My dad was a Mustang guy. We owned several and whenever he saw one we would chase the guy until he stopped so dad could talk to him. Once when I was 12, after we had cornered a Stang owner, I noticed a blue 1968 Roadster parked nearby. I ambled over and struck up a conversation with him like my dad would do. Ever since, I wanted a Corvette but money was always an issue. Nevertheless, I saved my paper route money for years but my saving turned into a motocross bike, then a 1967 Camaro (bought in 1986). The itch for flared fenders returned in my early 40s but I had a C6 in mind. I finally drove a rented Hertz ZHZ in Las Vegas and the hook was firmly set again. Alas, my son’s and wife and then a roll-over seemed to keep pushing my dream away. Then, I realized that if it was a C3 that originally caught my eye, why couldn’t I start my Corvette ownership with those beautiful curves? I wanted a/c and room for some golf clubs, so I settled on a 1980 model year as I read that Chevy was starting to guide the model back to performance by then. Other factors were that I wanted a 4-barrel carb, thanks to the Camaro, and 4 speed. I found a red with doeskin interior, L48 powered coupe with only 12,500 original miles! What a great combination of color and interior! I added custom floor mats, dual exhaust, Hedman headers and a Retrosound stereo, so I had a sweet rumble and could really put the quadrophonic sound to work.