Drivers head down Green Street in Pasadena to start their 2,900 mile journey to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The smell of rich exhaust filled the air Thursday morning as more than 200 Stingrays lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan.
Corvettes Limited, the area Corvette Club, hosted the departure of the sleek all-American sports cars, which will travel 2,900 miles during the next seven days to meet up with 5,000 to 7,000 other Corvette owners for the 25th anniversary of the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Don Allen of Bakersfield gives his 2016 Corvette a last minute dusting before hitting the road for 2,900 miles in the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
More than 200 Corvettes lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
More than 200 Corvettes lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Judy Smith had her nails done to match her car for the 2,900 mile journey to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Judy Smith of Simi Valley chose a sporty hat to match her 2014 Premier Corvette for the 2,900 mile journey to Bowling Green, Kentucky in the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Drivers head down Green Street in Pasadena to start their 2,900 mile journey to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Richard and Barbara Block of Trabuco Canyon were ready to roll in the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
More than 200 Corvettes lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
There is a surprising amount of trunk space in the C7 model Corvette, at least enough for most driver to make the 2,900 mile trip to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Richard Block of Trabuco Canyon makes a footrest as he waits for his turn to leave the parking lot at the Elks Lodge to begin his 2,900 mile drive in the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Drivers head down Green Street in Pasadena to start their 2,900 mile journey to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
More than 200 Corvettes lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
More than 200 Corvettes lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
More than 200 Corvettes lined up at the Elks Lodge in Pasadena for the start of the Southwest section of the National Corvette Caravan Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Drivers head down Green Street in Pasadena to start their 2,900 mile journey to the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky Thursday, August 22, 2019. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
“It’s the iconic America sports car,” Lois Freedman of Simi Valley said. “It comfortable, exciting. I feel like I’m sitting in a rocket ship.”
Freedman, the former secretary of the Simi Valley Corvette Club, was looking forward to the long road trip. “See the USA in a Chevrolet,” she said.
Corvettes Limited president Matt Hinson agreed with Freedman: “The Corvette is the great American sports car. It’s a fantastic machine. It’s been around since 1953, and it’s still going strong.”
Of the more than 200 Corvettes leaving Pasadena, 10 were shipped from Hawaii to make the trip on the mainland, a pilgrimage that takes place only once every five years.
Sporting a sparkling hat and yellow sunglasses, Judy Smith of Simi Valley was looking forward to the trip in her 2014 Premier Corvette.
“It’s very comfortable, has room for my luggage, and it’s fast.”
Once they arrive in Bowling Green, the participants will enjoy three days of Corvette lifestyle, including fireworks, and concerts by Jefferson Starship and a Journey tribute band before they have to lower their visors to make the return trip to California.
