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CORVETTE TODAY #132-Every Corvette Owner Has A Story (Part 2)
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May 8, 2025
John Elegant from MidEngineCorvetteForum.com is back on CORVETTE TODAY, as promised. We had a great time with Part 1 of "Every Corvette Owner Has A Story" in late September 2022. See, John has so many years with Corvettes and stories to go along with them that we had to have him back on the show to tell us more! Your CORVETTE TODAY host, Steve Garrett, and John go through many more fun and heart-warming stories. In this show, you'll hear a great story about Will Cooksey, retired Corvette Plant Manager, seeing the C6 Corvette before it was revealed, a great story about the C8 mid-engine Corvette reveal and an encounter with State Troopers. It's a light-heated, heart warming episode of CORVETTE TODAY!
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0:00
[Music] welcome to Corvette today the podcast
0:06
that talks about everything Corvette with your host Steve Garrett MC and DJ at one of the largest Corvette weekends
0:13
in the country Corvette Fun Fest president of the Corvette club of Kansas City Missouri and radio disc jockey at
0:19
the number one radio station in Kansas City for over 40 years here's Steve Garrett
0:28
thanks for listening to Corvette today the podcast that talks about everything Corvette brought to you by wheelcraft
0:34
want to dress up your Corvette with bright Chrome or black chrome wheels visit wheelcraft.com to learn about
0:39
their Advanced PVD chrome finishing they can refinish your wheels or offer a wheel exchange for most models and it
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comes with a five-year warranty visit wheelcraft.com today or call
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833-840-5334 I'm your host Steve Garrett I appreciate you tuning in you can listen to Corvette today on all podcast
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platforms you can also listen on your smart device just say Alexa or hey Google play the podcast called Corvette
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today and you're connected also visit the Corvette today website it's Corvette todaypodcast.com and while you're there
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Corvette today Facebook group we have over 3 800 members and I'd love to have you as a member as well and don't forget
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about the YouTube channel now for Corvette today see all your favorite Corva today podcasts now on YouTube
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first I'd like to thank our Flagship sponsors of Corvette today erolari Wheels a true forged wheel with over 20
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2:18
enthusiasts like yourself at mid-enginecorbetforum.com also a shout out to canadiancorvetforum.com welcoming
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Corvette owners from around the world John Allegan from mid-engine Corvette form is back on the Corvette Today Show
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John's first episode of every Corvette owner has a story which was show number 122 was so popular I had to have John
2:39
back on Corvette today to tell us more great stories John welcome back to the show I'm anxious to hear more Tales
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thank you Steve it's an honor to be here buddy I know you've got a great Corvette
2:51
team accessibility story why don't we start with that one okay we have friends who love Mustangs their current one
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which is about ready to be sold is number 14. for their five-year business event on the Main Street of our small
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town I said how about if I bring my velocity yellow with black accents z706
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and park it out in your front Premier space to attract the attention they said what a great idea so I did that and they
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loved it and people asked me questions so forth well fast forward as the C8 was starting to develop some mule pictures
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and then I was sharing pictures with them I was surprised Mike and kelly were very interested Kelly's always in her
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Mustang convertible but they were interested tell me more they'd asked me about weeks before where are you getting
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yours they called Mike Furman gotten on a C8 Stingray list and over time they surprised me again and said hey we want
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to get us the o6 I said well that's going to be a fun event I'll keep sending you stuff long story short the
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reveal is announced at the Peterson you were there I was there lots of people were there was open to the public so I
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called Mike and kelly and I said hey you want to go to the reveal we get to go to the Reel of the Z06 I said yes it's open
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to the public event was on a Tuesday I went down on Monday I was invited to a private pre-reveal and they were going
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down making another weekend honeymoon and so they went down I show at the airport it's a six o'clock flight it's 3
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30 in the morning and here comes Mike and kelly we're in gate by the way C8 oh
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Mike and kelly we're talking and their boarding passes Mike's sitting next to
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me and Kelly's on the seat Beyond him they do their thing on Monday I go to the private video on Tuesday they show
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up at reveal and on the way down in the plane I was telling them I said you know you can talk to Taj and Harlan and Kirk
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and Josh they're all accessible really we get to do that I said yeah they're accessible to everybody who walks up to
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them you'll find them friendly entertaining informative as long as you don't ask anything about potential
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future products Mike said oh I can't wait I can't wait but are you sure I said I'll introduce you oh I feel so
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much better so we're at the public reveal on Tuesday and there's Tash Mike and kelly come over to me and I said
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notice nobody's standing talking in the text let me introduce you so I introduced them to cash and as I always
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do I quickly get out the side door because it's not my conversation it's opportunity for them and for Taj or
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Harlan Kirk Etc Josh to ask them their questions and one thing I did say when I introduced Mike and kelly to them was
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these are people who own this is their 14th Mustang but just bought a CA Stingray and they're getting a Z06 then
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I walked away later on the day they came up to me and they were so excited Tash is so nice and we had such I just can't
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believe we Ordinary People got to talk to Tash and I said well is anybody else
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that you want to talk to well we went over and talked to so and so and I said great and they bragged about how nice
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that person was they said have you talked to Harlan no we haven't I said well let's go visit Harlem so I
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introduced them to Harlan the accessibility of the Corvette team at Carlisle at The Bash at the Labor Day
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NCM event at CA race Corrals and other special events it's just wonderful and
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it's so fun to watch people who have never before talked to anybody in the Corvette team to have that opportunity
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that's so cool especially because that's their first C8 and they've owned Mustangs for so long they got to go the
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reveal and then they met almost everybody on the Corvette team yes they still talk about that I talked to Mike
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this last week a high in their life and speaking of reveals John you've got a great story worry about the C6 Z06
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reveal don't you I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time I was invited by GM to the C6 reveal at the
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North American International show in Detroit as part of that event there was a separate dinner there were three
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members of the Corvette team there it was an open bar we paid our own way I think or maybe it was part of our entry
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fee for the event I've been around the block a couple of times so I know how to
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maximize the opportunity to learn let's put it that way but I never asked an insulting question tell me about the
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future potential product because those are the three words as I told Mike and kelly you don't ask about future
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potential products I noticed that one of the people I wanted to talk with was going up to the open bar he'd been there
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before it's like nine at night I walked up to him and I said what a fun day and he said yes it was did you like what you
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saw this morning the C6 Stingray so we have a C5 and as you asked being candid
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I wish the front in had been a little more aggressive it was a little too soft for me personally but I love the
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technical part of it he said well you know I can't talk about anything that's Nest I said you know I haven't asked you
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I said but I sure hope that you might be like a bobble doll and if I just talk about maybe the next version might be a
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little more aggressive you might nod your head up and down and which point he looked like a bobble doll and so notice
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I said nothing I said you said nothing so then fast forward many months I'm in
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Bowling Green we're at our friends Gary and Tori's house Gary Cockrell started the National Corvette Museum rhc Museum
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delivery program Gary makes more friends with more people than anybody I know and he has formed a fantastic relationship
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receiving those cars with Will Cooksey who was the manager of Bowling Green assembly at this time will was the
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manager from 1995 to 2008. what a great guy he is so we're at Gary and Tori's house we'll become friends we stay at
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their house we go to Bowling Green and the phone rings we just come back from Rafferty's and Tori are talking about
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non-corpet stuff Gary and I are talking about what is the motor going to be for the C6 Z06 and phone rings it's the
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old-fashioned landline and Gary picks it up he puts his hand over the microphone part and says to me it's will Cooksey
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okay cool here's the conversation that I hear well yes would love to but we have
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friends who've come in they've driven their C5 all the way from Oregon and we usually spend Tuesday and Wednesday nights with them before our many other
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friends arrive and then he gets obviously interrupted by well mid-sentence and I hear this yes I can
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vouch for him yes so that conversation ends Gary hangs up the phone when he does Tori who's overheard that it's will
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Cooksey and Annie's and our Forbes they're talking Gary said that was Will as you know and we four have been
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invited because tomorrow night at six o'clock is the annual employee family night and we're all invited when you
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heard me say I can vouch for him he had asked me well does he participate in any of the Corvette forums or things like
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that and I said yes you see the person you can trust to not say anything if he sees anything and Gary says I can vouch
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for him so as we're driving over there the next night Gary says now remember if you see anything will assures me that
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there's nothing you're going to see as employees have hidden everything yeah wait till you hear this so yes Gary you
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got my word so we go in there and we're walking down we're about 30 yards down that long line that everybody remembers
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from the C7 era on the right is where they're starting to put together the cars on the left about 30 yards down
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we're with a friend of ours and he Yanks my elbow and he goes look look and about 10 feet away off to our left is an
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Alcove and there is sitting an aggressive looking front fascia of a C6 Z06 it's in primer grade no camouflage
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since Annie and I had already thought we were going to get a silver or a gray one we ended up getting machine silver one
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there it was just staring us it was like heaven on Earth there's the front end of the car we're gonna get not even been
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revealed anywhere so we're walking down the line another Well 50 yards everybody who's been to the planet the C7 error
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remembers you come to a 90 degree right turn where the doors are put on and in front of you is the body shop where the
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robots do their welding and it's in Iowa way the top part of the T is where the forklifts go right and left there used
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to be 113 forklifts in those days now when they redid the plant with the automated guided carts they now have 13
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for safety reasons now I got to take a timeout the thread that Gary and I were talking about the night before when will
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called was on the other forum and it was more like a war rather than a thread and
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the subject was what is the motor size going to be on the C6 Z06 as we earlier
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mentioned sixty percent of the people are sure it's going to be 6.4 liter one person post I know because my uncle
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works for powertrain and he brought home the motor schematics and somebody says you're a liar he'd lose his job and
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somebody attacks him and he attacks them 60 and there's about 20 percent and say no no I know it's confirmed it's 5.5
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liters the other 20 coincidentally where I was oh it's 7.0 liters and the reason
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is they're going to recreate the big block 427s of the C2 era and I only
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posted once on the thread because it was pretty ugly and the only thing I said because nobody had mentioned this before
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was I think it might be a 427 wouldn't that be wonderful to recreate the big
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block size said nothing so we're walking down just before this t-shape right turn on the plant tour and there in front of
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us I'm in front of the other people at this point in our group there are two wooden crates they are large looking
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crates the wood is a light color they're completely sealed all sides and at the bottom in the right hand corner in four
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inch high black letters obviously stenciled it says 7.0 l so there was the
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answer Gary immediately knew where my mind was going and he grabbed by the arm jelly he says now John you didn't see
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any anything I said I'm totally blind I didn't see that and I bet that's right
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every night for the and told the reveal and watched them argue and argue and of course I never posted again on that
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threat that's awesome talk about being in the right place at the right time that was great timing my friend luck
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that's awesome John let's take our first break when we come back we're going to talk about you coming out of retirement
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[Music] and now back to the only current podcast on Corvettes Corvette today with your
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host Steve Garrett hey thanks for listening and watching Corvette today the show that talks about
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everything Corvette brought to you by wheelcraft want to dress up your Corvette with bright Chrome or black
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chrome wheels visit wheelcraft.com and learn about their Advanced PVD chrome finishing they can refinish your wheels
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or offer a wheel exchange for most models and it comes with a five-year warranty visit wheelcraft.com today or
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call 833-840-5334 I'm your host Steve Garrett
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thanks for tuning in today John elegant from mid engine corvetteform.com is back we gave you part one of every Corvette
16:58
owner has a story on Corva today that was episode number 122 well it was so
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well received I had to have John back for a second part John we've got some great stories to get to here buddy talk
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about coming out of retirement and starting mid-engine Corvette forum I was 71 years of age loving life relaxing
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driving the Corvette I was the executive moderator of another C7 Forum it's a
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good forum and good people but they didn't want to make the commitment in any way to the ca I'd write threads and
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nobody would respond I talk about the ca eating pictures one or two posts and I
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just was feeling we're not going anywhere here meanwhile the other Forum was in my opinion a place where I chose
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to spend time we'll leave it at that so it was a combination of those factors and then the key was this other C7 Forum
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which is owned by the way by mega mega million they're worth over three quarters of a million dollar internet media company they own two thousand
17:55
forums they're making all these changes and the software is not keeping up and they're crashing regularly three days
18:01
without the ability to post pictures and this time the actual precipitating incident that had gone 19 days and you
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couldn't even see the form let alone you couldn't see pictures wow after day 19 yeah that's really a lot of fun I mean
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you want to kill the Forum so day 19 they get the ability to post words but no pictures so in the middle of what
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turned out to be another 18-day case I called my good friend Keith Cornett Corvette blogger follow your show
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Watchers and listeners know Keith and I said Keith how'd you like to start a mid-engine Corvette for me so well let
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me talk to my wife I just finished a book a great book editorial Corvette special editions Keith Cornett available
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at Amazon fantastic book fantastic pictures it is I'm pretty tired but let
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me think about this I'll talk to my wife we'll talk on Monday this is a Friday Monday let's go for it and so we agreed
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what it would be we've had a lot of fun since we're tiny compared to the gorilla but we're different our whole goal is to
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be a friendly helpful Community we don't blast newbies they're no newbie attack
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questions there's nobody calling each other names it's a place where people are having fun we're growing at 30 per
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year compounded we have credibility Arlen is some of the Corvette team members know who we are and sometimes
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visit us we're having fun we're already the second largest C8 Forum in the world good times for me and and my members
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tell me the same thing absolutely congratulations on that by the way John mid-engine Corvette forum is a great
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place it's a fun place there's no attacks and everybody has a great time I enjoy my time on your form as well
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you've got a great story about Ed Moss don't you tell us that story and tell everybody just in case they don't know
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who Ed Moss really is Ed Moss is the Corvette body and structures manager if
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it's not plastic and it's not metal it's Ed's baileywick and he is a senior
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member right at the top of that team and he's the nicest friendliest person I'm at the National Corvette Museum years
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ago this is right after the C7 came out been to that reveal but I wanted to see
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more my wife hadn't seen it yet we drive to the bathroom organ every year 25 miles but it's just our annual ritual I
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know my way around the facility we've been 24-year contributors lifetime members we love the museum so I know my
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way through even when the doors are locked there's often another way around the doors are locked there's a C7 inside
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there's one person in the Corvette polo shirt inside and I say to myself I'm
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going to get in here and go have a conversation and get up close and personal before anybody else does I go through the side door down Corbett
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Boulevard second door and the Right is open that's how Taj and Harlan the rest of the team enter from the side there
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for the stage for their presentations maybe I just blew the secret right so there's Ed Mott I've never met that
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before I'm staring at the car and he says you like that and I said I really do I was fortunate to be at the reveal
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and I really like that car he said mind if I ask you a question I said go for it and of course at this point we had
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already done the formal introductions and so he says is there one of those in your future and I said no and he was a
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little quizzical I saw that look on his face I said yes I'd really like it but no there's not one in the future for me
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I'm not going to insult you and ask you anything about potential future product but let's just say at home we have a C6
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Z06 and we're going to replace in kind and so he instantly knew exactly what I
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meant we never said another word about that but that again is just one more example of the accessibility of the
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Corvette Team Ed was also at The Bash this spring and it was a delight to talk
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to him about the C8 Z06 which then he could talk about and to watch other people go up and ask Ed questions and
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he's always so friendly and entertaining again as long as we don't ask about something coming down the road next
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that's true and that's the key to it I'm sure that these guys would love to talk about future Corvettes coming out but
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they just can't because there's nothing there that they can reveal in concrete that would give us some introduction to
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the Future and that would start a whole list of rumors and stuff like that so it's just smart I like you have learned
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you don't ask the Corvette team about future products and everybody's happy everybody gets along and everything is
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copacetic so if you get that through your head now everything goes much better I always go to the birthday bash
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with you and everybody in our group there's always one person in the crowd that stands up and says so are we going
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to have a future C8 so and so and Harlan looks at Taj or he looks at Josh holder
22:38
and he says nothing they just can't talk about it if you learn to work on their terms then everything is much easier
22:44
buddy let's talk about Mike Furman at Criswell Chevrolet you've got some great Mike Furman stories don't you Mike is a
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great person I think almost all of your listeners and viewers know that you set GM records he sold 5 600 new Corvettes
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selling for 46 years he sold the first one on his 18th birthday he is so
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renowned and has such a great reputation 75 percent of his customers maybe now it's up to 80 percent are repeat
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customers or friends that have been referred by a customer of his I did not
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know Mike going back in 2015 and I wanted to get a mid-engine C8 Corvette
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well of course we hadn't even seen the three pictures taken that day at McDonald's in mid-october 2017 where we
23:28
had our first actual confirmation in that black double camo there is going to be a Mid Engine Corvette rumors that you
23:35
and I and others have followed since the 60s from the Corvette magazines it's coming it's coming right so I called up
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Mike on a Saturday morning I know the date and you'll see why and I started my conversation this way hi my name is John
23:48
and I'm calling you because you're a man of integrity and I want to buy a C8
23:53
mid-engine Corvette any burst out laughing and he says nobody's ever started a phone conversation with me
23:59
that way I said well you probably never heard anybody in my last name either my last name is elegant he said that's also
24:07
new to me I want to buy a mid-engine C8 and of course Mike being the
24:12
professional says well we don't know there's going to be a Mid Engine we think there's going to be a C8 after all
24:17
that's been the history of Corvette for then what 63 years at that point so if you want okay take your name and put you
24:25
on my C8 list but if there's no C8 I'll refund your money no question is asked I still have a copy of the check I wrote
24:31
right after I got off the phone it stated February 1 2015. it took five years two months and
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26 days before that C8 Mid Engine arrived at our house that's the public
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Mike Furman in my introduction but the private Mike Furman that some people know he's a special and very giving
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person where has he been this summer when you don't see him he said a charity event he's playing golf which he loves
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and it's to raise money for kids who have cancer or he's going to an evening charity event he's always giving up his
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time to others but he also gives in other ways and I think two stories will solidify who he is as a human being it's
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early in the C7 run somebody is trying to get one on his own finds Mike furin
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he then sends me a private message again I'm executive moderator of this other phone him at that time and he says I
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just got my order placed with Mike Furman I'm so excited he tells me he's an entry level manager one of the big
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three oil companies in Houston Texas and his wife said go get it when I said well honey I'm not sure we can afford it we
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got two young kids everything's going great so later on I learned when I happened to talk to Mike that the car
25:42
has been ordered and it has a color override and he and his wife this person
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in his early 40s are flying up from Houston to Baltimore he's going to get him at the airport they have friends
25:52
there and they're going to stay with their friends and then they're going to get their car and drive home and Grandma and Grandpa are taking care of the young
25:59
kids everything's going well everybody's happy I'm reading in the newspapers at this point I think it was 2008 4 300 oil
26:08
people company people were laid off in one month in Houston Texas alone this is
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not good you know where the story's going he's so excited we're going to fly up to Baltimore two days from now and
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then the next day he calls I'm trained although I left it early at my doctorate
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in Clinical Psychology and the person on the phone is not the person I talked to the night before he's completely
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depressed and he said I just been fired I'm devastated what do I do I'm a man of
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my work I can't afford this Corvette and we're flying the ball the bar this is a color override cars what do I do I said
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will you call Mike Furman he calls Mike Furman and I get this second hand later on not for Mike he never brags about
26:50
himself but from this person who will call Billy Billy calls me back he said Mike is not only taking the car released
26:57
me from buying it even though it was a unique color combination but he's actually sending my deposit back wow
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yeah that's Mike Furman now business practices have changed since then so I don't know if this could be done today
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but remember this was the C7 error when car sat on dealer's showrooms and walking away from a sale where the color
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override was a lot more difficult than right now when you can sell a pink C8 with purple seats in five seconds one
27:23
last story about Mike on a different scale a person that I had referred to him he was devastated I didn't even know
27:30
other than he called Mike and he's got this car three days old and he posts on
27:35
this forum this other for him I just destroyed my brand new car I'm heart sick I was running wiring to the rear
27:41
and I broke the cell plate completely not just a clip he's devastated my parts
27:47
manager cannot get me that part I'm sorry I know what it feels like I always get a car and mod it I'm our Subaru WRX
27:54
the dashboard was a part when it was two hours old the trunk was apart and he looked at me and said this was in May
28:00
are we going to get this thing back together by time snow flies I mean it was just all this Parts about 20 minutes
28:06
later I noticed Mike Furman has posted he said I found you your left cell plate and it's coming to you you'll have it
28:13
tomorrow so this person then posts I'll private message you with my address please tell me how much I owe you and I
28:19
want to pay for overnight Freight and Mike writes back you don't understand I bought this for you I feel for what
28:26
you've been through it's out of my pocket I'm happy to do this it's coming overnight FedEx and that's just who Mike
28:32
Foreman is that's cool yeah Mike is a great guy and there's a reason he sold over 5 600 Corvettes that's for sure
28:39
well buddy let's take our final break when we come back we got more great stories every Corvette owner has a story
28:45
we're with John elegant from mid-engine Corvette forum here on Corvette today
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Corvette today join the community you're listening and watching Corbett
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today with Steve Garrett hey thanks once again for listening and watching Corvette today the show that talks about
31:53
everything Corvette brought to you by wheelcraft want to dress up your Corvette with bright Chrome or black
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chrome wheels visit wheelcraft.com and learn about their Advanced PVD chrome finishing they can refinish your wheels
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or offer a wheel exchange for most models and it comes with a five-year warranty visit wheelcraft.com or call
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them at 833-840-5334 I'm your host Steve Garrett
32:16
with me is John elegant from mid-enginecorvetforum.com it's part two of every Corvette owner has a story John
32:23
in part one you told a story about a retired man who is basically on his deathbed and he loved yellow Corvettes
32:30
and you went an hour to where he was living and took him for a ride I know you've got another story about giving to
32:36
others with Corvette don't you well I think I'm part of the majority I know I'm part of the majority there's a
32:42
person on our Forum when he goes goes to car shows and cars and copies and he sees anybody who's 10 or younger let's
32:49
say he opens up his trunk and hands them a little two-inch model of a C8 he just
32:54
does that that comes out of his own pocket of course he is trying to promote the Corvette brand for the future and I
33:00
think that's important for every one of us who do that I give a ride to a teenager or a younger every year never
33:06
been in a Corvette just to inspire somebody else who has an experience the way I did way back when I was 15 we
33:12
talked about last time on this split window I like to do that it's an important part of my Corvette World when
33:18
I come back from reveal I've made an open offer to any Corvette club within 200 miles of me I will come and make a
33:25
presentation to you of course it's Gratis of course I pay for the fuel and the dinner it's all on me I just want to
33:31
share and when I make these presentations most important thing for me to say is before we get started we
33:37
need to understand two things nothing I say means anything negative about your
33:44
older Corvette if you have a 75 Corvette which as we know had 165 horses the
33:50
lowest in the modern era and 15 of them have expired it needs paint and mechanical repairs if you love that
33:56
Corvette that Corvette is just as terrific so if I technically talk about the C8 having a better braking system
34:04
that in no way is putting down your car so I make these presentations one of the things I enjoy doing is to help people
34:11
make the transition to the Next Generation two stories will fit into that one is the C7 people thought that
34:19
it was too sharp and edgy and I was middle of a presentation to a club a large large Club I just got the sense
34:25
that they were not interested in the C7 so I stopped my plan presentation and
34:30
said okay how many of you don't like the looks or are negative it doesn't speak to you about the C7 and about half
34:37
people raised their hand and I said that's fair I will say however that at least half of you the minute you walk
34:44
around to C7 the first time for yourself that's going to change and somebody in the back room just blurted out
34:50
instinctively ah full people thought I was going to take offense at that and I said no that's cool that's a real
34:56
heartfelt legitimate emotion we'll see half of you're going to get a C7 and I
35:01
heard more comments that were negative over the next few years going to Corvette car shows I'd be talking to a
35:07
friend or somebody I just met and it would come somebody from across the field and I knew exactly it was going to
35:13
happen I could just sense in the way they're walking right at me and it goes like this hi John my name is Susie and
35:19
you did a presentation to my Corvette club about three years ago and you said that if I walked around to C7 I would
35:26
buy one and I thought you were full of it you want to see my C7 over there pointing to their car two rows over it
35:32
and of course I go over and love it and the same thing happened in Spades for the C8 because of course the ca changed
35:39
so radically as we all know its whole proportions are different some people say weird or funny I was making in the
35:44
presentations on the Pacific Northwest part of the National Corvette Caravan by the way we're leaving two years to go to
35:51
the National Corvette Museum in August of 2024 for the sixth Caravan Annie and
35:56
I have been involved with five of them and this will be our sixth so I did a presentation this was a huge group of
36:02
about 225 in a large conference room and it had the same sense they're just not
36:07
with the C8 I don't know why did they come listen why did they attend it was their evening time so I said how many of
36:13
you don't like the looks of the C8 and I would say three quarters of the people in the room said they didn't like it they raised their hand and I thanked
36:19
them for being truthful with me wow and I said well you know you've only got a
36:24
thousand miles maximum on this carbon you ever think about going home because one of the main points when we get to the National Corvette Museum is the
36:31
Corvette team will be there and they've committed to having at least five ch's there people came up to me afterwards
36:36
said well I'm going for other reasons but I just don't like to see it cool the night before we're in Bowling Green I
36:42
was also asked by a different Caravan and the Colorado Nebraska and part of Wyoming Caravan and they had joined up
36:49
with others to do a similar presentation I shared that evening presentation with the great Jim Merrill and I was
36:55
obviously the intro speaker and he was the main speaker and that same thing and I said how many of you don't like to see
37:01
it because they were listening kind of like I'm here I should be polite to this speaker so I said how many don't like it
37:07
it was oh maybe three quarters and we're talking to think if I remember correctly 212 people in that audience and I said
37:14
well you know you ought not go the last eight miles to the museum because here's what's going to happen if you drive there you're going to love the C8 and in
37:22
fact some of you are going to postpone retirement or sell your motorhome or your boat and somebody said you're so
37:27
crazy I don't like that car I said well we'll see the next three days that the
37:33
National Corvette Museum Annie just started to laugh every time somebody would come up to me I don't look like
37:38
the average person in my mid-engine Corvette forum Polo I'm pretty distinctive and they would say something
37:44
like damn you John I am going to get a C8 and I gotta sell my motorhome and I
37:49
heard that story with one version or another I just love to give to people and making free presentations is part of
37:56
the way I can spread the word about how wonderful Corvettes have been to me and to thousands of us absolutely right John
38:02
you've got an interesting story about your C5 and a crash I won't give them more details but why don't you tell that
38:09
story rc5 had a very unfortunate accident it was run into by 9 000 pounds
38:15
of oak firewood oh my gosh we had come back from the National Corvette Museum pulled in our driveway we make the trip
38:23
back as I said in three days 868 miles is the last day we have this down to a
38:28
science pulled in we were exhausted we've been up since 4 30 in the morning it's 9 30 at night we unpacked the car
38:34
take showers go to bed it's about 11 o'clock at 12 10 I hear what sounds like
38:40
an explosion in the other end of the house in the garage and I think to myself is I'm charging madly out of bed
38:45
freight train ran into the house and then I realized no there are no tracks within three miles of where we live
38:51
can't be a freight train meanwhile Annie's right behind me we get to the garage door and I realize what it is the
38:58
cords of oak firewood have crashed onto the Corvette oh yeah well it took the
39:03
two of us both of us are thin thankfully because we could only get the garage door open the three footer into the garage about 10 12 inches go on out and
39:11
there's glass shards Mega thousands of tiny glass yards all over the Corvette
39:17
is destroyed if I were to tell you what's wrong with it I'll give you the less than one minute version these are
39:22
the parts that did not need to be replaced the driver's glass the door panel for that the front fender and the
39:30
two wheels on the driver's side everything else within pieces destroyed and what had happened to Annie and I at
39:37
that point had been heating with firewood for 27 years and of course most efficient for us to do with Oak and we
39:43
we normally stack we have never had a firewood pile fall over this pile by the
39:49
way the room is nine feet three inches tall and 22 feet long there's a lot of wet Oak and firewood when it's exposed
39:56
on one side and against the wall on the other side it'll dry on the outside and shrink and so it basically lifted over
40:03
and went over crashed on its side it had been stacked by the firewood person who
40:09
had called us we're in bowling and said John I don't know what to do I don't know we'll bring it he said I'll stack
40:14
it so you can get your car in the garage okay cool so we take the card by flatbed
40:19
to the dealership Mike the body Tech who I've worked with who's repaired many of our daily drivers that were run into I
40:26
said Mike when you fix it there's a monster rattle over there in front of the windshield on the front side it's
40:31
not in the glove compartments behind that it's not me and I can't find it he said I got it next day he calls and says
40:37
well I got good news and bad news I said I'll be over at lunch so I go there and he says here's the good news go sit in
40:43
the driver's seat I said okay and he said hear this is that you found that horrible horrible crack driven you
40:49
crazy for three and a half years he said okay close your eyes do you hear it anymore I said no it's gone well on a C5
40:56
as many of us know the engine control module is behind the inner wheel liner on the passenger side and it's between
41:03
that and the structural members of the car he showed me he said I made this one from scratch but they left yours out
41:10
it's this foam cushion that surrounds it in this metal compartment receiving panel okay that's the good news now the
41:17
bad news your car is over three years old and your insurance company has said they're going to replace all your parts
41:22
except the glass with junkyard parts they said because it's over three years and your policy allows that I was
41:29
devastated we took them back from Bowling Green we had one one of 20 people who had gotten a big plaque
41:35
selected by a Corvette team member and it was pristine it was like a new car it's the same C5 black the Dave Hill
41:42
commented about in our last year joke so I went back to the office still had time in the lunch hour call my friend Judy
41:49
CS4 Corvettes she's restored her own she was the leader of an ncrs 1960. she's a
41:55
Corvette person and a friend she said John I was expecting your call let's see if we can somehow get around this I know
42:01
your car have a picture of your car from when you want to show you and Annie going to the front to get your trophy
42:06
but I don't have a recent picture and the claims agent who I know and I'm pretty friendly with wants a recent
42:12
picture I said wow it just happened to have one I just got a picture of our trophy on the front windshield showing
42:18
the front hood perfect send it to me so great day later we get the call we're getting all new parts the cars will be
42:24
built with proper new parts even though it's over three years old so then the following day I'm thinking this is all
42:29
going well I got a call from the owner says John you need to come out here I said it'll be out of lunch time and I
42:35
can tell from his voice another problem I had told him we wanted to replace the black anybody who's owned the black car
42:41
or truck knows how much work it is and I was tired we wanted to get magnetic Red
42:46
Metallic it was a 1999 color wasn't that we bought our 98 so I had them paint the
42:53
front fenders that I always do when they change colors to make sure the owner likes what they're doing rather than repainting the whole car it looked like
43:00
hell I'm color defective it looked like a sick dark combination of a dead pink
43:05
future magenta look like violet the painter was there Mike was also the name of the painter and the owner and Mike
43:11
the body Tech and we're standing around and I said I just don't know how to do I don't want black but that's not going to
43:17
go and they all agreed that looked hard so Chuck says well what about that Mustang over there it's red you wanted
43:24
red it's metallic and I said we're not putting Mustang paint on my Corvette stock laughed and he said I knew you'd
43:31
say that well what's our plan C I said I got it I'll call my friend Dave Dave
43:37
just retired months before he's retired federal law enforcement and he owns a
43:42
magnetic red metal 1999 but he lives an hour and 15 minutes away it is driving rain that day a
43:50
typical Oregon rainy day it's like a Florida Monsoon Dave doesn't care he says well John I'll be down for you if
43:57
he is truly a friend he drives down gets there an hour later and he pulls in Chuck has moved the car from the next
44:03
space over so the two of them are side by side and Chuck Mike the Painter Mike the body Tech are talking and they had
44:09
also brought in the assistant painter who had also tried it on his own to independently mix the formula according
44:14
to the book and also said no it's the same disaster pink I looked at them and
44:20
Chuck turned to Mike the painter and basically did you tell him and Mike says we can repaint that now that I've seen
44:26
the caller we can create a car that is just like that in fact when I was
44:32
prepping for you and I talking I called my friend Dave I moved away I hadn't talked to him in years and thanked him
44:37
and we laughed about the rainy days it was a beautiful magnetic Red Metallic as my wife says I'm is the worst
44:44
experiences make the best stories that's true that's a great story buddy let's finish up this show with not one but two
44:51
stories about state troopers I am law abiding but I do like to exercise my
44:56
Corvette in the right place in time it can see the right side of 100 miles an
45:01
hour and you figure out which one of those I'm talking about especially when you're passing a motorhome on a country road and you've been trapped behind that
45:07
motorhome for 10 minutes so we've got our T6 Z06 we're lucky first week of
45:13
manufacture so when we talked about machine silver and we got to go to Tail of the Dragon we live on the west coast
45:19
we've heard about Tail of the Dragon 317 curves 17 miles or 13 miles so we go
45:25
there on a Tuesday which we read is the best day least traffic and we get there in the morning everything is going great
45:31
and we pull up behind three Honda Interstate cruising motorcycles and they're wandering at 20 miles an hour
45:38
well anybody's been to the tail coming from the Tennessee side about a mile and there's a Scenic Overlook out of our way
45:45
so now Annie and I have the whole we have room and we didn't encounter another car in our lane the rest of the
45:51
way and halfway through Randy says well there goes the first set of tires I'm
45:56
having fun and she loves to drive back through the curves it's the first gear Corner especially I think that car would
46:01
go to 61 miles an hour in first gear there is this one straight away as you leave Tennessee and you get into North
46:08
Carolina it's about 60 yards long I'm tired of being 35 and 25 for a reverse
46:14
camber reverse curves and I want to floor it so I do and I'm flying the speed limit that time it goes up and
46:20
down depending on a lot of factors but the speed limit at that time was 35 miles an hour let's just say I'm more
46:25
than double the speed limit and anybody who knows that road on that straightaway halfway down on the right is a rock and
46:32
that rock is Big it's bigger than a school bus and from the back side of the rock is the state trooper with a radar
46:38
gun pointed at our car and I know I am busted bad and I deserve Earth to be
46:44
busted bad he looks at the car he gives me the double Palms down slow this car
46:49
down sign and I go yes sir mouthing those words and I'm sure tickets come in
46:55
next he gives me the thumbs up and gives us the go sign so we just went on what a
47:01
great encounter that that was and how fortunate we were wow that's a great story yeah it was fun the other one was
47:08
in Texas I more than respect every law enforcement every Trooper every Texas
47:13
Ranger in Texas for sure we gotten a call from our daughter we were in Oklahoma it's 2000 or 2001 at the latest
47:21
we're driving home from the National Corvette Museum and we're going the southern route we're doing Route 66
47:26
thing so we're on Route 40 we're well we're in Oklahoma our daughter calls and said Dad Mom major snowstorms coming one
47:33
in Albuquerque and then one in the siskiyous which is the mountain range between Northern California and Southern
47:40
Oregon so you need to book it so we get up at four we're out on the Road at 415 we get in the panel of North Texas Road
47:48
40 yeah it's 5 45 in the morning I got cruise control set at 75 it's a 70 mile
47:53
speed limit and I mean it I do respect the laws and I know I've heard from
47:58
Steve springfellow who is the person who is the leader of the heads up display invention in 98 that it's always off by
48:05
a mile so if it's a 75 you're doing 76 miles an hour so I know I'm doing 76. so
48:11
blue and red lights and yeah I say to her you know the drill she puts her hands on the dash one at 10 o'clock one
48:17
at two o'clock I put on the turn signal I slow down I put on the four ways I
48:23
lower the window we have friends in law enforcement and I turn on the inside light and I put my hands on the steering
48:28
wheel it ten to two I don't want them to be any way concerned that we're a risk to them and I don't know who this person
48:35
is other than blue and red lights but it was a while ago he says good morning I'm state trooper so and so and I said yes
48:42
sir do you know you're speeding yes sir I was how fast you're going she said I don't mean to be snotty but I know I was
48:49
going 76 miles an hour and I'll tell you how I know that he said yeah that's exactly what I clocked you at but at
48:54
least you're honest he said license registration insurance card I said yes sir I have my hands on the steering
49:00
wheel I said sir my driver's license in my wallet my front left Hip Pocket mind if I slowly reached down and get it out
49:07
he says slowly so I do that take my wallet put it on the center console
49:12
after taking the driver's license out I'm not handing him a wallet with money in it I'm not going down the maybe bribe
49:18
right put my hand back on the steering wheel he said thank you I also need your
49:23
registration your insurance card I said sir that's in the glove compartment mind if my wife slowly takes it out of there
49:30
so she does she takes it out of its envelope and hands me to my hands on the
49:36
steering wheel I in turn handed put my hands back on the steering wheel and says I'll be right back it must have
49:41
been in my mind eight to ten minutes and the real time was probably three or four minutes I see in the rear view mirror
49:47
his headlights that he's reaching for his side pocket and pulling out his ticket book and I go oh no I'm driving
49:54
part-time and vacations FedEx Long Haul commercial driver's license and if you
50:00
get a ticket even in your residential vehicle it shows up on your commercial license I've only been driving for them
50:05
for a year and I'm sure I'm going to lose my job and he said I'm giving you an official warning and I said oh thank
50:12
you sir knowing that wouldn't go on my license she said I've never been sent for getting an official warning before
50:18
he said but you he gets into this now the stern voice says now you understand you're driving in my state and we don't
50:25
put up with Speeders I said yes sir you're going to set your cruise control to 69 miles an hour so you're not going
50:32
more than 70 because I'm gonna tell all my buddies about you and your car and
50:37
they're going to be looking for your Corvette I said yes sir 69 miles an hour it is Sir so we go through you're in
50:43
Reverse turn off the light left turn signal get up to speed and Annie who's got a great Rye sense of humorousness so
50:50
let me see why did he stop us it's 5 45 in the morning we're in a red car it's a
50:57
Corvette the license plate says warp speed I wonder what gave him probable
51:03
cause and we were over the speed limit I was so happy and we still have a copy of
51:08
that written official warning to this day that's a great story John that's
51:13
funny but you got out of a ticket that's a good thing well buddy thank you again for coming
51:19
back on Corvette today and giving us more stories about every Corvette owner has a story those are fantastic it's my
51:26
pleasure and I've been smiling talking about them you bet I have more and I can't wait to tell you maybe a year from
51:32
now or hopefully actually in November our first C8 Z06 story driving home from
51:38
Bowling Green to Oregon the long way around because we're not taking our new car over the Rockies in November that'll
51:44
be a great story too we'll do that in part three how's that sound sounds like fun all right buddy thank you John my
51:51
pleasure thank you thanks for listening to Corvette today and please be sure to tell your family friends and other core
51:56
of that enthusiasts about the Corvette Today podcast and thanks to our sponsors wheelcraft want to dress up your
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Corvette with bright Chrome or black chrome wheels visit wheelcraft.com to learn about their Advanced PVD chrome
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finishing they can refinish your wheels or offer a wheel exchange for most models and it comes with a five-year
52:13
warranty visit wheelcraft.com today or call 833
52:18
840-5334 American hydrocarbon and americanhydrocarbon.com true wealth and
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Company at retirewithtrue.com also erolari Wheels get 100 off your purchase
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if you've been listening to Corvette today with Steve Garrett if you'd like to contact Steve with any thoughts on
52:48
the podcast or ideas for guests on Corvette today you can email him at Steve Garrett DJ gmail.com
52:55
that's Steve Garrett DJ gmail.com Garrett has two r's and two T's or
53:02
connect with Steve on social media on Facebook Twitter or Instagram using at
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Steve Garrett DJ thanks again for listening to Corvette today [Music]
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