April Showers bring May Flowers, and with June comes bloomington Gold. Yes it’s that time of year when CORVETTE enthusiasts gather together at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles Illinois to honor the Grand Daddy of all CORVETTE Shows and enjoy their passion for America’s Number 1 Sports Car. This year’s 35^th Anniversary event kicks off on Thursday June 26^th and will run through Sunday June 29^th with a new Judging category.

 As bloomington is known for its prestigious Gold Certification, Benchmark, and Survivor Awards for Corvettes only; David Burroughs and Staff has reached out to the Automotive Community to join in the Celebration with the first ever Survivor Collector Car Show event that will be held on Sunday June 29^th featuring all makes and models of cars, and not just our beloved CORVETTES. This should prove to be a nice addition to the camaraderie of our hobby.

 Vettester will be there with camera in hand taking pictures and interviewing participants as we do at all the Shows we attend. Look for us on Friday June 27^th where we will be spending some time in the SPECIAL COLLECTION Arena photographing the RARE L-88’s, and again on Sunday June 29^th during the closing Ceremonies. We welcome all our viewers to share their stories and take pictures with us and their CORVETTES to be posted on this site.

 WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THERE!

 Frank Pope

 Attention: For all our viewers who wish to submit a picture of your favorite CORVETTE; please e-mail us a picture with your name, the year of the car and all contact information. Our e-mail address is vettester@vettester.com

Warning: This article is not for purists!

 If you are an all out Gear Head who appreciates modifications, Car crafting and customizing, then you will enjoy this most beautiful outrageous 1963 Twin-Turbo Corvette StingRay. For those of you that are fans of the T.V. show American Hot Rod, you would have to agree that this Corvette Built  for Shaun Dove by the late Boyd Coddington and his Crew,  is one of the finest looking Mid Year models ever to come out of his or anyone’s Shop.

CHEVY VETTEFEST

           Annual Spring Show April 5th & 6th, 2008

After a long cold winter in Chicago, Spring Fever has finally arrived. And for the entire CORVETTE Community that attended CHEVY VETTEFEST, it was a great way to celebrate.  The array of showcases was outstanding, with a feature for each individuals taste and preference. There were Straight Axle & Vintage Race Cars, documented “real-deal” Muscle Cars, a Drag Strip display, new and used parts for sale, a beautiful display of fine Automotive Art by Dave Chapple, and the first ever LS6 Showcase; where we spent most of our day. Also in attendance was a last minute surprise feature car; the prototype Supercharged ZR1. Note: Rumor has it that this particular car will be destroyed in the near future. VETTESTER is investigating this story to see if this is fact or fiction.

DETROIT – Chevrolet announced the 2008 Corvette 427 Limited Edition Z06, a limited-production model that pays homage to the big-block Stingray models of the mid-1960s. The 427 designation refers to the cubic-inch displacement for the highest-performance engines offered between 1966 and ’69 – and is also the cubic-inch equivalent of the Z06’s 7.0L LS7 small-block V-8.

The 427 Limited Edition Z06 features a Crystal Red Tintcoat exterior, the first Z06 ever offered with a red metallic tintcoat paint. It also features graphics on the hood and fascia that evoke the style of the famed “stinger” hood design and graphics that were offered with 1967 models equipped with the 427 engine. Also unique to this model are “427” hood badges. Each example is numbered and signed by Wil Cooksey, the Corvette assembly plant manager who is retiring after 15 years on the job, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

On Saturday January 19, 2008, Vettester attended the Famous Barrett-Jackson Auction, in Scottsdale Arizona. The combination of great Cars, Celebrities, and good weather added up to an outstanding day! If you think watching it on the Speed Chanel was something special; you should give yourself the experience of being present when one of your favorite Cars goes on the Auction Block. Throughout the day we came across such notables as Racing Legend Carroll Shelby, “The Professor” Warren Johnson, Richard Earl, Jon Moss, Pro Team’s Terry Michaelis, Customizer George Barris, Car Crazy Host Barry Meguiar, T.V. Personalities Patrick Dempsey, Bill Goldberg, Jay Leno, the alias “Bo Duke” John Schneider, and our favorite, the all New ZR1. Although the one of a kind 1963 Corvette designed in Italy sold for $1,600,000.00; the ZR1 stole the SHOW!!! From the moment we entered the G.M. Showroom, we noticed that the ZR1 was the main attraction, and CORVETTE Enthusiast Phil Hunter agrees. Fortunately we met up with G.M. Group Marketing Manager, Gary Claudio who told us on camera everything we wanted to know about this outstanding CORVETTE. After speaking with him, it became obvious that the Vision of Harley Earl and Zora Arkus- Duntov lives on through Gary Claudio’s passion for great performance and quality for his Brand. It didn’t take us long to realize that this new ZR1 is the Best CORVETTE ever built, and G.M. entrusted the right man to take charge.

 The ZR1 excitement continued when “The Tonight Show” Host Jay Leno drove it up on the Auction Block Stage, where he coaxed buyer Dave Ressler to up his bid from $900,000.00 to $1,000,000.00. There was a lot of excitement and entertainment all in one package; it was a great day for CORVETTE Enthusiasts to be in Scottsdale.

Frank Pope 

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CHEVY VETTEFEST

26^th Annual Fall Show November 17 & 18, 2007

VETTESTER was told that The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center located in Rosemont IL. will be the new and permanent home for CHEVY VETTEFEST. Many of the people we spoke with, said they found it to be a better venue than Chicago’s McCormick Place, and very enjoyable. As we walked around taking pictures and taping Video interviews, we met up with some old friends like Bloomington Gold’s Dave Burroughs, Mid America Motorworks’ Mike Yager, and the Owners of Shake, Rattle and Run, (Chicago’s most famous 1957 CHEVY race car) Dick Messino and Eric Schmidt. We also had the pleasure of making some new acquaintances, such as Zane Zander, the owner/ builder of a 1954 Corvette Nomad, SRIII Motorsports Michael Stockkdale, Automotive Artist Thom SanSoucie, and American Hot Rod’s Star Ram Rod Duane Mayer.

FYI:   Just for the record, Duane comes across as a much nicer person than he appears to be on television. And for Corvette fans of the show “American Hot Rod”, Fabricator Dan Sobieski is no stranger to Corvettes. When he was quite young he built an outstanding one of a kind 1973 Corvette. He equipped the car with a removable rear window, High output Big Block engine, N.O.S bottle, a 4-speed, and painted it Black. Now you might be saying to yourself, what’s so special about that? Well he did something I’ve never seen before on a 1973 Corvette; He took the time and the patience to assemble the hidden wiper door and all the vacuum lines and other parts just like 1968 thru 1972’s have as standard equipment. By doing this he was able to use a factory L-88 Hood, and make his Corvette one stunning SHARK!

Check out our Gallery and Vettester Videos!

NCRS SHOW Old Town Kissimmee Florida – 2008

If you live in Chicago in January, you know the weather isn’t the best our country has to offer; so a one day getaway was in order. On Friday January 11, 2008 my good friend and fellow CORVETTE ENTHUSIAST Kelley Sullivan and I took an early flight out of O’Hare and attended the NCRS Show in Kissimmee. Talk about a great time; it was CORVETTE paradise. The weather was a perfect 77 degrees, with the sun shining down on an array of beautiful CORVETTES of each generation; reminiscent of an August day in Chicago. Do you get the picture?  

 As we entered the Old Town Park we met up with Former CORVETTE Chief Engineer Dave McLellan whose enthusiasm still displays his passion for the CORVETTE and its related hobbies. We spoke with Frank Lastorino, proud owner of the 1969 CORVETTE, BF Goodrich Poster Car, the always enthusiastic CORVETTE Journalist Jerry Burton, Pro-Team’s Terry Michaelis, and CORVETTE Collector Gino Burelli with his outstanding 1969 L-88. As we continued walking around we came across Kirk Brooks and his beautiful 1967 Big Block Coupe, restored by Mark Kinler. We took pictures and interviewed each of these people mentioned, among other enthusiasts Barry Blocker, Robert Binder, John Simon, and Bill Chamberland with his restored 1972 454 Big Block.

 At 5:00 PM. The Show was over and it was time to get back to reality. We flew back home to Chicago, but brought with us a DAY TO REMEMBER. It will be at the top of my list of things to do for next year!

 Frank Pope    

Click here to view pictures

SEMA SHOW LAS VEGAS – 2007 

Tuesday October 30, 2007 VETTESTER attended what we would describe as the Best Show on Earth!  For those of you who are not familiar with SEMA, let’s set the record straight; this show is not for Purists, but for Enthusiasts who are fans of Outstanding Car Crafting, Modifying, and Custom Cars.  Every Major Company was in attendance marketing their latest products.

We visited with many of the industries leaders, such as Vic Edelbrock Jr.(Watch Video) (whose company is celebrating 70 years in business), Chip Foose and Carson Lev of FOOSE DESIGN (who informed us that they were working on a 1954 CORVETTE).  We also met Automotive Designer Dale Frye, John Wargo of the Custom Shop (Watch Video), Mike Lavallee of KILLER PAINT, and Troy Trepanier of Rad Rides by Troy, who invited VETTESTER to his shop to see his latest Rad Ride, a 1963 CORVETTE.  

 We also visited with COMP Cams’ Chris Douglas (Watch Video), MSD’s Silver Gomez, PROCHARGER’s Jeff Lacinda, BILLY BOAT Performance Exhaust’s Mark Fowler, HEDMAN HEDDERS’ Wes Fisher, and Classic Reflection Coachworks’ Carolyn Graf, just to name a few.  Mario Andretti and his grandson, Marco, Roy Hill “the General”, Ashley Force, Robert Hight, and another racing legend, Carroll Shelby were all in attendance, meeting and greeting fans.  Read More   

On Saturday October 20, 2007 the SUNBURST CORVETTE CLUB hosted a Corvette showdown at Byron Dragway in Byron Illinois.  The field of Gearhead Corvette Racers was represented mostly by C5 and C6 models with a few C4’s and one OUTSTANDING  and very FAST C3 sporting a Buick Grand National engine. That C3 SHARK owned by Mike Cambio of Barrington, Illinois, laid down a 10.82 at 123 MPH when his onboard computer malfunctioned.  There was also a showing of ZR1’s, Z06’s, Corvettes with Turbochargers,  Superchargers, and Nitrous Oxide that covered the ¼ Mile  in an Elapsed Time anywhere from 14’s to the 10’s.  Another standout example was an impressive looking Lingenfelter Supercharged C5.  You can check out this tire Shredding Beast and many other Corvettes in the Vettester Gallery!

Hope to see you at Chevy VetteFest! 

Frank Pope