V.V.Cooke was a well known racing dealership. This Pace Car was delivered there for a special purpose for the Indy race. I would love to know the details.
V.V. Cooke Chevrolet, Seller Of The First Corvette In Kentucky
When the '53 Corvette came out, V.V. Cooke Chevrolet received the first one delivered in Kentucky. Upon arrival, V.V. Jr. was enthralled with its striking appearance and sports car appeal. The car was so unique that Chevrolet Motor Division sent in a service technician to go over the car with the dealership mechanic. With this formality out of the way, V.V. Jr. just had to try it out. What an afternoon that turned out to be!
V.V. Cooke Chevrolet, The Sponsor
Recently, the interest in dealer involvement in the '60s performance market has reached an all-time high. Prominent dealers in the Midwest and northeast United States are now well known to the performance-oriented crowd, primarily due to the numerous articles that have documented their place in performance history. Across the country there were other dealers who also played roles in the horsepower wars. V.V. Cooke Chevrolet in Louisville, Kentucky, was one such dealer. High-performance cars and performance enhancements were daily activities in the sales and service departments for Chevelles, Chevy IIs, Corvairs, Corvettes, and Yenko-prepared cars as well.
Now that is super cool. and your right.. it explains things for sure... I bought my wifes car because it came from Gledhill in LA.. The dealer that James Garner got his cars from to race and own.. Love historical dealers
tom @ camaropacecars.com ( remove the space between m,@,c)
Posts: 13401 | Location: Arlington Mass | Registered: 01 May 2005
Yeah I was there Tuesday and it wasn't there yet so didn't see it. Also wasn't on the Mecum "View Lots" pages. Was surprised to see it go across the block Friday night a little after 8:00 PM. No sale bid to $85,000. EDIT: Lee was there Thursday and didn't see it either. So must have been a very late addition to the auction slipped in on Friday. Didn't appear in their online lot list so people knew it was going across the block, and apparently showed up Friday so not many got to see it before it crossed.
OFF TOPIC ALERT! Was kind of bummed I wasn't there with a bidder's pass when one of the last cars to cross was a little Fiero pace car that hammered for $1500!!! Looked OK on the TV but it seems that a lot look better on TV than they do in person. Told the wife that'd be a fun little knock-around daily-driver to drive to work for that money.
Mike L.
Posts: 2528 | Location: Indy | Registered: 20 September 2005
