September gave a Silver Salute to the first mid-year, the '63 Sting Ray, and featured the SR-2 Sebring Challenger race car. GM insiders supplied the first driving reports and spy photos of the '89 ZR-1. October revolved around the new ZR-1's aluminum block, 32-valve LT5 powertrain, and in December, the old regime was gone. Cliff Gromer was replaced by D. Randy Riggs as Editor-in-Chief, Sue Elliot came on board as Managing Editor, bringing the refreshing perspective of a female enthusiast to the editorial staff for the first time since Sharon Rosinger departed in 1982. The new crew put together a piece on how to earn NCRS Top Flight certification and an article on the installation of a Carroll Supercharger kit for '85 to '89 Vettes-the first such kit on the market.
1989
New Editor-in-Chief Riggs added Front Lines for mail from the readers, in Jan. '89 (Vol. 13, No. 1). Another new section was Reminiscing, a predecessor to Me & My Vette. Following the changes in 1988, three new associate editors enlisted in January. The issue included a tribute to designer Bill Mitchell, the man largely responsible for styling the '63 Corvette among many other things, who had died September 12, 1988. Don Fuller penned the intriguing saga of Dick Guldstrand's No. 9 '67 L88 racer and its near-victory at Le Mans.
VETTE went monthly as of March 1989 (Vol. 13, No. 2), which spotlighted the Callaway Sledgehammer, a legitimate 254.76-mph street car. Additionally, Don Keefe remembered the first "split-window"-the '56 Olds Golden Rocket show car, and the first complete Club Directory was printed. In April, VETTE looked at the new '89 Vette, with its new RPO FX3 Selective Ride Control and ZF six-speed, as well as delivering the first of five informative articles on numbers-matching for mid-years. May featured a restored '69 L71 ordered by the late singer Roy Orbison, and offered a retrospective on the RPO L88 package. Dave Walters, who still writes our Q&A column, had his byline appear for the first time (with Ralph Eckler) on said column in June.
As of July, CSK Publishing moved from Hackensack, New Jersey to nearby Saddlebrook. VETTE claimed that its new proofreader Jim Campisano and new art director Matthew Blitz created a more readable, magazine-type layout. Chevy allowed D. Randy Riggs and other automotive journalists the first opportunity to drive the new ZR-1-in France! August marked the beginning of a very special series of stories written by the Godfather of the Corvette himself, Zora. In a now-annual Silver Salute, VETTE honored the '64 models-the cars that made the split-window a classic. In October, Duntov wrote about the '63 Corvette's suspension design, which Nissan's 300ZX was now incorporating. November focused on Bloomington Gold, and December recalled the 10 Most Outrageous Corvettes of all time, including the CERVs I and II, the Callaway Sledgehammer, a couple of our "favorite" customs of the past, and a mid-year covered entirely with pennies.
1990
January (Vol. 14, No. 1) saw another shifting of staff and job titles. Associate Editor Steve Collison became Senior Editor, Sue Elliot moved to Executive Editor, Campisano moved up to be an Associate Editor, and Peter Easton returned as Managing Editor. January was dedicated "In Memory of Roger Huntington," and featured the on-track reunion of Dr. Dick Thompson (the Flying Dentist) and the Sting Ray racer he piloted 30 years before. Furthermore, D. Randy tested the new ZR-1, on track and on the street, for his first real-life driving impression of the most advanced Corvette built yet.
March looked at the details of the newest mandatory safety device, the airbag, and VETTE was there in April with a small-time privateer racing team that took a Corvette to the Trans-Am GT1 national championship. In May, GM unveiled the CERV III concept car, with a mid-ships, 650hp twin-turbocharged LT5. June featured the last '53 Corvette built, number 300 of 300. The big news, though, was that Morrison Engineering's LT5 and L98 Corvettes set 12 International and three World Land Speed Endurance (class) records with absolutely stock drivetrains. The big one was the 24-hour record, which they set at 175.885 mph average, smashing the old mark by 14 mph!