North County Corvette Club Show - Plastic Fantastic

Once a year for over a quarter of acentury now, the North County Corvette Club gathers in San Diego, one of the most scenic and climactically blessed coastal cities on the West Coast for the aptly-named "Plastic Fantastic." This year's 27th annual Plastic Fantastic was held on Sunday May 16th at Seaport Village, right on the bay, with a marina to one side and Coronado Island to the other.

The weather was flawless, as was the setting, for the 320-plus Corvettes that were drawn from all over California, as well as Nevada and Arizona. The cars ranged from an unrestored '54 roadster to two '04 Commemorative Edition Z06s, and from finely crafted restorations to one-off modifieds. All five generations were well represented. There were several very nice solid-axle fuelies on hand; two of them weren't quite factory (a GM Performance Parts Ram Jet 350 under the stock hood of one, and the other, a "Newman," was running a '96 LT4).

There was something for everyone--plenty of opportunities for the trophy hounds with a full concours and people's choice voting and a wide range of categories for model years, generations, and stock and/or modified. Plus, there was a "display-only" grouping for those who preferred hanging out and kicking back to the wax and car-dusters routine. Mike Phillips of Meguiars put on demonstrations for paint detailing and car care throughout the day.

Plastic Fantastic is a feel-good-type event--plenty of awards and great ambience--and it's for a good cause (in addition to having fun!). Allproceeds from the show are donated to Casa de Amparo, a local home for children in need of temporary or long-term shelter. For information about next year's Plastic Fantastic, go to www.ncocc.com or write to the North County Corvette Club at P.O. Box 500104, San Diego, CA 92105.

Bill Baker's '67 drop-top bristled with attitude thanks to a somewhat subtly flared fender, 18-inch billet five-spokes, an eye-catching purple paint job, and a monstrous ZZ502 for propulsion.	Yes, it is black, and, no, it's not an '04 Commemorative Edition. The "Commemorative" graphics on T. Wilcox's '01 Z06 are paintedon and very nicely done.	No, you're not getting double vision. Bob and Lila Sanders own the '86 (with updated tail and nose cones) and this very well-crafted matching trailer.
We didn't get the name of the owner, but this Panama Yellow '58 fuelie was a beauty.	Frank Alfery owns this Aztec Copper '67 fuelie.	Bruce Carll's stock-appearing '57 runs a GMPP Ram Jet 350 EFI crate engine and air conditioning. What a sleeper!
Here's a "not-so-solid-axle" fuelie of a decidedly different persuasion. John Hadorn's '60 rides on a Paul Newman/Car Creations chassis withC4 suspension, steering, and brakes and runs a highly detailed LT4 under the hood. Note the widened rear quarters.	Team VETTE's Art Director, Mike Alfrey and his wife Gayane, headed south to San Diego for the show. After ogling over 300 Corvettes, Gayane announced that she'd now rather have a Corvette than a Jaguar. Welcome to the fold!