Chevrolet convertibles

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

Good to know that collectors in other areas are just as fanatical as movie poster collectors. Dennis Albaugh owns one of every Chevrolet convertible built before 1975, 147 in all.  It took him 13 years to get them all.  Some of the pics from his private collection - occasionally shown to the public - shown in the article:









I've owned three convertibles (1970s Triumph Stag, 1995 Mustang GT, 2005 Mustang GT) over my life, so I've  got convertible fever too!

[paul waines]

I'd love to have that kind of money, as a car collection would be Very high on my list of things to collect...

[Neo]

Wow.  Awesome.  That is one heck of a sub-category!    Talk about completist.  Wow.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

I think some of the modern Corvette convertibles are "red-necky" but I'd love to have a 1970s Stingray:

[brude]

What a collection of convertibles!
I live about one mile from the NYS Fairgrounds and this weekend, the place is swarming with vintage cars of every make and model.  It is the weekend of the Syracuse Nationals.
If you're in the neighborhood, check it out...
http://www.syracuse.com/syracuse-nationals/

Henry Winkler (Fonzie of HAPPY DAYS) is counted amongst the celebrity guests this year...

[jayn_j]

That guy has the kind of commitment (and budget) I only wish I had.

I guess I'm a bit of a gearhead myself.  Belong to several car clubs, although not really active the last couple of years.  I still organize and particiapate in rallys, autocrosses and rallycrosses (on dirt), but I am now in my '60s so am getting less competitive.

I've owned my share of convertibles over the years.  1962 VW, 1965 Corvair, a couple of MGs.  Favorite was a 1966 Mustang GT convertible with 4 speed and pony interior.  I owned that one for 10 years and sold it in 1983 when my oldest was riding with us all the time, in favor of one of the original GTIs.

I'm starting to get the itch again.  I suspect there will be another ragtop in my near future.

[Neo]

I think some of the modern Corvette convertibles are "red-necky" but I'd love to have a 1970s Stingray:

Those classic muscle cars are awesome.  Personally, I'd rather have a newer Corvette.  My first car was a 1969 Mustang Mach I, that I sold shortly after turning 16 and it was probably one of the best decisions I ever made, and not just because it was the last Ford I will ever own.    I like cars that are good to drive, and the classic cars from back in the day are fun, but they are a lot more dangerous than newer cars.  About 6 months after I got my license, driving my old Camaro (a '96 SS named Lucile that I had just spent about 4 hours putting a coat of wax on and detailing) an elderly woman pulled out in front of me when I was traveling on a narrow two lane road and hit me head-on and I was going about 40.  The impact hurt but I walked away with minor injuries.  In this video, there is a demonstration of a 2009 Malibu in a head-on collision with a 1959 Bel-Air (spoiler alert) in a real life scenario with these 2 cars, the occupant in the 2009 Malibu would have likely only suffered minor injuries while the occupant in the Bel-Air would have likely been killed on impact.  I had the bug for old cars though and when I started working as an auto mechanic, I wanted to goof around with a classic muscle car so I picked up a '71 Chevelle 454 SS and it was cool, other than getting 8 miles to a gallon if I was taking it easy, no AC, an older stereo that I never upgraded, and while I was driving always having the thought in the back of my head that if I got into an accident I would be in a world of hurt, if I was lucky.  So yeah, been there and done that with the older cars (other than wrecking them luckily) and they're awesome IMO to have as a trailer queen or nice collectible showpiece, but in practicality, they are not the best vehicles to drive around.  And now I'm reliving my youth with Myesha, a 2002 Camaro SS, and she is safe as proven by her predecessor Lucile who protected me from a scenario similar to this.