Nostalgia and Thumbs Up #583
2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible
By: Cathy Droz
This review will be a little different than most, but test driving the 2020 Corvette was my, “Back to the Future,†moment I was able to share with my brother.
The beautiful “Rapid Blue†Corvette Stingray received more attention than any other vehicle I’ve test driven over the last ten years. I don’t know if it was because of the media hype, the color or the Pandemic blues that brought folks out for some fresh air. The neighbors knew when I was coming or going because the exhaust tunes were a true giveaway. They are throaty and loud which can be very nostalgic for a Boomer community reminiscing about their muscle car or parents’ vehicle.
My brother Bob got me interested in cars as a kid. There is a ten-year difference in our ages so while he was hanging out with his friends in the family garage at age 18 fixing, greasing, painting, and burning rubber; I hung out watching, listening, and observing, while deciding what my Barbie dolls would wear to the next drag race on our street. I would look through his Hot Rod magazines to see what new car colors there were, but I didn’t know a battery from a spark plug and to this day, it somewhat holds true.
My brother owned and raced a few Corvettes in his day and raced them in his late teens. His last one he sold in 2010. My brother is now 80 and works at a dealership to this day as an adjuster and loves it.
I hadn’t seen my brother and sister-in-law in a year due to the Pandemic.  We talked, face timed and texted but it’s not the same. I would send him my reviews each week and as any kind brother he would say.  “good job sis.â€Â He did ask that when I got the 2020 Corvette Stingray to test drive, to send him the review. I indicated it most likely wouldn’t happen, so he was stuck looking at another Toyota Camry video.
I test drive all make and model cars and trucks so when the fleet manager asked if I wanted to test the 2020 Corvette Stingray Convertible, I jumped on it and kept it as a secret from my car-guy friends and brother.
There is more history here… the family is from New York (Queens to be exact) and we moved to Arizona after my brother relocated here following his best friend Ray.  My brother’s friends are retired New York firefighters, NYPD police and other car guys. On Saturdays they go to a buddy’s home and work on their cars…yep 80-year-old guys playing around with cars, talking about the old days and having pizza for lunch. When I am invited, it is so enjoyable to hang out with them again 60 years later.
You can imagine how excited I was to surprise my brother and his friends on a Saturday in February of 2021. I would get to see him and the boys after a year of quarantine and with the car of his dreams. It was fun watching them touch, feel, sit in the car, open the trunk, point to the mid-engine and even get on the ground to see the undercarriage. They talked about things I had no idea about, quoting from Motor Trend and other magazines. What I watched and cherished was the excitement and teenage pep in their step that I remembered as a kid.
I did enjoy driving the Corvette and I must say I sure did get a lot of attention. People stopped and asked me if I would take their pictures in front of the car. They also waved to me, horns beeping on the freeway, kids waving and even throwing kisses which was surprising to me. However, nothing was as rewarding and genuine than my brother and me getting to hug each other; and just like our time in the family garage, it all revolved around cars.
For more on the Corvette go to www.chevy.com and for more reviews go to www.hercertified.com.
Watch the imovie which enhances this story. (Her Certified)
15 City – 27 Highway
- MSRP: $66,400
- AS TESTED: $90,775
- My Brother’s Smile – Priceless
