Leslie J. Stegh / Moline, Illinois 1961 Roadster
In the summer of 1961 an airman stationed in Arizona purchased a new Corvette, Jewel Blue with white coves. It was optioned with the dual-four 270hp engine, a Wonderbar radio, heater, four-speed, and a power top. As was common in those days, he did not own it very long because he was shipped overseas. So, he sold it to a teenaged girl in September 1961, and she owned it until January 1997. The car spent most of those years in Arizona, but briefly lived in Pennsylvania in the '70s. During that time it made a cameo appearance in the movie The Deer Hunter.
Back in 1961 I was a teenager with just dreams of owing a Corvette. There were some speedy Mopars and plenty of souped-up Chevys and Fords around, but the rare Vettes prowling the Cleveland streets always caused a stir. Heads turned, engines revved, and tires squealed up and down "The Boulevard" in hopes that the Vette drivers could be encouraged to "lite 'em up." My first up-close and personal encounter with a Corvette came in 1962 when I carpooled to a summer job with two other kids; I drove a '56 Plymouth, one of the guys drove a six-cylinder '57 Chevy, and the other guy paid for rides. One morning I was waiting outside the house for my ride (John was always late), looking for the Chevy to come whining up the street, when I heard tires squealing around the corner and the thunder of a V-8. A red Vette stopped in front of me, and there in the driver's seat, smiling so wide you'd think his fat face would pop, was Big John, my fellow car pooler. His brother, foolish person, had loaned him his car to drive to work. Looking back, I can't imagine how that 6-foot, 5-inch, 300 pound trombone player got in and out of the car; and we evidently found it to be no problem to add that defensive end to the load when we got to the rider's house. Merrily we roared to work, not needing to hold onto the sissy bar since we were so tightly packed. It wasn't often thereafter that John was able to pry the Corvette loose from his brother, but when he did it was about the most exciting car thing ever for me. (The most exciting was when my own brother loaned me his Tri-power big-block '58 Impala and the seat tore loose from its moorings when I popped the clutch; believe me, they're tough to stop when the front seat is suddenly in the back seat.)
Other things in life took precedence after 1962, so my Corvette dream remained just that. College, marriage, work, kids, and then kid's college, etc., all had to be taken care of before I could fulfill my ultimate car fantasy. It took a long time, but I finally deluded myself into thinking that I actually could afford an old Corvette.
When trying to decide which generation of Corvette to buy I initially considered an early C3. Price and availability were the main factors I considered. Plus, I wanted something uncluttered with emissions and electronic stuff. But, I just couldn't resist the lure of the styling of C1s, especially the offset cove paint scheme and wide whitewalls (1961 was the last year for both), and I wanted one in my driveway.
When my wife and I went Vette shopping we looked at them all. Some we studied harder than others. The final selection was based upon a number of factors. The most important thing was that I wanted to actually drive the car, so I eliminated the perfectly restored ones that I would be afraid to take out of the garage. Good thing, too, because I didn't blow as much money as I could have. I wanted a honest car that looked good, and one that I could drive and enjoy. I finally decided to throw rationality to the wind, if rationality and Corvette can be used in the same sentence, and concluded that I finally would own a C1.