The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the past. What a year this year was for Corvette and the C5/C6 Registry. It began with the introduction of the brand new C6 Z06 for 2006 model year at the Detroit Auto Show. This was the Highest Horse Power Vette Ever that we had been dreaming about all our lives and now it was here right in front of us in the plastic! As Spring and then Summer progressed we got a closer in depth view of the new Z06. But now this Fall it is in some of our lucky members’ hands! You notice I said “members’ hands” and not “mine!” I’m still on a waiting list (as David Hill would say) for the Greatest Vette Ever! I’m hoping the 2007 model year is going to be my lucky year, or maybe a miracle will take place and the factory will double production after reading this! The Z06 has dominated the news throughout the year with the C5/C6 Registry and the Corvette enthusiasts around the world. I know this to be true from my travels to Le Mans this past June. Since its unveiling in January and its production this Fall, it has truly become America’s and the World’s Sports Car! Bravo GM!

Although the Z06 dominated my thoughts this year, we did have some great Registry functions and some great opportunities to share the joy this hobby brings to our lives with fellow Corvette enthusiasts. The April Birthday Bash was fantastic with its Rock and Roll theme and two production Z06s in front of the Museum to look at and ride in (Just ask Bob Patrella [C5R# Y3932] who was the highest bidder in last year’s auction to ride and drive in the first Z06 with David Hill by his side!).
It was a great time!

You know me, I Love Corvette Racing! This year’s highlight was certainly the first C6-R win at Atlanta, followed by 1st and 2nd in Class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing’s star shone bright in France! We took 30 members and their Vettes to Europe for a once in a lifetime trip and what a spectacular trip it was! (Read their personal reflections of this trip starting on page 20). We were Racing on the Autobahn, driving the NurburgRing hoping to stay alive, staying at our favorite French Chateau, visiting the Normandy battlefields and of course the highlight of highlights attending the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans where our C6-R Corvettes Dominated! But I dare say the biggest thrill for all of us was the Parade Lap around the famous Le Mans 8.4 mile Circuit IN OUR OWN personal Corvettes! Besides professional drivers, there are probably not more than a couple of hundred people in the world who have done this on Race Day just before the start
of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and we are some of them……what a thrill!

Another enjoyable event for me is always Corvettes at Carlisle and this year was no exception. What a Show they put on! It truly is the Grand Daddy of all Corvette Shows. Anything you want related to Corvette is there, and not just one of them, but dozens of them. Lance Miller has done an admirable job of bringing the Show forward since his father’s untimely passing. The Miller family has always been close friends of the Official C5/C6 Registry since our inception and we really enjoy visiting with them during Corvettes at Carlisle.