Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

[Edmund C.]

Gents:

I've heard many times that the Chevrolet Dealerships outside the grounds of both West Point and the Air Force Academy have sold more Corvettes since the 1960s than anywhere else in America. Does anyone know if this is true or not? Also, what is the long standing connection or love affair among U.S. NASA Astronauts and America's sports car? Obviously Corvettes are like "rockets", however, did Chevrolet purposely target Astronauts for sales or give them away as promotional items? I wonder if Ford did the same with T-Birds. Any shared thoughts appreciated. Many thanks. EWC

[Mark H.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

My Dad ran the body shop at Williams Chevrolet (which later became Team Chevrolet and is now Al Serra Chevrolet) in Colorado Springs starting in 1970. I don't know if they sold more than anybody else but shortly before graduation it was a sight to see when transporter after transporter with nothing but Corvettes showed up. I remember they had a separate lot complete with locked chain link fence and 24 security (pretty unheard of in 1970) specifically for the Corvettes. As I understand it, cadets got 2nd Lt. pay from the day they started at the Academy but were only given part of it, sort of like an allowance and the rest was held until graduation or they dropped out. Consequently after 4 years that could amount to quite a tidy sum even though I think 2nd Lt. pay was only about $400 a month before taxes. I graduated from high school in 1971 and went in the Navy so I'm not sure when the Corvette tradition stopped with cadets probably about the time Corvette prices went over $10k.

[Marc W.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

The connection started when Ed Cole discovered that Jim Rathmann was friends with the Mercury astronauts. It worked out to both the astronauts and GM s advantage. Marketing genius, on GM s part, what better way than to have the hero s of the day driving your product, and the astronauts, only having to pay a dollar a year for any two GM models they wanted. Program ran from late 1962 till 1971. let me know if you are interested I can tell you the whole story. Marc

[Mike E.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

Marc,
I for one, would love to hear the whole story!

[Marc W.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

Mike, sorry for the delay , I have been traveling . Here's the story, and with "The Astronaut's Wives club" set to start next week, it will probably get some attention. I'm not sure of your age, but back in the late 50s and through the early 70s the NASA astronauts were considered , America s hero s. The original 7 as they were know became aquatinted with Jim Rathmann , who was also the winner of the Indy 500 in 1960, and who also established a Chevrolet / Cadillac dealership in Melbourne, Florida. Due to its proximity to the cape, he meet and became friends with the astronauts, who as you know had a love for fast cars. The three big players were, Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom , and Gordon Cooper. Shepard was a corvette man from day one and actually had a corvette before becoming and astronaut. He was also the first American in space and due to these two facts GM did present him with a white 62 if I remember what I read. That was the only free corvette any of the astronauts received . Seems NASA had a rule about accepting gifts or making endorsements. But not to worry . When Ed Cole, the head of GM discovered that his friend Jim Rathmann knew the astronauts, he set up a brass hat deal that allowed the astronauts to pick any two GM automobiles for a dollar a year, at the end of the year they returned them and picked two more for the next year. The cars that were turned in would be freshened up and sold with the story as belonging to the astronauts. The program ran from late 1962 until 1971. Several of the cars are still around and a few have gotten a great deal of press. I know of several , and from my research am 99.9 percent that I own Gus Grissom s 65 coupe. That's most of the story. Send me a PM if you want more info. I have been researching for almost 18 years now and will keep looking .Marc

[Edmund C.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

Marc: Thanks for shedding some light on this cool part of American history. Those Astro-Vettes go for $1M plus (at least the ones that I have seen). Much obliged.

[Marc W.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

Edmund, glad to share what I have found. Yes several of the cars have sold for some pretty high amounts. Not to sure what mine is worth , but I wouldn't even dream of selling it. I suppose the ones that have gotten the most press and attention are, Grissom's 67, Armstrong 's 67, Shepard's 68 and Bean's 69 ( The Astro vette).

[Edmund C.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

Marc: Thanks again for the very cool story. I have seen Astronaut Corvettes portrayed on TV and on the big screen for many years. Now, we all know the story behind it. So, I've got to ask you, what specifically makes you think that you own one (i.e., documentation, photographs, etc.)? On another front, GM executives and their wives (like Mrs. Bill Mitchell's white and red 1967 big block) certainly had some nice vehicles to choose from. I love reading those old stories about Zora personally following some builds down the assembly line to ensure that they were perfect. My own 1966 was delivered to Dixie Chevrolet, Florence, SC in June of 1966 to a guy named Jimmy Ridgeway apparently. Pretty cool name, yet, no idea who the fellow was. Thanks again Marc.

[Marc W.]

Re: Urban Lore - Corvette Sales King

Edmund, I sent you a message last night, check your e mail