1981 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Personal story and photograph submitted by owner JoAnn Wall - courtesy of the National Corvette Museum website - for participation in the National Corvette Museum 2008 Historic Motorama II.
Our love of Corvettes started in 1962 when my, soon-to-be, husband Larry bought (with my encouragement) a white 1960 with red interior hardtop/convertible. A few years later, when thoughts of starting a family got closer to reality, we traded our first "baby" in for a big new sedan. We were snot-nosed kids and what did we know about classic cars?! Now that we are older and wiser (?), trading in the '60 was not one of our best decisions, but the love affair never died.
Another Vette in our lives seemed like a dream that would never have the opportunity to materialize, but in late 2006 our Motorama II story began. While attending a grief support group, I met a woman whose husband had passed away a few months earlier. During our discussions, she mentioned having a couple of Corvettes her and her husband owned that she needed to sell. I inquired about the cars thinking if I knew anyone that was interested I would send them her way.
Several months passed and knowing my new friend had not sold the cars yet, my husband and I decided to set up a time to take a peek - what would that hurt? After all, we had to know what we were recommending to others as a possible purchase.
When the barn doors opened, it was love at first sight. It was déjà vu; a white 1995 Corvette convertible with red interior AND a 1981 two-tone beige/dark bronze T-Top was sitting there with open arms (doors), just waiting for us to have a seat. We took them for a test drive, already knowing this was a "meant-to-be" moment. My friend was willing to sell them separately but preferred them to go to another loving home together - the rest is history. We use the '95 as our fun cruiser and the '81 as our show car. We support many local car events, but this will be our first big excursion.
In 1981 and the only year in Corvette history, 40,606 Corvette Sport Coupes were built simultaneously at two different locations; St. Louis, Missouri. and Bowling Green, Kentucky. This car, a factory original, is one of 5,757 four-speed manual shift transmissions built in Bowing Green. It is also one of 5,352 cars painted with a two-tone color combination and one of the first to use enamel with clearcoat finishes. It was also the last year for the carbureted engine. It is the last of the Mako Shark generation and has less than 20,000 original miles.
Home of the celebrated Woodward Dream Cruise, Michigan will be honored to welcome the "cruise of Corvettes" to the Motor city. Being chosen to represent the 1981 production of the Corvette in the 2008 NCM Historic Motorama II celebrating the 100th year of General Motors (my husband retired from GM after 40+ of those years), is a true honor and a once-in-a-lifetime event. However, the real honor is to take and dedicate this ride to Jim Bowen and his wife Rose who shared and share our enthusiasm of Corvettes. Rose lovingly passed on their pride and enjoyment of two of America's ORIGINAL sports cars - THE CORVETTE - to Larry and JoAnn Wall. Without them, this ride would not be possible. Thank you.
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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