I remember being a wide-eyed adolescent when the new 1984 Chevrolet Corvette was introduced. It was the golden age of MTV and Miami Vice and the C4 Corvette brought European styling, combined with 1980s American flash. I loved the multi-color LED dash, snug Recaro-styled seats, clamshell hood and the peacock effect of theater in the way the headlight buckets rotated around when turned on. The car looked like a spaceship out of the latest Science Fiction films of the time and I had to have one!
A few years later, I was starting out in my career and ran across my 1985 Corvette, which I still have today. The car was black, had the glass roof and, with the exception of the automatic gearbox, it was everything I wanted. I quickly snapped it up and brought it home.
The internet was not around back then, so I had to refer to my trusty Corvette Fever magazines and my Mid America Motorworks catalog for everything I needed for my Corvette. A plus side was that living in the Chicago metropolitan area, Mid America Motorworks' headquarters was only a few hours’ drive south and I could pick up parts and accessories through will-call.
Back in 1996, I decided to repaint the car and do it right, replacing all the exterior trim with new pieces from Mid America Motorworks. When I needed upgrade or maintenance parts, it was back to their catalog. As years went by, many of the aftermarket accessories I desired became discontinued so, with the maturity of the internet, I started to seek out some of the desired accessories I would see in the Mid America Motorworks catalog back in the 1980s. The final touch came in 2012, when I found and refinished a set of original BBS RS wheels.
I have owned many automobiles, but my 1985 Corvette has always been the centerpiece in my garage and is a permanent part of my life today. I have really enjoyed participating in the hobby and all the people I have met along the way over the decades. I look forward to the new adventures ahead in my life with my Corvette, all the while looking back fondly at all the memories I have had with the car.