Speedsters At CarlisleDo you ever cruise around town in your Speedster and wonder "Where are all the other Speedsters?" Well, this year during one weekend, May 21-23, they'll be in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, at the Import-Kitcar/Replicar Nationals. The Kit Car Nationals at Carlisle is the largest kit car gathering of the year, and this year, if you have a Speedster and don't bring it, it will be like going to the prom without a date!
Check out the Speedsters Web site at http://SpeedstersEast.home.att.net. This site will provide the latest info on the Speedster Meet, Carlisle schedule, lodging, links, and Saturday night dinner, at which the New Jersey Replicar Club (NJRC) has announced that the main speaker will be Mike Blake, editor of KIT CAR magazine. The NJRC meets for dinner at the Sunnyside Restaurant every year and is hosting the Speedster owners this year. If you are planning to join them for dinner, contact Alan Merklin at drclock@hotmail.com.
In addition to the dinner, Henry Reisner of Intermeccanica and John Steele of JPS Motorsports have already confirmed they will be doing seminars. Event attendance by Speedsters coming from Canada, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey has also been confirmed.
For more information, contact coordinators are Alan Merklin (drclock@hotmail.com) or Bruce Stumpp (bstumpp@comcast.net). Or check out the Carlisle event Web site at www.carsatcarlisle.com.
Vette RebodyIf you have a C5 platform that you want to customize, you now have a component kit that will help you transform your "old" Vette into a Tiger Shark. The Demetry Design Tiger Shark conversion kit consists of replacement front and rear facias that bolt into place. The concept originated when Mark Demetry saw the C5 Corvette for the first time at the Detroit Auto Show. Uninspired by the design, seeing a little too much emphasis had been placed on the car's aerodynamics, Demetry was reminded of a Ford Probe. It appeared to him that by the time the stylists got around to designing the rear of the car, they had run out of time and said to themselves, "Let's just cut it off here." However, the car had great lines between the bumpers.
Demetry purchased a new Vette in 2001 and began modifying it soon after. The modifications were based on his personal interpretation of what he thought the production C5 should have looked like. Actual pictures of tiger sharks were used as an inspiration. He knew that by rounding the corners of the car, much of the bulkiness could be removed from the car's appearance. The final result was a design that may look more like a classic Corvette than the stock C5.
Unlike most modified cars that scream "Look at me," with their stereotypical spoiler, ground effects, and flashy wheels, the Tiger Shark's appearance is more subdued. To attract more attention at car shows, Demetry found it helpful to make a fiberglass fish that fits in the grille. Because so many people mistook the car for a production model, he felt he had achieved his original goals.