Yes, it’s over, it’s a wrap, the end, close the cover, it’s done, there ain’t no mo’.

The 2012 CORSA convention at Sturbridge germinated in a conversation between two individuals, was planted in a wintertime meeting, and sprouted forth when the member clubs of the Northeast Corvair Council united behind the idea.

The convention then came to full flower through the efforts of a core group of volunteers from those clubs and with the support and participation of Corvair enthusiasts from literally around the world.

The convention’s tagline, An American Revolution, was meant to acknowledge not only the historic New England setting and not only the innovative Corvair, but also the desire to do it differently.

From the beginning, the NECC's convention organizers sought to "re-invent" what a CORSA convention might be, from a schedule that was a day shorter (to save everyone money) to new activities (such as the Slow Drag Races) to awards presentations during the week (to make room at the closing banquet for a guest speaker).

We maintained an informative web site and we created this blog, to disseminate convention information beyond the printed pages of the CORSA Communique.

The intent was not only to try to be fresh and innovative, but also to convey a message that not all conventions need to be cookie-cutter copies of those that have gone before. Naturally, not everything was perfect, but by all the important measures – attendance, finances, and member feedback – the 2012 Sturbridge convention was a success.

While we are planning no additional posts to this blog, the blog itself is not going away. The blog will remain online as a digital souvenir of the 2012 convention for quite some time to come. If a need to post news and updates arises, we will add them to the bottom of this post.
But we ask that you take a few moments to look once again at the list of convention sponsors shown in the right-hand column of this blog page. We won’t say that the convention would not have been possible without them, but without them the convention would have been far less successful. Each of these businesses and organizations deserves your thanks and your support.

For those of you who attended the 2012 convention in Sturbridge, we sincerely hope that you had a good time. For those of you not able to attend, we hope that you have enjoyed experiencing the convention vicariously through this blog. For everyone, on behalf of the Northeast Corvair Council, its member clubs, its convention committee, and the Corvair Society of America, we thank you.

How Many?

One of the goals of the Northeast Corvair Council when planning the 2012 CORSA Convention was to amass one of the largest gatherings of Corvairs, if not the largest, in one place since the cars left the factory all those years ago.

We believe that we have succeeded. The numbers have been crunched, by both CORSA Executive Secretary Harry Jensen and NECC data guru Al Lacki, and they agree: The total number of individual Corvairs officially registered for the convention was 200 on the nose!

We are aware that there were additional Corvairs on site at times, typically driven to the convention by owners who visited for a short time but who did not register. So we are comfortable saying that the total number of Corvairs that gathered at Sturbridge was more than 200, but 200 is the official count.

One can’t just look at the event registration numbers, which were 154 for the Car Display, 72 for the Road Rally, 56 for the Autocross, and 54 for the Concours, and add them up. Because an individual Corvair could be entered in any one, two, or more of these events, the registration database was mined to identify each distinct vehicle. Further, the Road Rally allows conventioneers to participate in a non-Corvair if they choose, so those cars have been excluded from the tally.

Similarly, the total number of people in attendance is not simply the sum of individual and family registrations. The official number of attendees is equal to the number of name badges issued, which at Sturbridge was 794.

Just as there were Corvairs on site whose owners did not register, there were additional Corvair owners who visited without their Corvair and without registering. So we know that the total attendance during the convention was substantially greater than 800. But the 794 name badges issued is the official attendance figure.

These numbers for cars and people is an outstanding result when the focus is an automobile that last rolled off the assembly line more than 43 years ago. Enthusiasm for the Corvair remains healthy!

Concours RESULTS

The results of the Sturbridge Concours d'Elegance are now posted on the convention web site, here.  Just scroll down the page slightly to get to the links for the results for not only the concours but for the other events, too!

The photo above shows just a portion of the concours field, which was the lawn alongside Cedar Pond on the north and west sides of the Sturbridge Host Hotel.  The photo below was taken from one of the guest rooms on the second floor of the hotel.

As you can see the weather was overcast but the sun popped out from time to time and only a light drizzle fell for just a few minutes near the end of the judging.

Best-of-Show... Times Two!

At Sturbridge, the William Mitchel Best-of-Show award was claimed by Connecticut’s Mike Kovacs and his 1969 Fitch Sprint, with a score of 98.33.

While this in itself is a remarkable achievement, far more remarkable is that Mike also won Best-of-Show at the 1984 CORSA convention in New Jersey, with a score of 96.85... with the same car!

28 years later and the car not only wins again, it scores better!

Mike purchased the car in 1978 and at that time it required a total restoration that took several years. The color chosen was a bright GM green. The car was then trailered to New Jersey for the 1984 convention, its first show. As at Sturbridge, both the autocross and the road rally preceded the concours and during the autocross Mike forgot to replace the oil cap. This drenched the entire engine compartment in nice clean oil. A spray can of Gunk and a garden hose fixed that problem and the car went on to win Best in Show.

Here is the car at that time:

A few years after that the paint started to fail. Apparently the body had not been properly prepped for the primer by the body shop and the paint started to flake off to the bare metal. Disgusted by this development, Mike covered the car and left it in the garage.

Several years later Mike then decided to try again. This time he stripped the paint inside and out and used an epoxy primer and yellow base/clear coat paint and did it himself. The car then earned a Silver award at the Lake Placid convention and a Gold at the Carlisle convention, and Mike showed the car at many local events over the following years.

When the 2012 convention was announced, Mike decided to give the car a mini-restoration from top to bottom. This took the better part of two months, doing a little at a time. He entered the car in the Concours just to see if it could get a senior division ranking again. Mike was very pleasantly surprised when the car scored 98.33 points.

Here’s is the car as it looks today:

The equipment in the car includes a quick shifter, quick steering, wood steering wheel, long range driving light, 904 fastback, Sprint insignia, HD convertible springs, HD shocks, rear rubber Aeon springs, power antenna, AM /FM/CB/8 track radio, oil pressure gauge and voltmeter. The engine was bored .060, balanced rods and forged pistons, .032 clearance squish area, 10/10 crank, OT20 cam, modified carburetors, electronic ignition, Vega clutch. Transaxle is a 3:55 positraction with 205/60-13 tires. Mike says it isn't fast, but it is quick. It’s not too shabby, either!

2012 Convention T-Shirts Available

UPDATE:  The deadline has now passed for ordering a T-shirt -- sorrrry!

Didn't get a convention T-shirt? Due to popular demand, 2012 CORSA Convention T-shirts sold out during the convention itself. But there's good news: More are now available. Each shirt is made-to-order, so this is a limited-time offer. Order before September 1st to ensure that you don't miss out.

The shirts are gray, not white, with the convention logo on the front. Despite how lovely Angelina Jolie looks in the sample shown above, the real shirts (and the real people who wear them) look like this:

How to Order:  Convention Chairman Brian O’Neill is handling T-shirt order fulfillment. To order yours, e-mail Brian here with your size and quantity. Price is $25 each which includes standard shipping. Payment can be made by check or money order and Brian will confirm your order and provide the address to which your payment should be sent.

By the way, if you paid for a shirt at the convention but have not yet received it, please confirm your order. Brian has a list and he wants to be sure we don't miss anyone.

Also available is the convention dash plaque, for just $2.50 each postpaid.  Just tell Brian how many to add to your T-shirt order.

And – thanks to everyone for your support!

Musicology

If you attended the Ice Cream Social at Sturbridge, you heard the great music performed by Cobblestone Crossing.

You also heard that the group had no idea how musically challenged convention chairman Brian O'Neill is!

For one number, Darrell Varley issued an old fashioned washboard to Brian, seen here holding the washboard and wearing the convention's signature tri-corner hat.  They asked him to strum a pattern on it, a pattern which is best described as One anna Two anna Three anna Four.  Zip zippa Zip zippa Zip zippa Zip.

No matter how many times they asked him to repeat that pattern, all Brian could do on the washboard was Zip Zip Zip Zip Zip Zip.  Sometimes as many as seven strokes, sometimes as few as three, and never with any semblance of rhythm.

The irony is, Brian is a tremendous music lover.  He listens to all forms of music, at home, in his car, in his office, at live performances.  It was Brian who brought Cobblestone Crossing to Sturbridge and it was Brian who scheduled the Karaoke night that took place earlier in the week.  But despite his appreciation of and enthusiasm for music, American Idol will not be calling.

Road Rally RESULTS

The results of the Road Rally have been posted on the convention web site, here.  On that page just scroll down slightly to find the link to the results of the Rally and other events.

In this photo, taken near the Quabbin Reservoir along the Road Rally route,

we see (left to right) new CORSA President Jason Cesana, and

Sharon & Chuck Leonard.  That's Chuck's 1964 Monza convertible.

24-Door

Here is a unique photo taken at the convention, a view straight through three "8-door" Corvair 95 models, a Greenbrier, a Corvan, and waay back there, another Greenbrier.  (Click the photo for an enlarged view.)

Corvair vans were "6-door" vans, two front doors, two right-hand cargo doors, and two rear cargo doors.  That is, unless the buyer selected the optional left-side cargo doors to create what we know as the "8-door" models.

If you open every door on an 8-door van there is hardly any van left!

Model Car Concours RESULTS

The results of the Model Car Concours have been posted on the convention web site, here.  Scroll down slightly to find this and other results.

Call an Ambulance!

Certainly one of the more attention-getting vehicles at Sturbridge was this one:  A 1962 Chevy ambulance, owned by Paul Sterinberg.  Paul was a vendor in the convention flea market, and this was his parts hauler!

Phabulous Photo Slideshow

Dave Silvia, from Bay State Corvairs has posted an outstanding set of convention photographs on his Flickr page.  Check 'em out here, and be prepared to have the time slip away as you are drawn in to the convention experience.

Bruce and the Corvairs

Cruisin Bruce, the daily morning show host DJ on "The Pike," 100.1 FM in New England, was our guest DJ for the Saturday car show and he did a great job.

He also took photos, such as the one above, and posted them on his web site, CruisinBruce.com.  Want to see 'em?  Just click this link and scroll down to the "International Corvair Convention" photo group.  Bruce Palmer does more than 100 car shows each year and adds new events to the web site regularly, so you may have to scroll down through a few more recent shows to find the Corvairs.

Bruce is a die-hard "car guy," owning several collector cars, participating in as many car shows as his schedule will allow, and driving to his gigs in vintage cars, such as the Mercury Comet station wagon he used to come to Sturbridge.

How Slow Can You Go?

One of the games during Friday’s "Corvair Fun Day" at Sturbridge was the Slow Drag Races. The Slow Drags joined the Back Seat Driver and the Junior Gymkhana as entertaining participatory diversions during Concours judging.

And "entertaining" certainly described the Slow Drags! Just like any drag race, two cars lined up side-by-side and at the drop of the flag the object was to GO! Except that, in this event, the object was to go as slowly as possible! Each car had to begin moving, no shopping allowed, no use of the brakes, no riding the clutch.  Just how slowly will the car idle along?  Which car will cover the least distance in 30 seconds?

Generally speaking, the manual-transmission vehicles "lost" to the Powerglide cars, although this was not an absolute. Bill Garrison’s air-conditioned Powerglide-equipped convertible was a rocket, while John Nickel kept retarding the timing in his stick-shift Greenbrier until it was a snail.

Brian O’Neill suffered a DQ when his car stalled as he tried to ease it off the line, and for one run Larry Schmul had the "handicap" – it was really a benefit – of full load of people in the back of his Rampside.

There were matchups such as US vs Canada, Young vs Old, Early Model vs Late Model, and more. Doug McIntosh deployed an umbrella to try to slow the car in which he was riding. Two members put their mobility scooters to the test on the course. Doors were opened and shoes were dragged on the ground. Absolutely no prizes were awarded and the decisions of the judges were capricious, arbitrary, and final.

Still, distances were measured and the results are in:

For the slowest Corvair, the car covering the least distance in 30 seconds, Third Place went to Jefferson Alcott of Dayton, Ohio, driving a 1962 Monza sedan. Jefferson went 158 feet 2 inches.

Second place was taken by John Nickel from the North Carolina Mountain Corvairs club, in his 1964 Greenbrier. John crept 157 feet six inches.

But the winner, covering a mere 148 feet 1 inch, was Howard Horne of the New Jersey Association of Corvair Enthusiasts, who borrowed Tim Schwartz’s 1963 Powerglide-equipped Greenbrier camper to claim the minimalist victory.

At the other end of the spectrum, driving the Corvair that blasted to the greatest distance in 30 seconds, was Wisconsin’s Linda Dahl. Linda held on as her car went some 337 feet!

Our thanks to the Pensylvania husband-and-wife team of Joe and Helen Maurella for putting together the Slow Drag Races for us.

The Need For Speed

On the FastVairs Yahoo group, Seth Emerson provided a summary of the convention autocross which we present here:

Dave Clemens did, indeed, take the FTD. There were three other cars in his class, Norm Latullippe was a second+ back, driving Bob Peplow's car, Bob was third, John Egerton fourth. Dave really wowed the field, a very impressive win.

The fastest V8 car, in Street Mod-2, was Dave Button, in a nice street Crown car. Kevin Wilson’s Corvair powered Street Mod-3 car bracketed the V8 car, with Michael Leveque a tenth of a second ahead, and Kevin slightly behind.

Michael's third run of the day included the most impressive "slide" of the day, in turns three & four on the oval. It never did come completely around, but it didn't back into the outside wall either! All four tires were smoking, though! The video is already on YouTube! That is Michael at the wheel, not Kevin. Kevin was shooting the video, heart rate climbing!

In the Stock classes, Mark Aksamit, from Arizona, was the class of the field. He has past racing experience and knows which car to borrow! He was two seconds ahead of any other stock class car, running in SS-3 and in a 110 PG car! None of the 140 4-speeds came close! Larry Tustison took SS-1, Roger Ringerstetter had to beat two Seversons to take SS-2. Philip Levering took SS-4 in his convertible, Phil Raker won SS-5 in his Greenbrier.

Improved Stock was all over the map. IS-3, usually the largest class at the convention, didn't disappoint with eleven entries. Mark Edmonds won the class with a 39 second run with his 140, but Brett Aston with his 110 turned a 38 second run in IS-2! Just behind him was his brother Bryce in the same car. Notably in the IS3 class, Ryan MacLeod beat his father Stewart, a changing of the guard! Allison Stewart took the ladies class IS-3L. Larry Claypool thrashed the family Truckster (Greenbrier) to an IS-4 title. Barb Mee has the IS-4L title.

The fastest Improved Stock car belongs to Terry Stafford and it is an early model! Terry's ‘64 Turbo is a longtime Lime Rock competitor, and is tightly tied down. He lent it to me to drive, however, and I took a couple of seconds off his time in IS-5. Terry's early model was easy to drive, a good thing since I hadn't competed in an early model since 1982! His turbo motor was really dialed in and was fun and rewarding to drive!

For reference, however, removable steering wheels should always be checked for full installation tightness before getting out on course. Please just take my word for it!! And don't ask!

Except for the humidity and a "warmish" outside temps, weather was not a factor at the convention. And the weather gods actually smiled deeply on the Autocross competitors. The Autocross day was absolutely perfect. Sunny, warm and rain free! The Stafford Speedway was a challenge for both power and handling, and you could envision yourself driving the oval track in a fast car with the safety needed for the Corvair Convention competitor, some of whom are novices at this racing thing.

Next year, at Western Michigan/Kalamazoo, look for even more racing as the Convention moves to a hotbed of racing. If you didn't make it to Sturbridge, you should have!

Thanks, Seth, and whose car are you planning to borrow in Michigan?

All Business

On Tuesday, July 24, the day before the official opening of the convention, CORSA’s board of directors held its annual meeting in Sturbridge. Jamie Reinhart, the CORSA president, provided the following report:

The meeting started with an update from Brian O’Neill, the 2012 Convention Chairman. He reported that there were 669 convention pre-registrations, the social events were sold out, there had been more than 18,000 hits on the convention blog and that the Fitch Phoenix will be at the convention later in the week.

The talk then turned to future conventions. The 2013 convention in Kalamazoo Michigan, was discussed, and the board has received and reviewed two proposals for the 2014 convention, both of which are in the Central Division. There was also one bid received for an Eastern Division convention in 2015.

Since there are at present nor proposals for a Western Division convention, the Western Division directors will actively seek out a host chapter or chapters for a Western Division convention in 2016.

Website updates were next on the agenda. The new CORSA store is working well and people are buying merchandise. There are upgrades and changes in the works for the website that will be added in the future and work continues on the program for paying applicable fees and updating chapter contacts and chapter membership databases.

There are some new items at the CORSA merchandise table including a new ladies V-neck and Rampside T-shirts.

Officer elections were next and the new CORSA officers are:

President: Jason Cesana
Vice-President: Mike Hall
Secretary: David Dykwell
Treasurer: Frank Regal

The mid year profit and loss statement was reviewed and it was noted that CORSA is in the black, membership has stabilized and it looks good for the rest of the year.

Final discussions concerned the need to find a new membership chairman and to fill a Western Division director vacancy.

Thanks, Jamie, not only for this report but also for your service as CORSA president for the past three years.

Fine, Fun, and Finger-pickin'

A great Friday at the convention!  Thunderstorms were forecast but never materialized.  Beautiful Concours cars were on the lawn alongside Cedar Lake.  Fun and games took place in the parking lot (Back Seat Driver Contest, Junior Gymkhana, and the Slow Drag Races).  More and more Corvairs arrived hourly, for the biiig Car Display tomorrow.

Among the tech sessions was one on the proper use of a clay bar and other car detailing products, and the Fitch Phoenix, one of several unique vehicles on display in the exhibit hall, was the demonstration vehicle.  The car now sparkles!

But the day was topped off with the Ice Cream Social, which followed the CORSA Annual Meeting, where the awards for the Road Rally and the Model Car Concours were presented.  Then Cobblestone Crossing took to the stage, for a great show of singalong folk music.

The final day begins soon, culminating with the banquet and our special guest from Hemmings Motor News, Richard Lentinello.  The convention has been great fun but it will all be over in less than 24 hours.

Thursday Update

A little late with this update, a convention keeps one busy!

After Wednesday's perfect weather, the forecast for Thursday was for more humidity and spot showers, with a big storm in the evening.  Happily, no rain came during the day and the road rally and other activities took place without disruption.

But the evening forecast necessitated moving the Lakeside Picnic indoors.  Nonetheless, the indoor picnic was a success, and the music provided by Janet & Darrell continued in the hospitality area deep into the evening.

The biig storms bypassed Sturbridge, and now, Friday morning, rain remains in the forecast but the Concours d'Elegance is about to get under way.

That's all for now, but if you'd like to see some photos from the convention, check the Corvair Center Forum and the CORSA Facebook page.

The Convention is Under Way!

Here's a shot from the Autocross Wednesday at the Stafford Motor Speedway, run under perfect weather conditions.

The course proved to be fast one, with laps completed well under the times expected by the organizers.

Results will be announced Thursday evening, at the Lakeside Picnic.  The Road Rally hits the byways of New England on Thursday.

On-site registrations have pushed the total number of registrants well over 700 as of Wednesday.  Saturday's big car show is on track to be perhaps the largest gathering of Corvairs in one place, ever.

Blog on the Move

In fewer than 24 hours, your blog editor will be on the road to Sturbridge, where we will join more than 650 people who pre-registered for the convention, plus countless more who will register on-site.

But just because we are leaving our desk, the blog will not be going silent. We plan to post updates and photos each day while we are in Sturbridge. So if you can’t be there, check here daily to see what’s going on!

More than 180 individual Corvairs are shown on the pre-registration lists, so it is a cinch that some 200 Corvairs will be there at some point during the week.

Yesterday, Corvair enthusiasts began arriving in Sturbridge. The convention gets a "soft launch" today with CORSA’s annual Board of Directors’ meeting, and on-site registration opens at 3 PM this afternoon. But no formal convention activities are scheduled until tomorrow morning when the Autocross takes place at Stafford Motor Speedway. In fact, since the speedway is right on the way, we plan to make the Autocross our first stop en route to Sturbridge.

See you there!

And They're Off! ...sort of...

One of the items on the convention schedule is "Slow Drag Races," on Friday between 1:00 and 2:00 PM. It’s part of the convention’s "Corvair Fun Day," but one hour may not be enough time!

If you are not familiar with the concept of slow drag races, it is a two-car straight-line point-to-point race in which the last car to the finish line wins. When the ‘go’ signal is given, each car must begin to move, each car cannot stop, and the driver cannot use the brakes.

What you wind up with is a remarkably fun event in which almost nothing happens! You’ll find family and friends cheering for a car that is making imperceptible progress. You’ll see the "agony of defeat" on the faces of those whose cars idled across the finish line just a little too quickly.

It’s an event that we have stolen shamelessly from other clubs and we’re looking forward to it! Why not enter your car?  If you're not in a hurry...