Last year when I started looking for a ’97 C5, the local Chevy dealers were getting between $3000 and $5000 over sticker and their numbers were very limited. One dealer commented "and next year we do it all over again with the convertible". I wanted to hold out for a convertible so in October, I made some phone calls and got in touch with Bud’s Chevrolet in St. Mary’s, Ohio; Chet Wyatt said he would sell the car at sticker. I wanted to take Museum delivery anyway, so I figured with the $3000 I saved I could easily afford airline tickets for my wife and me to go to Bowling Green. I told Chet which options I wanted but my heart sank when he said they were all out of convertibles for ’97 – until he added that "we could probably get you into one in January ’98! Fate?

In November, I read in Corvette Quarterly about ‘active handling’. I called Chet and asked if I could add this option. He asked if what I wanted was F45 Real-Time Dampening Suspension and after I replied "no" I faxed him the article. He called back and said, "We don’t know anything about it – here’s a number you can call at the factory – often magazines and customers know more about what is happening than the dealer does – Good Luck!"

I called. I got transferred. I accidentally got ‘Security". I got someone’s voice mail so I left a message with my ‘800’ number, not expecting a call back. I then called Bowling Green information and received a different number for the factory. I spoke with a pleasant customer service woman that didn’t know what active handling was, but said if I would hold she would find out. She came back on the line and said " this was a joint venture with Cadillac and might not be available until the ’99 model year’. Oh well, I gave it my best shot.

Monday 11/10/97 I received a call from a very knowledgeable woman who asked if she could help me - having received my voice mail! She told me as of 12/15/97 all C5s would receive new brakes to allow for active handling. "Tell your dealer to add option JL4 but if your car has already been preferenced you will not be able to add any it." I wasted no time calling Chet and said, "Add JL4 and Z51 suspension!" His response, "the computer took it, although I am not sure what it is – you’ll be the first one from this dealership!"

The build date was confirmed (first week of January ’98) and I received a call from Sherry Meyers from the National Corvette Museum who said my ‘delivery window’ was February 6 through 12, when would I like to take delivery? I replied we would be there on the 6^th!

Our game plan was to fly out of Tampa into Nashville, get a rental car, drive to the factory for a 1:00 PM tour and then across the street to the museum to take delivery of my new Torch Red Corvette Convertible!

The day started out good and kept getting better. Just ahead of us at the Nashville airport was none other than Mario Andretti who was kind enough to pose for a photo. Wow !!! Picking up my brand new C5 and meeting Mario Andretti ~ all in the same day!

The factory tour was great and the personal tour of the Museum was outstanding. I highly recommend Museum pick-up to anyone taking delivery of a new C5 – If you can’t do that, any red-blooded C5er owes it to him or herself to visit the Museum. Our tour guide, Ryan, a local college student did a great job and treated us as if we were VIPs! Then to see our car on display with the other Vettes there, all roped off sporting a sign with our names on it WOW – OHHH Man! My wife was so stunned she failed to notice the single red rose I had placed on the hood for her!

Then Ryan asked, "How did you manage to get active handling? This is the first one I have seen; it’s the first one we’ve delivered here at the museum. It’s supposed to be for the Pace Cars and they are not even sold yet? So I put my arm around him pulling him aside and said, Well son, its like this ………………."

Following a final walk through of all the options and controls on my C5 (Ryan even expertly loaded the CD changer). We rolled down I-75 at a blistering 55 MPH with Stevie Ray Vaughan oozing from the Bose speakers. New car – got to break it in – like the manual says ….. 55 MPH or less for the first 500 miles. So we varied the RPMs and slowly eased on down the road.

In closing, I just wanted to say that this car is better than I anticipated, confortable even with the Z51, quiet even with the convertible top, smooth, effortless driving – you tinkd of it- the car does it. It is light years ahead of by old ’84 and in my opinion this is truly the best car on the planet!

Sincerely David S. Goris

P.S. Because ‘All Corvettes are Red" I’ve got a personalized plate ~

[Editor’s note: Thanks Dave for your warm words about the Registry!]