Last day of Classic Car Auction in Toronto starts later this morning ( Sunday) at the International Centre. We're excited to pass on the SST Corvette to a new care taker ( owner ). We've put a lot of love and money into the car since buying it almost a decade ago..and it has been a fixture on TV with us through two incarnations of our automotive shows...but it's time for something new...and that means turning it over to someone who will enjoy it and hopefully care for it. It will be strange to see it go...so many years of sharing it with my kids....the ice cream runs...the washing and waxing...and the crying while writing the cheques for the restoration...but it's all part of owning a collectible car...and love it or not this Vette is special ( Collector's Edition )...and it will always hold a special place in my memories and my heart. It has been more than a car...it's been a part of my life...something I've shared with my daughter and more recently my son....learning about Vettes and their history together. Learning and appreciating the heritage and engineering...the artistic talents that created the design that I fell in love with as a kid. Vette's...nothing else quite like them.
North America's first true sports car...and that is what it is...not a luxury car...not a people mover...it's all about handling....performance...and yes style. So goodbye to the SST / Old Autos Corvette....and thanks to all who helped us turn a basket case of a car into a nice presentable and reliable collectible car...that now has real Canadian TV Star Car Status. Mark Bard at Sparky's Performance...Mark Geoffries who painted the car at CGS....DFX Powder Coating who created the custom wheels....Chatham Transmission the tranny rebuilders...Charlies Spring service....Larry's CUstom Exhaust in Chatham...and all of our sponsors like Stark Auto Sales - you guys are AWESOME! You know George Barris saw the car, touched it, talked to me about it......celebrities have been in it...and I've introduced hundreds of stories on our shows from the comfort of the cockpit over the years, but it's time to turn the page.
It's a car I wanted since I was a kid...had a picture of one on my bedroom wall..and started saving coins in a piggy bank...true story. Corny...but true.
Somebody is gonna get a pretty decent car tomorrow. Now it's all up to Dan Spendick and the team at CCP Auctions to bring me...the Vette...and a new caretaker together Sunday. I know we are in good hands and in the right place...the same place we started when we bought the car...at the Classic Car Auction of Toronto.