2012 MotorTrend Auto Show

Twelve NMCA members gathered at Shane's office and caravanned downtown to 3rd street in front of the Albuquerque Convention Center to display a variety of Corvettes for the 2012 MotorTrend International Auto Show. The day started very nice but as luck would have it the weather hampered us later in the day. By mid afternoon the winds were howling and the sand was flying. We had to pack up leave earlier than planned. It was still a fun positive day, meeting and greeting the Corvette interested public.

Submitted by Stephen Hopkins
4/19/12

NMCA Makes Diaper Run

Sunday, March 25th the NMCA gathered at Shane LeMon's office to make a diaper donation run to Joy Junction. We had this date planned for quite a while, but when Shane called Joy Junction they informed him that the timing was great as they were in dire need of diapers. We had 20 people participate with ten Corvettes and a Mustang (Shane's daughters). We caravanned from Shane's office through downtown to Joy Junction where they were very happy to accept our donation. We then continued on the Sonic in Los Lunas for lunch and conversation. The weather was great and we got the run in before the winds really kicked up. Nothing like a springtime drive in a Vette!

Submitted by Stephen Hopkins
3/31/12

NMCA Wins Again At 2012 SuperNationals

The NMCA entered six Corvettes, one of each generation, in the 2012 SuperNationals February 3 - 5, 2012. Once again our Corvette Corral display garnered an award, second place (the Chevy club snagged first) which got us $100.

Richard Alexander won a first in Radical Sports and Outstanding Resto Mod with his beautiful 57.
Mike Montoya 3rd in class and Outstanding Sports with his 66 Black big block.
Dominic Lepore 2nd in class with his beautiful blue 95 coupe.
James Romero 2nd Conservative Custom Sports with his wild 98 coupe
David Gwilt 1st Conservative Custom Sports and Outstanding Sports Detail with his 07 coupe.

Also, Mike Rothman garnered 1st in class and Outstanding Rod Closed Detail with his outstanding Ford Pickup.

See all event photos in Photo section.

Submitted by Stephen Hopkins
3/31/12

Happy Birthday Corvette

June 28, 1953 - The Corvette birthday.

On this day in 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, assemble the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would become an American icon. The first completed production car rolled off the assembly line two days later, one of just 300 Corvettes made that year.

The idea for the Corvette originated with General Motors' pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing plans for a low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe's MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris. The project was eventually code-named "Opel." In January 1953, GM debuted the Corvette concept car at its Motorama auto show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. It featured a fiberglass body and a six-cylinder engine and according to GM, was named for the "trim, fleet naval vessel that performed heroic escort and patrol duties during World War II." The Corvette was a big hit with the public at Motorama and GM soon put the roadster into production.

On June 30, 1953, the first Corvette came off the production line in Flint. It was hand-assembled and featured a Polo White exterior and red interior, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, a wraparound windshield, whitewall tires and detachable plastic curtains instead of side windows. The earliest Corvettes were designed to be opened from the inside and lacked exterior door handles. Other components included a clock, cigarette lighter and red warning light that activated when the parking brake was applied--a new feature at the time. The car carried an initial price tag of $3,490 and could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 11 or 12 seconds, then considered a fairly average speed.

In 1954, the Corvette went into mass production at a Chevy plant in St. Louis, Missouri. Sales were lackluster in the beginning and GM considered discontinuing the line. However, rival company Ford had introduced the two-seater Thunderbird around the same time and GM did not want to be seen bowing to the competition. Another critical development in the Corvette's survival came in 1955, when it was equipped with the more powerful V-8 engine. Its performance and appeal steadily improved after that and it went on to earn the nickname "America's sports car" and become ingrained in pop culture through multiple references in movies, television and music.

Submitted by Phil Ellison
6/28/11