We usually focus exclusively on the feature cars in this magazine, but this story is about one exceptional man’s love for the Corvette hobby. Not our typical approach, but that’s fitting, because in many respects Brent Ferguson was not a typical man. The passion he exuded for all things Corvette was evident right up to the day he left us.
A long-time NCRS member and very active in national and Florida NCRS activities, Brent also founded Classic Corvettes of Orlando, and was president of that club. His warmth and enthusiasm were legendary among hobbyists.
But he was taken from us too soon. At the age of 49, Brent was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. On March 31, only two months after he helped put on a great show at the Orlando Winter Regional meet (see “Field Of Dreams, South” in the June issue), Brent passed away, leaving us with two examples of one man’s love for our favorite sports car.
Brent drove the two Corvettes shown here for several years before restoring them to prize-winning perfection and moving on to enjoy others. He was passionate about each one. While we were taking the pictures for this story, his wife, Janet, looked over at their Venetian Red ’57 and said, “That one was his baby.”
Brent and this fuel-injected jewel had come to an understanding many years ago. They were tight. The car stalled while we were moving it around for the photos, and we had some trouble starting it again. Ed Augustine, one of Brent’s good friends, mentioned that “If Brent were here, he’d have it running.” It would have taken Brent a fraction of the time we needed to get the 283 fuelie breathing again, but then, we were just strangers.
Brent not only cared for his own Corvettes, but he spent hours on the phone with people from all over the country he would never have the pleasure of meeting personally, sharing his knowledge as a former Judging Team member. He did it for the sheer love of it.
On May 6, Brent’s friends and fellow club members hosted a celebration of his life at Old Town, a local classic car haven, along with a cruise in his memory. Because of all he gave to his club and the hobby at large, it seems fitting that his close friends from Classic Corvettes will take his ’64 Corvette to the NCRS National Convention in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for a Duntov award. Following that, this special Corvette will be housed in the National Corvette Museum for six months, so visitors can enjoy his contribution to the preservation of Corvette history. It is also fitting that his final resting place is Beaver Dam, Kentucky, not so far from the Museum that he can’t keep an eye on things there.
We offer these pages as a tribute to a special man and his love for the hobby. Farewell, Brent.