1979 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Personal story and photograph submitted by owner Randy McClure - courtesy of the National Corvette Museum website - for participation in the National Corvette Museum 2008 Historic Motorama II.
I am Randy McClure, NCM Lifetime Member, and Member of Huntsville Alabama's Valley Vettes. I guess I have wanted a Corvette since I was 8 years old. That was when I first fell under the spell of the Corvette. It wasn't until some 32 years later when I bought my first Corvette. I had been attending graduations of our Police Officers from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in southeast Georgia for a number of years. Jim Worrall, one of the Officers who had graduated a year earlier, told me he wanted to attend the next graduation. I asked Jim, who has a red 1972, if we were going to take his Vette. Jim agreed and we set out on the 500-mile trip. I didn't know if Jim had any thought of me driving his '72 or not. Well somewhere along I-16 Jim, being the good Corvette owner, gave me the keys and told me to drive the rest of the way. I was anxious but eagerly accepted and it wasn't far down the road that I decided I had to have a Corvette.
Shortly after my first experience driving a Corvette, I found my first Corvette a 1979 L-82 four speed. The man that had it was the father of a 15-year-old who was about to get her driver's license. He had to sell or let her drive it as her first car. I had to have this Vette for two reasons. First, it was a Corvette, and second it was a 79, the same year my son was born. In 2002, this Corvette was the 1979 Alternate for the first Historic Motorama kicking off the yearlong celebration for Corvette's 50th Anniversary. In 2003, the Corvette was on display in Nashville as part of the Evolution Display for Corvette's 50th Birthday. After that, the National Corvette Museum displayed my 1979 as part of their 10th Anniversary. After being on display in the museum for about a year, my son, Nicholas and his wife Jennifer took over care of the car. For more than three years now, they have been doing a great job.
Although neither Nicholas nor Jennifer, who are also NCM Lifetime Members, will be able to take part in the Historic Motorama II, they are letting me take the car on this trip. Between Nicholas and I, we currently have three Corvettes, this 1979 Coupe, a 1996 Collector Edition Coupe, and a 2004 Commemorative Edition Convertible. Being long-time friends, Linda Davis has agreed to let her husband, Bill, go along on this historic trip. We are looking forward to participating in the National Corvette Museum's Historic Motorama II to commemorate GM's 100 the Anniversary.
Randy McClure
NCM Lifetime Member 1173
mcclurerd@policeone.com
When GM celebrates the beginning of its next 100 years on September 16, 2008, 55 Corvettes will be on display outside its World Headquarters at Detroit’s Renaissance Center. The Corvettes are in fact the Historic Motorama II, a caravan from the National Corvette Museum (NCM) which is comprised of one example from each of the 55 years of Corvette production. The caravan will depart from the National Corvette Museum on September 10th with stops along the way. People attending the GMnext Day activities on September 16th will be able to view the Corvettes before and after the official program.
Look at the next Historic Motorama II Corvette participant, representing a cross-section of Corvette enthusiasts from across the country.
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