In 1972, after Basic Training, I bought my first new Corvette.  The next year, I was PCS'd to Thailand and there I ordered the '74 Blue Coupe you see in the pictures thru GM Overseas Distribution Corporation with a 25% discount!  When I got back to the States later in 1974, the car was waiting for me in at the dealership of my choice in New Jersey.  The only problem was that the bank turned me down on the loan because I was still in the military. Back then because of Vietnam, military personal were considered a high risk and MANY banks required 50% down on loans.  I didn't know that and didn't have the money at the time. My father said he would buy the car and sell it back to me as soon as I saved up the money ($5400-this was already discounted 25%).   Time went on and I never did buy the car back. My father had fallen in love with the car and I let it go and bought other new and used vettes over the years. 

My father passed on in '95 and Mom kept showing the car (I would always detail it for her). When she passed on in '06, the car completed its full circle and passed back to me.  My father, I found then, never changed the title out of my name when I originally orded the car overseas!   So, I put the car in storage locally as I already had a 2005 Mag Red vert modified at home and didn't know what I wanted to do with it exactly! 

In late 2007, GM came out with a replacement color for LeMans Blue. When I first saw Jet Stream Blue under the florescent lighting at the dealership at night, I was totally amazed at the way the color would change as you would walk around the car!  I decided to trade my '05 in for the JSB '08 which was a Corvette Museum Delivery Option car.  The service manager later kept telling me about the pending contract the dealership was working on with Callaway and that I should hold off from modifying the engine or Callaway won't take the car; that this was the way to go and that I would not lose my warranty either!  I kept saying, "what the heck is he talking about, Callaway what?"   I had NO IDEA what a Callaway was really about at all!  NONE!  I was totally in the dark!   Anyway, something told me to wait and wait I did. 

Later, during the fall when the dealership had their yearly car show thru the local Corvette Club they sponsor, Reeves Callaway himself was there since a few months before the dealership had sealed the contract with Callaway to become a Callaway Authorized Dealer here in the South and this was an excellent time to promote the Callaway product.  It was there where I got my first chance to drive a Callaway!!!   Well, it was like the first time I ever got my first ride in a 1969 427/435 horse Corvette!   I immediately feel in LOVE!  I never experienced anything like it in my life before (never rode in a Supercharged Corvette before either).  It took me about a month after that show to admit it to myself but I knew then and there I had to and was going to sell the '74 before I got re-attached to it! 

So, up for sale it went.  It took 5  months but finally, a gentleman from Idaho came and looked at the car.  His first Corvette that he originally purchased was a '74 New and he was looking to find an (almost) exact replacement of the car he bought new in about as Like-New condition.  The day he came to my house, it was pouring rain and was not able to road test the car.  But  I started it up and let it run for 10 minutes and it was a done deal.  The '74 sold for $22,000, the exact cost of the Callaway conversion package, less additional options. And that's how it took 2 Corvettes, my 1974 Corvette Coupe with only 39,000 miles and my 2008 Corvette Convertible with 2460 miles to make this particular Callaway Corvette SC580 Convertible.  

The only problem I have now is....I don't think I can ever go back....to driving a "regular" Corvette again!!!
 

Sal Cerniglia