This account expresses observations and viewpoints of the author who welcomes discussion, opinions, criticism of a constructive nature.
Hey Joe, whaddaya know?
To properly celebrate the Corvette’s 50th anniversary, Noland Adams, fearless leader of the Solid Axle Corvette Club, blazed the path to Flint Michigan where the first 300 Corvettes were assembled. It didn’t matter that Flint, once a manufacturing mecca where WWII tanks and Buicks were made, had fallen on hard times. Boarded up storefronts lined the main drag. And the imposing 16-story Hyatt hotel, that once hosted GM big wigs, had fallen into the hands of a religious group that banned alcoholic beverages.
Catch up with part 1 here (button) if you missed it: https://conta.cc/3QJAm5R
We purists believe that Flint was more rewarding than a big shindig in Nashville?? held by GM that weekend. The SACC event began on June 30, 2003 with a re-enactment of the first Corvettes rolling off the line, a road tour and renewed friendships that rekindled our faith in solid axle Corvettes.
The story goes that the late Elliott Chip Miller, proud owner of a 1953 Corvette, s/n 181 that he snagged for $ 5,000 at an estate sale, was turned away from the big Hershey Show and Swap meet by the steadfast Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA). Chip went on to start up Corvettes at Carlisle and the rest is history.
Visitors to Corvettes at Carlisle can’t miss the Solid Axle Corvettes grouped just inside main gate 3. The Carlisle area has hosted a number of national conventions. In August 2008, Brad Bean, then SACC VP and Civil War buff led a lively tour to the Gettysburg Museum and battlefield.
Noland had the foresight to dovetail the 2002 national convention with the renowned Monterey Historic Races in August that honored the Corvette just before its fiftieth anniversary. That event drew the all-time record for Corvette race cars.
In February 2013 the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) invited the SACC FL Chapter to Sebring International Raceway to celebrate the Corvette’s 60th birthday.
In August 2019, the Michigan chapter also hosted the SACC national convention, back in the state where the Corvette was born. Attendees were treated as insiders by Gary Pratt at Pratt & Miller Engineering and by Ken Lingenfelter at his huge collection.
In the days that followed, we visited the GM Heritage center, the Henry Ford Museum, cruised the Detroit River and closed out the event at a dinner at which Josh Holder, (now Corvette chief engineer) gave us the low-down on the revolutionary new mid-engine C8 Corvette.
The NCRS reserved a spot for SACC Corvettes at the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise on Sunday, which in perspective seems like the best gathering ever.
Lucy Badenhoop who was at Noland Adams’ side from day one, has worked more than anyone could ask for, collecting dues, managing the budget, dealing with chapters, helping with conventions, hiring the editor, publishing On Solid Ground and more.
Thirty-three years have gone by in a flash. These days, a convention every summer and a magazine every 3 months is simply not enough to keep up, let alone lead.
Does a final hurrah in St Louis spell the end vs staying alive?
Be on the lookout for part 3
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