THE OPTIMISM MACHINE!

You can’t look at the newspaper, you can’t watch business channels on TV, you can’t turn on talk radio without a detailed discussion of high gas prices everywhere, the financial world is in turmoil, the real estate market is in an upheaval, and foreclosures are happening in every part of the country.
Sounds like PRETTY BLEAK NEWS! 

And for most of us, it can really put a frown on your face and cast a shadow on your whole attitude. There are days when it seems like there is a fog over the country, and everyone is in it along with all their problems, but I have a cure for that fog. I Say: Get in your Corvette, turn the key (or push the button), and hear the clear sounds of an American V8 power as it roars to life! Better stress relief than valium is the roar of that Corvette engine, and the icing on the cake is that it will get you 30 mpg! Everything looks much brighter when you’re sitting behind the wheel of your vette out for a nice drive. I think I’m going to rename my Corvette the optimism machine because when I feel down, I hop in my vette and I’m optimistic about my future and what it holds for me, and I believe it will for you, too!

At several of the recent Corvette shows I’ve attended, I found myself having in depth discussions on questions like Hey, Dan, what future do you see for Corvette? Do you think Corvette will always be powered by V8? Well, you asked, so here is my own personal Say: I think this is the end of the V8 Corvette era. I believe the 638 hp ZR1 and 505 hp Z06s are the last of the high output V8s; very similar to back in the early 70s when emissions controls robbed horsepower from all Corvettes.

 

There will always be a love affair with high performance Corvettes as is apparent today at any of the classic car auctions around the country. Horsepower sells, and the big block Corvettes of the 60s are still in high demand as is obvious by the high auction prices they are bringing. Could that be the future for our Corvettes that we have today? I believe it could happen. Do I want it to happen? Absolutely not, but it certainly is a possibility. 

 

It’s feasible that the Z06 you’re driving now may be the pinnacle of the V8 and the V8 power era. If you really like American V8 horsepower, you might want to consider holding on to that ZR1 or Z06 for the future, for your grandkids and for your children’s prosperity. I’ve always had the philosophy that next year’s Corvette would come out with more horsepower than the year before. Over the years, it’s always been the first question we ask Tom Wallace and any GM Corvette guy we can find “When are we going to get more horsepower?” And the answer used to be Wait and see what we have in store for you in the future. The future is today, and this may be the greatest time to hold on to your Corvette because in the future Corvette will be a totally different animal. The crystal ball is not clear, but it could reveal that a Corvette of the future will be influenced by the cost of fuel and green concerns about our planet. 

 

This may cause the future Corvette to evolve into more of a European type performance sports car powered by a high output V6 which will certainly be smaller, light and nimble.

 

Will future Corvettes still make you smile? YOU BET THEY WILL! 

 

Will you still have FUN with them? YOU BET YOU WILL! 

 

It’s funny, but Corvette is probably one of the few divisions of GM that is making money right now. But they are being painted with the broad brush of cutbacks and downsizing taking place at all GM divisions. Unfortunately, they are also perceived as gas guzzling and resource wasting vehicles, which is furthest from the truth. GM’s mantra has to be to show the public that although Corvettes are powerful, they SIP gas and make maximum use of mass and environmentally friendly materials.

 

I believe if the world really realized that they can get 30 mph on the highway in a new 430 hp Corvette, they would park their Toyotas and move to a real vehicle. GM needs to convey this message through advertising, if they want Corvette to remain the icon that it is, and tell the world what great fuel mileage Corvette gets. Even if they were forced to go to a 6 cylinder type Corvette, the wonderful GM engineers I know would make sure that there would be plenty of horsepower, punch and performance on tap! It is in their genes and they aren’t going to let anything hold them back!

 

So it’s with a certain degree of anticipation that I look forward to the future, because I know no matter what Corvette they sell, it’s going to be technically innovative, a great performer and most of all, it will bring a SMILE to my face and relieve the doldrums of daily life!