Alas, life’s realities have gotten in the way. Mel writes, "It is my sad duty to inform you that our Monza SS cannot be brought to Sturbridge this summer."
The reasons are those with which everyone is familiar – other duties, responsibilities, and priorities must come before a hobby trip. Mel had been planning to do more than simply bring the car to Sturbridge. He was going to participate in all the convention events -- autocross, road rally, and show. A real car guy!
And we have been featuring the original Monza SS show car at the top of our blog for some time now. So, yes, we're very disappointed, but of course we understand.
Still, the convention will not be without distinctive Corvair-based vehicles to see. In addition to (as of this writing) the nearly 200 individual Corvair cars that have registered to participate in convention events, we are currently arranging to get the one-and-only Fitch Phoenix on site, and the pre-registered vehicle list includes such rarities as the Corvair-powered UltraVan motor home.
By the way, back on April first we referenced car collector Joe Bortz in our April Fool posting about 1969 Corvair #6000, but it is no joke that Mr Bortz is restoring the Lasalle II show car and Mel Francis has been tasked with making up a new windshield for it. Recently the car has been at Larry Claypool’s Vair Shop in Illinois for brake work. Here’s a shot of the windshield job in progress:
