The Raptor can remember some Corvette interests early in his high school years from a couple of sources.  First, The Raptor remembers that he spent a lot of time at his friend Mike's house and there were a lot of motor heads in the neighborhood.  Down the street was the Kuneman house where a yellow 1973 Vette was always parked.  Also, around the corner, lived the Fedorko's and there were two sons.  The oldest, Joe was about 3 years older than the Raptor and he and his pals all had Corvettes.

Joe had a sharp 62 which was a "roadster".  Brad Carson had a Stingray Coupe but I can not recall what year it was but it might have been a 1964 Coupe and George Lyons had an exquisite silver 1963 Coupe.  Today, with antique autos gaining in popularity, that 63 would be worth about $150,000.00.  I would not be surprised to learn that George still own that car, it was a beauty.

I also recall that Kim Kupiniewski had a 63 Coupe as well.  I recall that when I first saw Kim drive up to the Glenwood Golf Course in the car, it was blue, but later on Kim did some restoration work on the car and he entered it in a car show at Rainbow Gardens as a superb rally red exterior with the black interior.  

It should be noted that George was a total Corvette authority and he was highly respected as a top notch body and paint man.  He is now owner of Contemporary Motorcar and is frequent mentioned at National Auto Auctions when he showcases some obscure highly sought after automobile.

Anyhow, by the time I was a sophomore in high school, I was hooked on the 63 to 67 Stingray series and desperately wanted one.  For Christmas of 1972, I received the classic Corvette history book, "The Star-Spangled Sports Car".  I have probably read and reread this book about 50 times.  It is a total history of the C1 through C3 Corvettes.

The Star-Spangled book is loaded with Corvette history and is a must read, if you want to find out the whole story.  The Raptor became more obsessed with the Vette as I got into my senior year.  I recall keeping a log of Vette's I would see on the street.  They were everywhere back then. 

One reason for their popularity was price.  A good used one could be had for very little money.  They were easy to work on as the engine compartment contained nothing but an engine.  No AC, no fuel injection and for a high performance auto we had Sunoco 260 which was a high octane fuel that sold for about .59 cents a gallon.

I noted in another page that I picked up my Vette in the summer of 1975.  I immediately started to join in on the activities of the local Corvette Club.  That summer I drove the streets of Erie and went on car cruise events nightly around the Public Dock.  Periodically our group which probably had about 10 to 15 nightly drivers, would park our Vettes in a line in front of the Rathskeller Cafe on State Street.  Ironically, I later owned the same joint with my brothers 20 years later.

Since the purchase of the first Corvette book, many others have followed.  These include some extremely valuable books such as Corvette! The Sensuous American which is a series of 18 hardcover books that were published between 1976 and 1985.  These books were published by Michael Bruce Associates.

The first series of nine issues were published 3 times per year in 1976, 1977 and 1978.  The second series of nine issues were published in 1983, 1984 and 1985.  Each year has a unique color theme for the hardcover and the books were protected by a hard cover case that stores 3 books in each case.

Other books purchased from the Michael Bruce Associates include: 

Corvette! Americas Only, a hardcover limited edition publication of about 140 pages.  The Raptor owns #2229 of 7500 books printed,

Corvette! Spots Car of America, a hardcover 200+ page book published in 1980.

The Corvette Black Book 1953 to 1980 Deluxe Addition, a soft cover 125 page booklet that is a fact book of every model year Corvette from 1953 to 1980.

Corvette Restoration - State Of The Art, a hardcover 100 page "textbook" on the restoration of a 1965 Corvette published in 1981.

The Best Of The Corvette Restorer, a soft cover 260 page primer on some of the reprinted articles from the National Corvette Restorers Society published in 1980.

Secrets Of The Show Cars, a soft cover 100 page booklet that gives pointers on how to paint automobiles and do the fine detailing required to prepare the auto for the "show".

In addition to the fine books from Michael Bruce Associates,  The Raptor has accumulated a superb library of Corvette pictorial books including:

A very unique series of Corvette help books that the Raptor owns are not even in book form, but on VCR Tape!  These are the previously mentioned Noland Adams three tape Video Series which includes: "How To Buy A Corvette!", "Numbers, History and Documentation" and "Body Lift and Chassis Disassembly".  Also included is a soft cover book dealing with the Body Lift.

Along the way, The Raptor purchased all sorts of "How To" books on Corvettes.  One extremely fascinating book that I picked up in the 70's at a Vette Swap Meet was a complete Corvette Parts Catalog for every model year from 1953 to 1976.

The Raptor did a quick internet search on this catalog and came up empty.  I would not even be able to fathom how much a book like this is worth!

However, here is some food for thought.  The classic Corvette from 1953 to 1972 is a rare breed.  You just do not see them cruising down the street anymore.  So Sad, as they are the ultimate in styling and desirability.  That's what make these books so interesting.  

Here is another series of books that The Raptor picked up years ago.  They are Assembly Manuals for the Vette for model years 1965, 1966 and 1967 (my favorite years).  What makes these books so cool is the fact that some individual(s) were able to go to the Chevrolet Division of General Motors and locate microfilm of these manuals and produce them for the buying public.  

The Raptor has paged through these books on many occasions and generally they are difficult to comprehend.  These manuals are the blueprint used by General Motors to put together the product on the assembly line!  Really intense. 

The Raptor has numerous top notch service books in his library including: