Representing one of the ZR-1s was a Competition Yellow '94, one of 43 built in this color. It had 58,000 miles and sold for $23,250.
Numerous Corvettes in the "needs work" classification were driven into the auction arena this year. For those with a limited budget and the ability to do restoration work, these Corvettes were good buys. Seven of them sold at prices below $7,000.
Late-model C5s were offered with mileage ranging from 248 to 47,000 miles. A Torch Red '98 roadster with 248 miles sold for $28,500. At the other end of the spectrum was an '00 Millennium Yellow roadster with 44,000 miles that changed owners for $27,100.
Top honors went to an '02 Speedway White roadster with 7,700 miles at $34,000. At the low end was a 47,000-mile Corvette, a Torch Red '99 coupe that sold for $18,600, a definite good buy for the new owner.
Corvette buyers find the broadest array of models and body styles, bids and sales, features and conditions at the auction. And Dana Mecum ensures the largest volume of Corvettes for sale at his auctions. They are "not to be missed" events for the Corvette enthusiast.
Righthand DriveThe European Corvette SceneBeing a Corvette enthusiast on the wrong side of the Atlantic Ocean has been an interesting experience. The English are a nation of car buffs; our population of 60 million supports some 90 car magazines, and they have strongly held views about their likes and dislikes. We buy more Ferraris than any other nation except the United States and we're the second biggest export market for Porsches.
American cars over here were viewed as ill-handling gas-guzzlers with poor brakes, but the Corvette helped reverse this opinion over the last few years. In 1965, a 396 Corvette was tested by a leading British weekly, and its astonishing 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds made it the fastest they had ever tested. The magazine also loved the massive four-wheel ventilated disc brakes which, by European standards, were well overdue, and the independent rear suspension the Corvette adopted four years ahead of Ferrari. Few Corvettes were imported and most Brits had never seen one, but the big-block Corvette dominated the road-test league through the rest of the '60s and established the car in the popular imagination.
In 1973, GM made a halfhearted effort to sell the Corvette in Europe and concentrated on importing the 454 coupe. But those expecting the performance of the '65 425hp L78 were mostly disappointed by the 270 hp of the LS4, and the following year the gas crisis finished further official imports. Things looked up when Margaret Thatcher was elected prime minister in 1979. She cancelled the previous Labour government's restrictions on foreign travel and imports. Suddenly Florida became the most popular summer vacation spot for those who wanted sunshine and wide-open spaces without the complications of a foreign language and foreign food. We were captivated by the Space Center, Disney World, giant hamburgers, the easy-going lifestyle, and the sheer size of the United States. A new generation fell in love with American cars, and the best of them was the fabulous Corvette, its exuberant curves quite unlike anything available in old Europe. The later C3s were not particularly fast, but they looked great and we Brits bought them for their style and shipped them home by the hundreds.
The United States led the world in the pursuit of low vehicle emissions. The resulting federal regulations meant that from 1975 the Corvette was fitted with a restrictive catalytic converter and ran a low compression to cope with the unleaded gas it required. We didn't have unleaded gas, or "petrol" as we call it, until the mid-'80s, and no catalytic converters until 1992. Of course, we were quick to fit our Corvettes with full dual exhausts to retrieve some power, usually in stainless steel to resist the corrosive effect of the wet and often salty road surfaces.