Dozens of throaty roars and growls filled the air, rumbling in the streets during the Easter Festival. No, Sun Loong hadn’t woken and come to life; the National Corvette Convention was held in Bendigo over the Easter weekend.
Old ’Vettes and new ‘Vettes, red ‘Vettes and blue ‘Vettes; six generations of the vehicle lined Bridge Street as part of the Show ‘N’ Shine conducted by groups Corvettes of Melbourne and Vic Vettes on Saturday. The two organisations were asked to be a part of the Festival and are being supported by sponsors such as RACV, Toptul, Corvette Clinic, and Corvette Central.
Rare vehicles, lovingly cared for and driven by their owners, were on display; bonnets were up to show off the meaty mechanical motors within. Visitors to the festival were able to get up close to these mighty machines, with some lucky kids scoring a seat in the vehicles. Corvettes from 1954 to 2015 were represented at the Show ‘N’ Shine; collectors and club members alike bringing their prized vehicles to the event.
The Show ‘N’ Shine was followed by an award presentation and cocktail party in the Old Bendigo Gaol, Ulumbarra Centre. Sunday was a good day to be out and about, with Corvettes roaming the goldfields district for their country cruise.
Older or more common Corvettes can be bought for around $50,000, while some 1960s and 2010s models go for up to $250,000. The 1963-1967 model ‘Sting Ray’ was and still is extremely popular amongst Corvette collectors and car enthusiasts as ‘the best corvette ever built’. “It was more of a pure sports car.” Says Dan Jedlicka, on his blog ‘Road Tests and Classic Cars’.
Vic Vettes, as a sub-group of the Chevrolet Car Club of Victoria (inc.), is dedicated to the Corvette in all its’ forms, and has over 100 member cars ranging from the first-generation 1950’s C1 series to the sleek and modern C5 series built in the late nineties and early 2000’s.
Corvettes of Melbourne is ‘dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of America’s finest sports car’. Meetings are held twice a month in Hawthorn East, and visitors are welcome to learn more about the Corvettes ‘down under’.
