The Heartbeat of America and the quest to Find New Roads…

Posted on November 12, 2013 by digitaldtour

“Find New Roads” is the latest slogan from Chevrolet, as part of their marketing campaign for 2013. And that’s exactly what a handful of 2014 C7 Corvette Stingrays did on Saturday, November 2.

Since the end of August, those in attendance at cars&coffee/Irvine have been treated to random, up close viewings of the brand new C7 Corvette, and on the morning of November 2, all present were treated to the largest gathering of 2014 Corvette Stingrays to date, and in previously unseen colors.

First up was this 2014 C7 coupe in Blade Silver, as seen below.

A shock of color; the black interior accented by a pair of red seats, center console panels and door trim…

Next in line was this beautiful black on black, 2014 Corvette coupe.

For 2014 the real thing; a front hood with louvers that are fully functional.

Polarized light captured and refracted within the top of the headlight lens (below).

$2014 Black on black Corvette Sting Ray_ polarized light refractions visible on the headlight lens_cars&coffee/irvine_November 2, 2013$

The last of the trio of brand news Corvettes was this eye-popping, Velocity Yellow Stingray coupe.

The new Stingray badge, found on the front fenders, positioned just behind each diagonal vent (see above and below).

Ironically, parked a short distance away from this trio, was another 2014 Corvette Stingray. This particular C7 was wrapped in Torch red, and equipped with the Z-51 performance package. Included in this package are 19″ front and 20″ rear, 5 – split spoke wheels, which on this car had been finished in black (one of only three finishes available from Chevrolet), all wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport ZP rubber.

Another example of the optional, two-toned interiors available.

The owners tribute to Chief Engineer and the recognized godfather of the Corvette: Zora Arkus-Duntov.

The 6.2 liter, 460 horsepower LT1, complete with an extensive list of the Z51 Performance package whistles and bells, including dry sump lubrication.

Holding to the mornings Corvette theme, and parked across the row from the trio of 2014 Corvettes, was an early sibling in the form of a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Split Window coupe. Dressed in Sebring Silver and sporting an early fuel injected motor.

The trendsetting interior, circa 1963…

and state of the art, Corvette fuel injected motor from 1963 as seen below.

Another of the classic details found on the 1963 Sting Ray; faux, front hood louvers.

The source of inspiration for the 2014 C7 front fender vents?

The unmistakable lines of the 1963 Corvette, Split window coupe.

Continuing the Chevrolet theme for the morning, was this beautiful example of a Tri-5 Bel-Air coupe. And parked in close proximity, was a custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle with styling and design inspiration taken directly from the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.

I was surprised to learn that this custom-built Harley Davidson with Bel Air overlay, and parked before me had been built in Europe, by the company Luporacing (based in France). For information about Luporacing, or to view the progress /build photos of this motorcycle (“HD Bel Air”), please refer to the following link (for luporacing.com).

So taking a cue from Chevrolet, and regardless of whether you ride a motorcycle or drive a car, a challenge has been made: “Find New Roads”. I suspect that the owners of the 2014 Corvettes identified above are already way ahead of the rest of us…

(All photos by the author)

Living in the past…

Posted on October 13, 2013 by digitaldtour

This past Saturday was one of those mornings that felt like I was living in the past. It was bursting at the seams with nostalgia, especially for fans of automotive classics. Where else could you experience multiple examples of BMW’s rare, 1970s classic coupe (specifically the 3.0 CSI model), or two pristine 1967 Corvette Sting Rays parked side by side, in both coupe and convertible variants. And where else could you discover a rare example of Porsches 964 Turbo (in this case a stunning example of the limited production model / one year only variant; the 1993-94 3.6 liter Turbo).

When it comes to BMW’s, one of my favorite models is the E9 series, 3.0 CSI produced from 1971 through 1975. I remember becoming aware of this particular model back in 1972; a classmate in high school was driven to school one day by his dad, who just happened to own a red with black interior, 1972 CS. Seeing that car in person for the first time made a huge aesthetic impact on me. I was immediately impressed by its proportions, details and stance. And to this day, every time I see one I’m taken back to my initial encounter back in 1972.

So on this very morning, imagine my surprise when I encountered not one but three examples of the E9 BMW 3.0 (two in the CS form and one CSI model).

And as noted by the rear badging and license plate, this particular car has undergone an owner upgrade to its motor in the form of a displacement increase; a bump up from the original stock 3.0 to 3.8 liters…

while its neighbor retained its stock 3.0 liter CS motor.

The third coupe (also a CS 3.0) ironically was parked just across the aisle from the first two, dressed in black.

The classic, purpose-built 3.0 CS coupe interior, complete with tan leather interior, wooden trim and wood rimmed Nardi steering wheel, as seen above.

Over at the featured lot I experienced another example of living in the past. In this case, two cars fresh from 1967; a pair of 427 Corvette Sting Rays parked side by side. The coupe in Marlboro Maroon with a black stinger hood, and the roadster in Tuxedo Black with a white stinger hood.

The beautifully restored Tuxedo Black, 1967 427 Corvette Sting Ray roadster.

A showroom fresh interior (below).

The spotless, period correct 1967 Corvette wheels, wrapped in a set of red striped tires (above).

Upon my return to Porsche row, I found this beautiful Silver Porsche 964 Turbo parked all alone. Upon closer inspection, I realized this car was far from the stock turbo model. The Speedline wheels and the badge residing on the rear deck lid confirmed that this was in fact one of the limited production, 3.6 liter models, and was fit with a competition rear wing sourced from Porsche’s 3.8 964 RS model.

The custom-built, 3 piece modular wheels from Speedline unique to the 3.6 Turbo; sized 8J x !8 up front, and 10J X 18 out back.

What brings me back to this event week after week is the ability to reconnect with automotive memories forged in the past, by simply seeing a particular make or model of car. And in talking with the other participants, this seems to be a common thread that we all share; a brief moment for living in the past.

(All photos by the author)

What’s blue or black and wears a split window out back?

Posted on September 26, 2013 by digitaldtour

What color is that? Prior to the sun coming up, by all accounts it appeared to be black. However as the sun began to rise, there was a faint glint of blue that could be perceived. Or was it just the early morning sky reflecting off of the pristine bodywork?

Depending on the model year, if this had been 1951, the vehicle in question could have been be a split window Volkswagen Beetle (as seen below).

However, in this case the subject just happened to be a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, a.k.a. the split window coupe. A unique design feature available for only one year, and it just happens to be one of my all time favorite Corvettes.

So with the sun finally coming up, i could clearly see that this 1963 Sting Ray was in fact Daytona Blue and not the alternative, which in 1963 would have been Tuxedo Black. So now it was time to get serious and record my chance encounter with this stunning split window coupe…

These very cool knock-off wheels were offered as an option (P 48) for 1963. However, after doing some research, I learned that back in 1963 Chevrolet did not deliver any of their optional, knock off wheels on the Corvette, due to quality issues. So I suspect that these wheels were likely sourced from a later model Corvette.

The classic 1963 Sting Ray contours; split rear windows and the raised, central spine detail that bisects the roof and continues down the back of the car, all blending seamlessly into the rear bodywork.

A stepping stone in the evolution of Corvette interiors, circa 1963. Design elements found in the 1963 interior continued to evolve, and their influences can still be found in Chevrolet’s latest offering for 2014, in their new Corvette Stingray.

Front hood reflections and the unique, dual faux grills.

As cool as the 2014 Corvette Stingray is, when all is said and done, it’s going to be hard to beat an original, and especially a 1963 split window.

(All photos by the author)

A last look at the final Cars&Coffee / Irvine show for 2012…

Posted on January 1, 2013 by digitaldtour

December was a difficult month for Cars&Coffee/Irvine, given the rainy Saturdays mornings that carried over from the end of November and into the first several weeks of December. Fortunately, for the last two weeks, the weather has cooperated and the event has been rain free. However, along with the arrival of winter to Southern California, came cold and brisk Saturday mornings as those experienced over the past two weeks; perfect for dusting off those racing jackets and for the consumption of the events namesake beverage, Coffee…

The final Cars&Coffee event for 2012 stayed true to form, and delivered up another cool morning with scattered gray clouds, but without rain. Porsche row was well represented and filled up quickly with some amazing cars.

The clear weather also brought out another frequent visitor to the show; the white 1966 Porsche 906 Carrera as seen below.

The owner was kind enough to open the rear deck, revealing the period correct, F.I.A. spec 2.0 liter boxer six race motor.

Parked over at the featured lot was this white 2011 Porsche GT3RS, with its tinted windows reflecting the approaching gray cloud banks…

A black, 1957 Corvette roadster, reflecting on its surroundings…

Parked across from Porsche row, was this like-new, low mileage Red 1989 Porsche Speedster, for sale and on display by the firm AutoKennel.

Another frequent visitor to Cars&Coffee is this beautiful silver, 1963 Corvette split window coupe, complete with fuel injected motor.

Another marque represented in large numbers that morning was Lotus, which included several examples of the new Evora coupe.

And located out on the very back row of the parking lot representing Audi, was this brand new 2012 R8, V10 Spyder, in Teak brown metallic.

Back on Porsche row, I had returned just in time for a brief conversation with Magnus Walker, just prior to his getting ready to leave. I wanted to ask him about the status of his latest creation, his 1972 911 STR 002, that I had been reading about on his website. He shared with me that the car was still undergoing its final shake down, fine tuning and detailing, but once the work was complete, he would return to Cars&Coffee to display his latest project. He then reached over to his passenger seat, grabbed several Urban Outlaw stickers and gave them to me, then wished me a Happy New Years, fired up his 911 and drove away.

Shortly after his departure and my grabbing this shot, the gray clouds that had been present all morning grew even darker, and a light drizzle began to fall. Reading this as a sign, I headed back to my car, and packed up my gear to return home. By the time I reached Anaheim on the northbound 5 freeway, the spotty drizzle had turned into full-blown rain, which continued for the rest of my trip home.

Ironically, I checked out the Magnus Walker website on Sunday the 30th and found the following post (Sunday December 30, 2012, “Hoosier in the rain”), recounting his sketchy return trip home from Cars&Coffee in the rain, which can be accessed via the following link.

This marks my last blog post for 2012, and I would like to thank everyone who visited digitaldtour.com this past year, and also to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy and prosperous 2013.

(All photos by the author)

digitaldtour

A photographic journey through the Southern California car culture

Category Archives: Corvette Sting Ray

The Heartbeat of America and the quest to Find New Roads…

Living in the past…

What’s blue or black and wears a split window out back?

A last look at the final Cars&Coffee / Irvine show for 2012…