol and John take the car on trips, the big-block Vette can get 20-mpg. That was unheard of back in the olden days of Sunoco 260! 13

14 Mary Carol Plott and John Meyerhoff certainly have fulfilled Duntov s wishes. While they don t race their high performance Corvettes, they re living the Corvette lifestyle. They are active members of the Corvettes of Buffalo and the Corvette Cruisers of Highlands County, in Florida. They re members of every major Corvette association, and subscribe to all the Corvette magazines, as well as participate in Corvette caravans when they can. They have travelled cross-country the entire length of Rt 66 in Mary Carol's 67 and the entire length of the Great River Road from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico in John's 66! When you go into the living room of Mary Carol s beautiful Lake Placid home, you can tell that Corvette people live there. It s a rare thing when a couple has such a balanced passion for Corvettes. And it s indeed a happy thing to see. St. Gregory the Great Car Show Corvettes of Buffalo had 14 cars attending the annual car show at St. Gregory the Great in Williamsville. Six of our members received an award for their Cars. 14

15 Classics on the Niagara at Niawanda Park Congratulations to Mel and Ken for their awards at the Niawanda Park show hosted by the Vietnam Veterans Group. COB had twenty cars in attendance and the members enjoyed the perfect weather along the beautiful Niagara River. 15

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17 Let the Process Begin Project Car (update 10/2015) Hi COB Members, Just a note and a few pictures to date of our 1967 Roadster: Heads 2.02 Fuelie dbl. hump are being reconditioned with SS valves/etc. Cam is out and a new replacement Duntov HP is on order with related parts. Removal of Motor for total rebuild is underway. Transmission, Muncie 4-spd is in rebuild/reconditioning process Dash wiring and all body wiring has been removed for new replacement wiring harnesses. Body-off/Frame is scheduled for late Fall (pictures to follow) Trip to Corvettes at Carlisle yielded many parts for our restore process and sources for the remainder of the project. Niawanda VV Car Show networking yielded the source for the Silver Pearl lacquer paint. Gene renewed his acquaintance with Paul Ertel, the owner of Urban Automotive Paint, who stopped by to chat about our '63 S/W Fuelie on display at the show. Gene and Berni Colucci 17

18 CORVETTES OF BUFFALO 2015 Christmas Brunch When: Sunday, December 6, :00 AM Approx. 2:00 PM Where: The Columns Banquets 2221 Transit Road Elma, New York Sign-up sheet will be available again at the October meeting. Toys For Tots: Members may bring a new, unwrapped toy. A Marine will be our guest for the brunch and will accept the toys. Any questions call Karen or Lowell at (716)

19 PINSTRIPING A RED C7 I have had my C7 for almost two years now and was looking to add something to enhance the appearance. I had been thinking about some pin striping but hadn t convinced myself if I should do that. One Sunday night while at a cruise at Hoover s dairy, I saw Paul Straus who I knew did pin striping and is very good at it. Paul does stripe work for many dealers on the new cars. He was the one in the past who arranged for the pin stripers to come to the Cavalcade of Cars at the fairgrounds. They would stripe items for people with the proceeds going to charity. I asked Paul what he thought about doing my car and he thought it would be a good idea if done tastefully. We agreed on a date and he came to my house. We at first discussed where I was thinking of placing the pin striping. We decided on two lines on the sides, two areas on the back and one area on the hood. Next we discussed what colors. I thought black to accent the black already on the car and light gray to pick up the gray in the interior. He thought that was the right combination to use. 19

20 He is really an artist so I went in the house to leave him to his work. All the time I was dying to open the door and take a peak but I restrained myself from disturbing him. After two hours he was finished and knocked on the door. I came out and was amazed at what he had done. It was tastefully done and subtle enough that you have a difficult time seeing it from four or five cars away. I am very pleased with it and glad I had it done. If anyone is entertaining thoughts of having some pin striping done I would highly recommend Paul. Rich Zahner 20

21 2015 COB Officer Candidates 21

22 2015 COB Board Member Candidates It has been my pleasure to serve on the board of directors the past four years and vice president for two years prior. I have been chairman and vice chair for the Super Cruise and vice chair for the caravan. With my past experiences I would like to run again this year for the Board of Directors and continue to serve you the members. Thank you for your past support. Rich Zahner My name is Mike Buccilli and I would like to be elected to the Board of Directors for the Corvettes of Buffalo. I feels that with my three years of holding the office of President I have heard what direction the members would like our club to go and I will do my best to make it happen. Thank you for your consideration. Mike Buccilli

23 Corvettes at Carlisle 2015 On Thursday August 27 th a Corvettes of Buffalo group of 13 cars departed for the annual Corvettes of Carlisle event. It was a beautiful day, the ride was nice and the regular stop for lunch at the Country Cupboard in Lewisburg, Pa. was excellent! Again this year we parked within the NCCC York County Corvette corral. This fenced parking area is reserved for NCCC members and although is a short walk from the Funfield, there are some benefits to park at NCCC. Like reserved parking spots, free breakfast & lunch on Saturday and the NCCC sponsors a car show for all classes. While attending a few NCCC sponsored events, I have entered my car to be judged in past years and never won. But a surprise this year at Carlisle, that my Shark Gray C7 took first place and I received a nice award to prove it. Thank you, Ray Schafer for picking up my award on Sunday afternoon. We all walked the show field, talked with the vendors and yes we spent some money too. This year s Carlisle event was another packed house with 1000 s of corvettes and stuff to see or buy. The annual Adam s Car Polish appreciation party was also the largest ever with plenty of free food and drink thanks to Adam. On Sunday, and after a few days of hot sun and walking the Carlisle fairgrounds, Maureen and I took a side trip along with Ruth and Bruce Mussehl to Gettysburg to tour the battlefields and historical sites that are within an hour of Carlisle. It was a great experience to learn many things about the 3 day battle that I never knew. While some members have visited Gettysburg, I would highly recommend taking some time to visit Gettysburg. The Corvettes at Carlisle is the premier corvette event of the year and while it is a 5+ hour ride (one way), it is a must see for all Corvette enthusiast s. It is definitely an overnight/ weekend event so make your plans early and reserve a room. As a corvette owner, you will have a great time. Save the Wave! Skip Polowy 23

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25 2015 COB Caravan The 2015 Caravan was well attended with 134 cars. 25

26 ################################################################################################## 1982 Corvette Commercial CTRL + Click to follow the link ################################################################################################## 26

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33 PLEASE PATRONIZE OUR COB SPONSORS THE SHOWBOAT MOTEL & RESTAURANT 3434 NORTH PLUM POINT ROAD HIMROD, NEW YORK showboat-motel.com Specializing in family reunions and just plain fun! Come on down and enjoy. We have everything you need for a weekend or a week. We are in the center of Finger Lakes Wine Country. 20 miles South of Geneva; 16 miles North of Watkins Glen Just off Rt 14 and right on Seneca Lake! Room rates $70 - $119/night/2 persons Seasonal May - October The SHOWBOAT CREW is at your service! Newsletter Rates per year: Business Cards $ /8 Page $ /4 Page $ /2 Page $ Full Page $

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