Anthony Larosa's Mille Miglia Red '70 beats Coney Island every timeAnthony Larosa, a member of the C.A.A.R.S. of Scottsdale, Arizona, owns this Mille Miglia Red '70 Corvette. His interest in Corvettes began when he was only 17. Just after he got his driver's license, he convinced his father to look at a '72 Corvette Stingray. The owner of the car wanted to show him how well it handled; so, with Anthony's father looking on, the man took Anthony and the car for a little testdrive. He drove under a highway overpass, locked the brakes and, downshifting from Third into Second, hung a U-turn. Just as the back started to slide he let out the clutch, punched out Second, and came to a stop right in front of Anthony's father. According to Anthony, "This beat the rush I felt sitting in the first car on the Cyclone, a roller coaster in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York." His father didn't share his excitement, to say the least. The two left immediately and Anthony's Corvette dreams were put on hold for some 20 years.
When he was 37, Anthony finally found this beautiful convertible. He spent the next three years removing all of the aftermarket parts and painstakingly searching for the original ones in order to return the car to stock. Ken Carollo of the Vette Shoppe in Tempe did what Anthony couldn't. Ken did all of the work on the engine, transmission, and rearend. After tweaking the motor a bit himself, Anthony ended up with 350 horses net at the rear wheels. The Corvette has a Muncie four-speed and 3.36:1 gears. It also has A/C, power brakes and steering, leather seats, custom interior trim, and a passenger-side mirror.
Anthony made his first Route 66 run in May 1999, from Seligman to Golden Shores, and was at the first ever "Vette Fest West." The Corvette was selected as one of Corvette Fever's top five picks on Saturday, May 14, 1999.
Anthony said he was hoping for his 15 minutes of fame here in CF, and now he has it.