Imagine: A Chevrolet dealer in suburban Philadelphia has a new Corvette in its showroom, placed

for maximum exposure to passers-by.

Imagine: A Chevrolet dealer in suburban Philadelphia has a new Corvette in its showroom, placed for maximum exposure to passers-by.

One of those passers-by, a high-school lad, is drawn in by the lines of the shark in the window, as well as by the new-that-year optional aluminum wheels. He finds a nearby parking place to duck his folks’ car, and he goes in to take a look.

It’s the first time in a long time that he’s seen a brand-new Corvette at a Chevy dealer. He takes a look at the window sticker, noting the impressive list of options: an L82 350, a four-speed manual transmission, leather seats, Gymkhana Suspension, those aluminum wheels…just about every option available that year.

Then he sees the Vette’s sticker price. It’s the first one he’s ever seen that’s over $10,000. But he doesn’t drop dead from sticker shock. Instead, he takes note of just which Chevy dealer this is: Penske Chevrolet, in Wayne. Yes, that Penske Chevrolet.

So, maybe that L82 is a bit stronger than the ones installed in other Vettes that year? Or its chassis is dialed in just so, for optimum autocrossing? Or….? After all, this is the dealership Roger Penske opened over a decade earlier, after stepping out from behind the wheel of his race-winning Vettes.

Bathed in the glow of showroom light and late-afternoon sun, the white Corvette seems to glow, already a car with a history—a Penske Corvette!

The lad, wearing the varsity colors of the arch-rival of the nearby high school, makes detailed mental notes about the Corvette as he heads home.Three-decades-plus later, the memory is still strong, and in color (unlike this GM factory photo).

Have you guys seen that Corvette?

---Scott Ross