Mid Alabama Corvette Club - Newsletter










Newsletter Archive

Newsletter, August 2004

 

Message From The President by Wayne Metcalfe

 

Another fun filled month has come and gone. And what a month it was. We had our monthly meeting at the Neighborhood Grill with near record attendance.

We attended Jocko's Cannonball Run. Even though the day started out a little damp, that did not slow our spirits or the cars at this fun filled event. Congratulations to the winners. I just hope we don't drive like this everyday.
Then the club organized the Neighborhood Grill's First Open Car Show. My thanks to all of you that showed up to help with the show or showed your pride and joy that day. The Club was the big winner making $995.00 at the show. My thanks to the Neighborhood Grill for sponsoring the show, and the members who showed up to help make the show a success.

This has been a busy month, but hold on more fun is on the way. It won't be long until November when we will hold our elections for next year's officers and appoint next year's committees. It is not too early to start thinking about this and let me know if you would be interested in holding an office or serving as a committee chairperson. There are many new capable members in this club that could step up to the plate and make 2005 a very successful year. All offices are open for election this year. According to our by-laws, a Nominating Committee will be appointed in September to solicit members for office, who demonstrate exceptional interest in the purpose and well being of the club. The duties of each officer and chairperson are in the by-laws of the club. If you don't have a copy, I will be glad to furnish you one. I, as well as the whole club, have been negligent in adhering to our club's by-laws. We will correct this. If you take a position with the club please take it seriously. It does take a little time each month to handle club business.

If you don't want to hold an office, I urge you to attend as many meetings as possible and vote on issues which concern the well being of the club. This is your right as a member of this club. If a vote does not go your way and you did not vote, you have no one to blame but yourself.

I receive the newsletter from several clubs in the southeast and I must say ours is the best by far. We need more articles for it. If you have a short Corvette-related article for the newsletter, just send it to Bill Ringler and he will work it in. These could be about a trip you've taken, an experience you have had with your car, or maybe a tip for better car performance. Thanks Bill for the great job you're doing with our newsletter. I as well as the other members responsible for newsletter articles will do a better job of getting our material to you on time.

Our next meeting will be at Buster's on Highway 31 in Hoover, Sunday August 15th at 2:00 PM. I hope to see you all there.

 

WELCOME TO NEW MACC MEMBERS by Marti Garrett

Please welcome our new members, Jack & Ellen Sipos. They are driving a 1996 Red Coupe. Please help them feel welcome when you see them.
Our club has really grown this year. I'm sending a special message to all of our new members that have not attended a meeting to please become active in your club. You became a member of MACC, so please come around and let us meet you and be involved in your club.

 

MINUTES OF THE JULY 11th MACC MEETING by Suzan Touchton

The meeting was called to order at the Neighborhood Grill by President Wayne Metcalfe. New members were introduced and welcomed.

Our honored guests were Pam Jones from Magic Moments and John David Phillips from Big Oak Ranch. Wayne presented each of them a check for $6000.00 which represented proceeds from the Champagne Show of the South.

Secretary Suzan Touchton reported that last meeting's minutes were posted on-line in the newsletter and anyone needing a copy needs to let her know. Minutes were approved.

Jane Lewis gave the treasurer's report.

Membership chairman Marti Garrett reported that the club had ten new members.

Jim Willis, National Corvette Museum Ambassador presented the membership plaque to the club. All members are encouraged to join the museum.

NCRS Ambassador Fred Atkins had no announcements to make regarding NCRS.

The club was informed that the MACC ALL e-mail address was to only be used for Corvette related information. It should not be used to distribute political, religious or anything not-Corvette related.

The Neighborhood Grill Open Car Show will be held Sunday July 25th at 11:00 am. Volunteers are requested to arrive at 10:30 AM. The grill has purchased plaques left over from our car show. The club received $200.00 for the plaques. Volunteers will register cars and count votes. All profits will go to MACC.

It was discussed that MACC should look into finding some other charities to donate money. Those volunteering at the show on Sunday should make some suggestions and the club will vote on the final decisions.
Jocko's Cannonball Run will be held on Saturday July 17th. There will be trophies for both men and women. Cars will begin leaving from the Golden Rule Barbeque on Highway 79 in Pinson at 8:30 AM sharp.

August 7th will be the date for the Day's Chevrolet show in Acworth, Georgia. Steven Pope will be sending out an e-mail with the details about a caravan to the show. There will also be a show on Sunday at the Varsity.

Cathy Crapet announced that the Ocoee River rafting trip will be August 28th. Rafting will be Saturday morning and followed by a cruise directed by Corvette Chris Touchton.

Old business included a discussion regarding smoking at MACC meetings. After discussions from both sides it was brought to a vote. All MACC meetings, not all MACC events, will now be non-smoking.

The Huntington Fire Department is having a raffle for a 1963 Corvette. Chances are being sold for $10.00.
August 15th will be the date for the next meeting at Buster's in Hoover.

 

UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS by Cathy Crapet

No article submitted this month. MACC social news will be e-mailed to the membership.

 

National Corvette Museum News by Jim Willis

Club Discounts
Remember, since the Mid-Alabama Corvette Club is now a Club Member at the National Corvette Museum, that means MACC members are eligible for 25 percent discounts on NCM Family or Individual memberships. Individual memberships will be $37.50 and Family memberships will be $75. See Jim Willis for an application form.

C5-R Performance Tour 2004
NCM members are eligible to sign up for the October 28-30 C5-R Performance Tour. The tour is centered on the General Motors C5-R Corvette Racing Program and will be limited to only 100 Corvettes.
The event starts at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI, where participants will take part in various track activities before caravanning to Detroit to visit General Motors World Wide Headquarters - Renaissance Center and end the day with a participant dinner.
The next day, there will be a breakfast presentation at GM and then a caravan to the Pratt & Miller race shop in New Hudson, MI, where the team will host a full day of tours and giving participants an exclusive inside view of the Corvette race team's home shops.
Activities include lunch, video presentations, seminars, autograph sessions, photo sessions and more. This will be followed by a special banquet with GM Racing team members and commemorative gifts exclusive only to participants.
The event is exclusive to NCM Members at a cost of $2,500 per Corvette - 2 people per entry fee. Event fee includes three-night hotel accommodations, activity fees, and banquet fees. There will be a random drawing from those who sign up by Aug. 15 to select 100 Corvette owners to participate. A portion of the entry fee will be tax deductible as allowed by law.

 

GENERAL CLUB NEWS

Sandi Whitten Is Recuperating Nicely
Thank you so much for your cards, concerns and prayers. I have had a tough summer. I have had three surgeries this year. (1) right shoulder in April , (2) right knee in May & (3)on June 24th of last month, I had the left shoulder surgery. So, that is why you all haven't seen Conrad or I at the MACC socials or meetings. I wouldn't be over one surgery until the next one was due to be operated on! This last surgery has just wiped me out. But, that is to be expected with three surgeries back to back!! Dr. Carr says I should be ready to boogie down on the dance floor for my class reunion come Oct. 30th, 2004!! (LOL) I am thankful that what was wrong with me could be fixed. I should now be good to go for 50 more years! (LOL).

Tidbits From Wendell At The National Corvette Museum
Last of the C5 Generation: - the last C5 came off the assembly line Thursday afternoon, July 1st. The Commemorative Edition LeMans Blue Coupe will be delivered to the NCM within the next few days where it will displayed until Labor Day Weekend and the 10th Anniversary Celebration. The car was made available to the NCM to use as a fundraiser. Raffle tickets are $25 each and can be purchased at http://www.corvettemuseum.com/raffle/index.shtml.
For information and/or to register for the 10th Anniversary Celebration please visit our website at http://www.corvettemuseum.com/registration/celebration/info.shtml.
Total 2004 Production - 34,064 Corvettes.
Plant Shutdown - The Plant has begun its two week shutdown. They will reopen for tours and begin production of the C6 (2005 model year) beginning July 19th.

Vettes For Pets by Arlene Johnson
For all Pet Lovers - Including Those of You who Think Your 'Vette is Your Pet - Join us at 'Vettes For Pets Cruise - 2004
The annual 'Vettes For Pets cruise sponsored by the Mid-Alabama Corvette Club on behalf of the St. Clair County Animal Shelter will be held Saturday, September 18th. By popular demand, we are visiting the Morgan Creek Vineyards located in Harpersville for their annual Grape Stomping followed by a relaxing and delicious meal prepared by Chef Craig Frickey and his staff at the Sammie's Touch 'N Go Restaurant on the edge of the St. Clair County Airport in Pell City.
The entry fee is $15 per person (check made out to ASPCI) plus a donation or two from the following list for the shelter. Your donation is tax deductible, as is your mileage and any other donation you make. You will be on your own for dinner and can order anything from their menu or bar list.
Donation requests from the animal shelter include:

Purina Cat Food

 Purina Puppy Food
Purina Kitten Food Paper Towels
Dawn Dish Detergent Pine Sol Cleaning Solution
Copy Paper Stamps
Used towels, washcloths, & blankets  

The details are as follows:

1:00-1:15pm Meet in Lowe's Parking Lot in Inverness on Hwy 280
1:30pm Depart parking lot headed for Morgan Creek Vineyards
2:00-5:00pm Enjoy grape stomping, winery tours, and wine tasting
5:15pm Depart for Sammie's Touch 'N Go Restaurant, Pell City
5:45-8:00pm Enjoy dinner (menu includes steaks, Cajun dishes, seafood, etc.)

Note: feel free to meet us at the Winery or Restaurant if your schedule doesn't synch with ours

Information about the Morgan Creek Winery can be found at www.morgancreekwinery.com. Animal shelter information can be found at www.stclairshelter.petfinder.com. For RSVP, directions, questions, or other information, call Arlene Johnson at 977-0391 (work), 699-0672 (home), or 533-5566 (cell).

Pricing Announced For C6 Corvettes
DETROIT, July 2 -- Chevrolet has announced that when the all-new 2005 Corvettes arrive in dealer showrooms this fall, prices for the Coupe and Convertible will start below those of their 2004 counterparts even though each will be outfitted with more standard features.
The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the base Corvette Coupe with a standard manual 6-speed transmission will be $44,245 including destination charge of $800. This represents a $1,305 reduction compared to the base '04 Coupe equipped with the optional extra-cost manual transmission.
The MSRP for base 2005 Corvette Convertible equipped the standard manual transmission will be $52,245 including destination change. This price is $305 less than the base '04 Convertible with optional extra-cost manual transmission.
“When we debuted the new Corvette in January, we announced the sixth-generation models would deliver more power, more passion and more precision than any of their predecessors,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet's director of car marketing. “Now we can add a fourth 'P' to the equation - more competitively priced when compared to others in the high sport market segment.”

Among the list of new standard features found on all sixth-generation Corvettes are:

  • LS2 6-liter V8 with 400 hp
  • 6-speed manual transmission
  • Larger tires and wheels (18” front, 19” rear)
  • HID Xenon lighting
  • Twilight sentinel / Automatic headlights
  • Keyless Access with Push Button Start
  • Cabin air filtration system
  • Power hatch pull down
  • RDS AM/FM CD/MP3 player with 7 speakers

Additionally, side air bags move to the list of standard features on Convertibles.

New options for 'America's performance icon' include:

  • XM Satellite Radio ($325)
  • OnStar ($695)
  • DVD-Navigation System with voice activation ($1,400)
  • Power convertible top ($1,995)

The 4L65-E 4-speed automatic transmission (a no-charge option) is an upgraded version of the previous 4L60-E design. Featuring a new Performance Shift Algorithm, the 4L65-E automatic can capably handle the LS2 V-8's 400 lb.-ft. of torque.
Corvette's available Z51 Performance Suspension for 2005 ($1,495) continues to feature specific springs, shocks, stabilizer bars, and oil/power steering/transmission coolers but is now enhanced with inclusion of larger cross-drilled brake rotors, specific Goodyear F1 'Supercar' tires, and performance gear ratios (manual trans.)/axle ratios (automatic trans.)
Price of the popular Magnetic Selective Ride Control option ($1,695) is unchanged from 2004

 

J&J CANNONBALL Run Results by Jane & Jocko Lewis
We want to thank everyone that came to the Cannonball Run in Guntersville. We had 17 cars this year that participated. Paul Boehme was our first place winner. Steven Pope & Chris Touchton tied for second place, and Arlene Johnson & Soraya Nilipour tied for the ladies trophies.

Congratulations to all the winners. Roger Browning, one of our crazy Atlanta Corvetters, took pictures.
Lounging by the swimming pool and eating some great seafood contributed to a delightful weekend. We hope everyone had a fun time.

 

New Vettes Rolling Off Line At GM Plant: compliments of the Bowling Green Daily News
Friday, July 23, 2004

The General Motors Corvette Assembly Plant on Thursday put the C5 to bed and kicked off full production of the next-generation: C6.

The event brought together plant manager Wil Cooksey, Saturn President Annette Clayton, Jim Campbell, director of marketing for Chevrolet, and about 1,000 GM employees.

“The one thing we all have in common in this meeting is a passion for the car and a passion for the customer,” Campbell said in an interview after he had finished addressing a crowd. “That passion translates into incredible efforts to build the best car.”

Campbell said he had watched the daily, weekly and monthly teamwork that made the C5 great. “Thank you for the incredible results - 249,431 units,” he told employees. He also thanked the local plant employees for their friendliness to the 50,000 people who toured the Corvette plant this past year. “People waved to our guests, it's a wink, a hello - it means a lot to the customer,” Campbell said.

He said he hopes the passion the employees put into the C5 continues in the C6. “It's about working together as a team and knowing our customers,” he said. He said that in 1999 Corvette customers and enthusiasts came to the Bowling Green plant and cheered the employees as they exited the building.

“It's incredible that the customers would have that pride and thank the workers,” Campbell said. He closed his speech telling employees they would receive a special C6 poster and one of 5,000 limited-edition Hot Wheels Corvette C6. On the back of the Hot Wheels package, it reads “Chevrolet salutes you, the men and women of Bowling Green.” “When you get this, a lot of people won't cut it open,” Cooksey said. “Some have sold them and made a little money.”

Clayton, Saturn's president, said it was an exciting time for Corvette and Cadillac because of their production here. “Give yourselves a round of applause. Bowling Green is a gem inside GM,” she said. She praised the work of United Auto Workers Local 2164; it's work added to the great reputation of the C5. “I'm proud to be a part of this team, the enthusiasm is infectious,” she said.

The plant is now manufacturing C6s that could be available for sale soon. When they're ready, the cars will be shipped to distributors, according to Michelle Bunker, spokeswoman for the plant.

 

MACC Link Added To Magic Moments Web Site
The MACC logo is now on the Magic Moments website. Here's the link to the Magic Moments page - have a look: http://www.magicmoments.org/supporters.htm.

 

MACC CLASSIFIEDS FOR MEMBERS SELLING CORVETTES, PARTS & ACCESSORIES

For Sale - C4 Stuff. 1 Wolf C4 car cover, 1 set of C4 sill protectors, 1 C4 bra, and 1 C4 Vent Master. $100 takes all. All Items in excellent condition and are worth over $250 if bought new. Wayne Metcalfe, corvette611@aol.com, 205-680-6518.

Hey folks, here is yet another Vette for sale. 1988 35th Anniversary Edition, coupe body style, classic white on white combination (specifically made for the 35th Anniversary - only 2050 made), alarm system, Bose stereo system, automatic transmission. Car has 52,500 miles. I am the 2nd owner. Asking $13,500.00...obo. Please, feel free to email me SZN2000@aol.com or call me at 907-4444, Soraya Nilipour.

I have 4 stock tires and rims off of my 98 for sale and 4 stock rims off of my '03 Z71 truck 4 sale. Tony Crapet, teparc@aol.com, 988-0291 home, 283-7790 cell.

David Carter
President

Sara Boehme
Membership Chair
President
Membership Chair