1992 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Personal story and photograph submitted by owner John DeLong - courtesy of the National Corvette Museum website - for participation in the National Corvette Museum 2008 Historic Motorama II.
Hello, I am a 1992 dark red metallic Corvette coupe, and I am very well optioned with sport bucket seats, selective ride, 6-speed manual transmission and dual roof panels. How about my color, dark red metallic, not too common as only 5½% of ‘92s were painted like me.
My history, well I am a lucky Corvette as I have been in the same family since day one. You see, in September 1991, my owner went to the John Powell Advanced Driving School at Mosport, fell in love with the new 300 HP LT1 motor, select ride handling package and sport seats and said, “I need one of these.” But how? First he had to sell the 1967 Sting Ray, and then order the new one. That's me - ordered on December 13, 1991 and delivered on February 21, 1992. I am VIN number 8,858 and the 989,724 th Corvette made since 1953, and there are not too many of us ‘92s, only 20,094 for the entire year.
My owner bought me to drive, “hey what is this - a commuter car”. My owner said that he never had a bad day at work if I was waiting for him for the trip home - boy did he love those on and off ramps! We went NASCAR racing - Richmond, Darlington, Martinsville, Dover, Pocono and Charlotte. At Darlington, a “good old boy” saved a spot on his lawn just for me every year. Said I looked great except for the #3 on my hatch window. But he still held my spot right between two trees so no one could get close.
And we took vacations - the Carolinas, Tennessee and back to my birthplace in Bowling Green. They say I am small but you should see what they got into my hatch and the lady is a born shopper.
I was the queen for quite a few years - #1 so to speak, and then came a new C-5. At first, I was disappointed but my new life is easier on me - cruises, car shows - more of the spit and polish. Hey, I'm not as young as the new guy, but we still love the open road. Just last year, I toured New England and even climbed Mount Washington - got a few stone chips to prove it.
So here I am today, over sixteen years old and still in the same family. My owner never passes me by without a special look. You know what I mean - the kind of look that happens at a class reunion when you see your old girl friend. It's a special bond that evolves from time and memories. Yes, I'm a keeper.
And I am still sporting my original vanity license plate - LT1 USA1. For my owner and me that says it all - LT1 USA1 .
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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