MICKEY'S CAR ::: It took a full restoration and the extraction of the factory dash to discover a forgotten gas card with Mickey Thompson's name written on it to convince the naysayers that this was, indeed, Mickey's '63 split window.
One of John's cars-a '63 split-window coupe-is a Mickey Thompson race car. the signature split window was opened up to resemble the single rear window of following models until it was finally put back to its more desirable configuration of dual rear windows. But it wasn't the customization that incurred a firestorm, rather it was the authenticity of the car's ownership. It wouldn't be until the restoration when a gas card turned up behind the dashboard with Mickey's name scribed on it that the questions would be quelled.
Another car worth mentioning is, at the time of this writing, in a container sailing across the Atlantic to France. It's one of only five '66-model coupes built to full race spec-big engine, big brakes, big tank, big everything. It was bought new by a Frenchman and shipped straight off to France to be raced at Monza. It's recently been restored with a minimum of updating required to comply with modern safety standards, mostly involving better roll and fire protection and a new fuel cell. It has recently been prepped by the collection's mechanics, Walter, Mike, and Dean, for racing at the Le Mans Classic-a bi-annual, vintage, 24-hour endurance race that includes all the top draws: the smell of hot Castrol, French food, pleasant surroundings and weather, and fabulous vintage Bugattis, GT40s, Corvettes, and Bentleys either hurtling round the track all night long or thundering around the local lanes. The paddocks are open so you can admire these cars from an inch away and chat to the drivers and mechanics . . . depending on the state of their prerace nerves.
Not all of John's cars are scarred and calloused road warriors. A copper L88 Stingray, though driven as any street car, is also beautifully restored and even brandishes a Bloomingdale Gold certification, authenticating the vehicle's originality. He says, "Apart from the wrong year of rear brake calipers and some updated wiring, it does seem to be pretty much stock and original."
The local SOVREN race series-the Pacific Northwest Historics-offers top vintage racing on local tracks in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. SOVREN (.org) also raises funds for the Seattle Children's hospital. Goodman Racing and John Goodman's foundation supports it, as well as supporting mentoring organizations for children such as Big Brothers Big Sisters (www.bbbsa.org).
A winner in business, on the track, and through his charities, John Goodman is a great example for this era and future generations of Corvette lovers to come.
 RED, WHITE, & BLUE ::: Bathed in patriotic stars and stripes, these cars may not have any special racing history, but... |  They do make a scene wherever they go, and that is enough to make John smile. |  MORE FUN ::: Many performance enthusiasts recognize automotive perfection outside of their single brand loyalties. That would explain the Ferraris, Porsches, and the Pontiac GTO in John's collection. |
 |  UNFINISHED ::: Not all of John's collection are finished or Corvettes. |  While some of his Corvettes are being pieced back together, this AC Cobra undergoes some necessary work to get it back on the road. |