<VV> My Corvair 50th Anniversary Odyssey

[Bill Hubbell]

it is now 7:30 PM. EDT and I am almost home after a 1500 mile round trip to deliver my 1964 sedan to the National Corvette Museum. I began this journey 3 days ago when Allen Bristow arrived at my home in Virginia Beach about 9:30 PM. with his truck, camper, and trailer. We loaded up my car and headed out west on I-64, finally crashing for the night in the Waynesboro Wal-Mart parking lot about 3 am.  We were back on the road by 10 am. and arrived in Bowling Green, KY that evening. After a relaxing dinner it was off to another Wal-Mart parking lot for a slightly longer night's sleep. Up again Thursday am. (Oct 1st), we made our way over to the NCM and off-loaded the car into the display area. We treated ourselves to three hours at the museum before starting the long trip back, finally arriving at Allen's home in Stafford, VA at 1 o'clock this am.  We both caught some more zzzs and were up by 8 this morning whereupon we proceeded to transport 3 of Allen's Corvairs 10 miles to the Chevrolet Dealership in Fredericksburg for a showroom display this weekend. Allen let me drive his 1969 convertible (#5997 - the LAST Corvair convertible), so I  did get to drive a Corvair on the 50th anniversary.  After all the cars were safely tucked away in the showroom Allen took me to the local Avis dealer where he had arranged for me to rent a car for my return trip to Virginia Beach. I fought the weekend traffic on I-95 and I-64 until I reached Newport News airport where I dropped off the rental and was picked up by my wife, who works nearby.  After fighting the bridge tunnel traffic we decided to catch dinner at a Red Robin and are now approaching home.

So the price of putting my Corvair in the museum was only about 3 days of lost wages, roughly $600 in fuel and food, several hours of lost sleep and a huge debt of gratitude to Allen and both of our long suffering but supportive wives.  Now I can start planning how to get her back home at the end of the year!

Please visit the display if you can and make my trip and all the efforts of the organizers and other car owners worthwhile. 

Happy 50th Birthday, Corvair!

Bill Hubbell