The '66 Sting Ray that you see here is what the NCRS calls an "example car." That's because it served as an example during the advanced judging seminar that NCRS held during its winter meet early this year in Kissimmee, Florida. They couldn't have picked a more distinctive midyear as an example, thanks to one very significant feature: The RPO K19 Air Injection Reactor (AIR) pump, an early-generation emission-control device required on all Corvettes sold new in California that year, and factory-installed on just 2,380 of the 27,720 '66 Sting Rays that rolled out of St. Louis Assembly.inline_mediumwraptextright26685313/featuredvehicles/corp_0912_1966_chevrolet_corvettecorp_0912_01+1966_chevrolet_corvette_sting_ray_coupe.jpgTrue

There are at least as many reasons why some Corvette lovers have more than one example of America's Only True Sports Car as there are multiple Corvette households. That holds true for DeSoto, Missouri's Terry Smith. Several years ago, Terry and his wife, Kathy, were at Corvette Funfest at Mid America Motorworks. They were proudly showing off their L79-powered '68 Corvette as part of the "Funfest 50," chosen to represent the first-year C3 in that special display honoring Corvette's 50th Anniversary. Their '68 was flanked by two other Vettes that had something that the Smith's Shark didn't have. "I had a '67 big-block on one side of me, and a '69 big-block on the other," says Terry. "I told my wife, 'I think that we need to start looking for a big-block." But, unlike some spouses who may have disagreed, Kathy went along with the idea. "I had just about talked myself out of buying it, and she said, 'Let's go ahead. It's an investment, and we might as well have fun as we're doing it," he says. "She didn't twist my arm too far, though!"inline_mediumwraptextright30916200/featuredvehicles/corp_0912_1968_chevrolet_corvettecorp_0912_01+1968_chevrolet_corvette_coupe.jpgTrue

Data File: '67 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible
Owners: Jeff and Diane Cleary, Chesapeake, Virginia

Each Corvette project is a challenge. With many Vette projects, that involves a car that's complete, or at least intact. When John Kundrat started on this project, he had a far bigger challenge on his hands, one that took him about four-and-a-half years to complete. "It was a complete car that had been stored about 7-8 years and not run for a long time," recalls John. "It had a rotted frame."inline_mediumwraptextright30957636/featuredvehicles/corp_0911_1964_chevrolet_corvettecorp_0911_01_z+1964_chevrolet_corvette+front_view.jpgTrue

What comes to mind when you see the term rental car? A boring midsize sedan used (and sometimes abused) by dozens of renters before it's sold off as a boring midsize used car? Forget all that. Hertz has a fleet of Corvette ZHZ coupes in their "Fun Collection," and they'll be adding similarly-outfitted Corvette ZHZ convertibles this fall.

What generation of Corvette makes the best Vette Rod? Some say the C2, combining the classic Sting Ray styling with latter-day Vette power and handling. Some say the C4, as a well-used one can be turned into quite a performer and looker (like what we're doing with Project C4orce). Wayne Ausherman's '56 makes a strong case for treating first-generation Corvettes to Vette Rod-style powertrain and chassis updates, along with some custom touches all its own.inline_mediumwraptextrightUnderdash lighting sets off the distinctively-painted dash, billet steering wheel, and the interior trim, which includes repro carpeting and ultra-leather seat covers.26392222/featuredvehicles/corp_0911_1956_chevrolet_corvettecorp_0911_02_+1956_chevrolet_corvette_coupe+orange_glow_interior.jpgTrue

We call the home of this restored C1 "The Land of Oz" for three simple reasons. The first one is obvious—owner Marc Osmun's home in Fulton, New York is located a short drive north of Chittenango, the hometown of Wizard of Oz creator L. Frank Baum.inline_mediumwraptextright26393854/featuredvehicles/corp_0908_1959_chevrolet_corvettecorp_0908_01+1959_chevrolet_corvette+front_bumper.jpgTrue

If you're a long-time reader of Corvette Fever, then you've seen this car in these pages once before. It was in May of 1995, when we first brought you the story of the Guldstrand Specialty Vehicles' Corvette Nassau Roadster. As some of you may recall, in the early '90s Guldstrand created their version of the Ultimate Corvette, the GS-90, starting with a four-cam LT5-powered ZR-1 and adding unique carbon-fiber bodywork along with extensive upgrades to the chassis, suspension and brakes. However, the GS-90's price tag-which included a $134,500 premium over the ZR-1's $66K-plus base sticker price-was a bit much for even top-end Corvette enthusiasts, plus there was also call for a convertible version of the GS-90. As the ZR-1 was only offered on the C4 coupe, Guldstrand used the base C4 Corvette convertible to build the Nassau Roadster.inline_mediumwraptextrightA production '95 Corvette interior sits inside Nassau No. 001's carbon-fiber bodywork26389087/featuredvehicles/corp_0910_1995_guldstrand_nassau_roadstercorp_0910_02_+1995_chevrolet_corvette+front_interior.jpgTrue

Following the '63 season, Gulf One was succeeded by the next year's racing Corvette (just as it had taken the place of the '62). Davis sold it to Doc Blatchley, who raced it before selling it to Robert Bienerth. He later sold it to Don Pulver, who owned it until 1991.Then, it was sold again-to Rich Mason, who commissioned a total restoration by Carson City, Nevada, Corvette specialist Chet Bunch. Following that, it was sold to Harry Yeaggy, who preserved the restored Gulf One in race-ready condition before selling it a few years ago.

We've got our copy editor carefully checking through our other stories and back issues to make sure we haven't used up all of our superlative adjectives because we're gonna need plenty for this story. Here's why. This is the outrageous Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Commemorative Corvette. It has a fire-breathing 427 CID engine that makes an incredible 725 hp and an unbelievable 730 lb-ft of torque. No, it is not a fanciful concept car built to "wow" a handful of show-goers. The Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Commemorative Corvette is a production automobile available right now to anyone who's ready to step up with the price.

Have you ever tried to hide a Corvette where people are least likely to find it? That's what many Vette lovers have done over the years, when it comes to garaging their pride(s) and joy(s). But, when it comes to building a Corvette, especially a Vette Rod, how about hiding one Corvette inside the other? That's what Doyle Thomas did, and the result is the '66 "Z066" that you see here. Inspiration came from a familiar source. (HINT: You're holding a copy of it.) "We saw an article a few years back in Corvette Fever, about how Philadelphia Motorsports had done a C3," Doyle recalls. "We were really impressed by what we saw in the article, and we thought we'd take it a step further and do it with a C2. It's very impressive."

After testing and racing in the hands of privateers (Chevrolet was officially not racing), the design was debugged and fitted with larger brakes, big cooling slots behind the rear wheels, the signature rear fender flares, wider 9.5-inch wheels, and an oil cooler for the differential.

Back in my editorial column in the November 2008 issue, I briefly spoke about following your dreams and about Steve Ali and his new shop in North Ridgeville, Ohio, Xtreme Performance. Steve had invited me up to his grand opening of the new facility which was being held back on July 19 of last year and I was able to make it up for one hell of a party. Steve also happened to be celebrating his 40th birthday that weekend, so to say the place got a little wild is an understatement. But this feature is really not about Steve, it is about Xtreme Performance. While it can be somewhat difficult to separate Steve from Xtreme, I will do the best I can with what I have.inline_mediumwraptextright26355556/featuredvehicles/corp_0909_xtreme_performancecorp_0909_01+xtreme_performance+outside_shot.jpgTrue

ZR1 Factoids
The ZR1 "Special Purpose Engine Package" cost $968.95 - almost 20% the base cost of the car. The package consisted of the LT1 engine with a lightweight flywheel and high-torque starter; M22 HD close ratio four-speed manual transmission; F41 suspension comprising special 89lb front springs, 121 lb rear springs, matching shock absorbers and .75" front stabilizer bar; J56 HD Brake Package with power assist, dual-pin front calipers and semi-metallic brake pads; HD (high-capacity) Aluminum radiator with overflow tank; HD Positraction rear end; and various parts left over from the previous model year's high-performance parts bins. The only "options" available when ordering the special-purpose engine package were the deluxe interior and tilt/telescope steering column. Power windows, power steering, air conditioning (like all LT1's), radio, rear window defrosters and PO2 wheel covers were not available with RPO ZR1. The C3 ZR1's are essentially an L88-prepped chassis, fitted with a slightly modified LT1 rather than the 430hp 427.

Data File: '63 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray coupe
Owner: Nick Minoia, Succasunna, New Jersey

Though it may consist of a good portion of our edit, Corvette Fever is not a "restoration" magazine. We are a Corvette enthusiast magazine, offering features, technical articles, and information touching upon every aspect of these amazing cars. To know Corvette Fever fanatics is to know that not every one of their cars is a rotisserie-restored, pampered trailer queen. Some of them snort, spit, and boil tires at will. Many of them have chips in the paint, tears in the seats, and bald spots in the carpet. Many leak some fluid or another, and a fair majority have warranted their owner a citation or two from an officer of the peace. To break it down, Corvettes are automobiles, and automobiles are made for transportation. It's just that Corvettes do it a lot faster and with more pizzazz than any other car on the road. So, when it came to this month's issue we knew we might ruffle a few feathers by showing Gregory Janko's super-rare, factory-white '65 396/425hp four-speed street thrasher.

What's on the Shelf this time? Plenty, if you're a restorer, Vette Rod builder, or if you need reference and tutorial information in easy reach on your shop's bookshelf.

Twelve wins in fourteen starts. That sounds like a win record that today's Corvette Team would be proud to claim for their on-track efforts with the C6.R. But that 12-of-14 record wasn't generated by any of the sixth-generation Corvette road racers. Instead, it was generated by this car-a '62 Corvette, built at St. Louis but intended for racing from day one.

Data File: '56 Chevrolet Corvette
Currently owned by John and Sally Neas, Tulsa, Oklahoma

From descriptive how-to books that spell out how components work and/or can be restored or modified, to lavishly illustrated histories, we've got another selection of Corvette-themed and Corvette-related books for you. We'll start with the historical tomes first.

There are Corvettes...there are factory-built limited edition Corvettes...and then there are the Callaway Corvettes. If you're looking to add Callaway Cars' upgrades to a not-yet-built C6, it's a fairly easy matter to order one through Chevrolet and Callaway's dealer network. But, if you're looking at one that's already been built, and you'd like one finished in the same exterior/interior color scheme, you might have to wait. That's because Callaway only does one of each color combo per year. So says Erie, Colorado's Jayna Martin.

If you stripped the Corvette of everything faddish, excessive, impulsive, nonessential, or there for vanity, what you'd be left with would have DNA like Terry Ricer's '70 LT1 roadster. Boiled down to its essence, Corvette is a highly tuned, small-block V-8, mounted in a superb chassis, wrapped in a dramatic, two-seater, fiberglass body. Those three elements combine in ways that exceed the sum of the parts to make every mile of the Corvette driving experience a festival.

His 2007-vintage C6s have some interesting stories behind them, starting with the yellow one. Per Wil, when Millennium Yellow was added to the Vette's color selection, it wasn't phased-in as new colors had been before. "What I told the customers was, `We're going to pull ahead new colors, and put them up front, because that's what people want," Wil says of the decision to make that bright yellow available from the start of the model run. And, what of his Velocity Yellow '07? Wil says, "It was a manufacturing-validation vehicle, from very early in the production phase." Wil drove it to Corvette events and, seeing not only how it performed but also Corvette lovers' reactions to it, made up his mind to add a yellow one to his collection.

When last we featured Rich and Barb Lagasse's '63 Sting Ray Coupe, it was to tell the world the definition of "Pro Classic." That was in our February issue ("Pro Classic, Defined," Page 46), and it wrapped up the series of articles CF brought you on this special split-window's construction. We called them recently to see what's happened since then, and to get an update on their experiences with this very special Corvette.