In this article, we are looking at the Corvettes at the 2017 Corvette Chevy Expo.
The 2017 Corvette Chevy Expo marked the 39th year for the Expo in Texas. The All Chevy event moved from Houston two years ago to Galveston Island. The event was held March 11-12, 2017 at the beautiful Galveston Island Convention Center at the San Luis Resort on the famous Seawall Boulevard. It is a perfect destination for a weekend of Corvette and Chevy fun and what better time than Spring Break. Unfortunately, it was rainy and foggy during this year’s event.
The Corvette Chevy Expo is known throughout Texas and surrounding states for the outstanding quality of show cars, which range from matching number classics to wild customs. The Corvette Chevy Expo rents the entire first floor equaling 83,800 square feet.
Corvettes that have an NCRS Top Flight and a Bloomington Gold certification may go for the Vette Vues Magazine Tri-Power ® Award. Headed by Bill Braun, this judging process takes about 2.5 hours per car. The purpose of the Tri-Power Award is to honor those who have kept or restored their Corvette to Factory’s Original state. This year there were three Corvettes that were awarded this great honor; Jimmy and Robert Leeds received their Tri-Power for their 1993 Corvette, Ed Nieves for his 1995 Corvette, and Alton Rivero for this 1996 Corvette.
Because of the extremely high quality of show cars that participate at Corvette Chevy Expo, there are three separate Best of Show awards, one for Corvette, one for Camaro, and one for Chevrolet. There is also a Best Display award. Steve Pond received the Best of Show Corvette for his Custom 2014 C7 Corvette, Best of Show Camaro went to Doyle & Beverly Vinson for their Stock 1968 Camaro, and Randy Council was presented the Best of Show Chevrolet for his 1965 Custom Nova. Doyle & Beverly Vinson also won Best of Show Display for the 1968 Camaro. There were 35 Best in Class awards presented and numerous 2nd and 3rd place awards. You can see the complete list of winners on the website https://corvettechevyexpo.com/2017-award-winners-39th-corvette-chevy-expo/
The cars that receive 98 or more out of the 100-point judging system are presented the President’s Award. This extraordinary group of people is honored for their exceptional work on their show vehicles and presented with a certificate. “We admire the great efforts with these awards. These participants and their vehicles play a vital role in the hobby for today and future generations,” William Wolf, CEO said. “We are inspired by them and their work and reminded how lucky we are to be in this business.” This year forty-five cars achieved this monumental success.
In addition to the outstanding show cars, there are cars for sale and numerous major Corvette vendors that are set up in the Aftermarket ShowCase. Topping the list off is Title Sponsor, Lonestar Caliper Co, as well as sponsors Vansteel Corvette and the Street Shop. Al Knoch Interior’s semi load of take-home ready replacement parts is always a very popular stop. Corvette Central offers free shipping on orders taken at the show. Some of the other vendors included Jack Podell Fuel Injection Units, Kathy Podell Apparel, Corvette Clocks by Roger, NCM Insurance, LVJ Automotive, Auto Etc. Neon, Apsis USA, Muscle Cars of Texas, Master Formula, All American Dustless Blasting, Tint World, BBC Restos, Daniel Polak, Tim Schaad as well as some local vendors.
This year there were two new activities. Kathi Richardson, from the local Corvette Club, headed up the outdoor Show’n Shine. In spite of the rainy weather, it was off to a good start, and there were some remarkable cars. The Corvettes and Chevys were displayed in front of the convention center on the circular drive. There were separate awards on both Saturday and Sunday.
The other new activity was the Craft Show for the women. The Galveston Craft Show is open to local artists, and the items must be handmade. No reproductions are allowed. This addition was well-received, and all of the artists said they would be back again next year and will bring some more crafters.
Sunday, Vette Vues Magazine does its photoshoot for their Racy Vues photo followed by Swimsuit USA International’s swimsuit contest. This is very popular with the younger men!
Next year’s event is March 10-11, 2018 and we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary. We already have show cars registered and will fill up quickly. If you would like to participate, please call the Vette Vues Magazine office and reserve your space (386-775-2512). For more information, visit our website https://corvettechevyexpo.com/.
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