Vettes of Atlanta Magazine

09/11/2026

Ron keeps a poster board propped in front of the car at every show he takes it to. Red construction paper, hand-lettered, held together with packing tape gone amber with age.

He calls it “A Decades Old Mystery,” and every word on it is his — years of digging, written up so strangers at a cruise-in can read it in the time it takes to circle the car once.

Here’s what it says, in his words:

“Every September, this Corvette celebrates a birthday. It was built in September of 1956, at the General Motors plant in St. Louis, Missouri… There have been many owners and a search has been on to find out who they all were and who bought this car when it was new. It’s believed it’s always been a New York car and also believed to have been a veteran of racing both on the street as well as on the drag strip.”

A New York car, maybe. A racer, maybe. Ron built that board to attract the one thing a decades-cold trail actually needs: somebody else’s memory.

Key Takeaways The open call: Baglio invites anyone with information on the car's pre-1971 ownership to contact him directly at annieron@ verizon.net. Owner: Ron Baglio has owned this 1957 Chevrolet Corvette (built September 1956, St. Louis production sequence #523) since 1990. The build: Restored by...

09/04/2026

Picture this: a humid Saturday morning, the Georgia air thick with the visceral rumble of internal combustion, and more than 90 high-performance, classic, and custom machines lining up together.

Nothing beats the thrill of a massive pack of beautiful cars hitting the asphalt as one.

But this past weekend’s cruise across the Peach State wasn’t just about immaculate paint jobs and throaty V8 soundtracks—the Georgia Street Rod Association (GSRA) called on the automotive community for its 4th Annual Collector Car Appreciation Day, and local gearheads answered in a massive way.

Georgia Street Rod Association - GSRA

Key Takeaways Why it matters: A community-driven event proving car culture and charity accelerate best together. What happened: The Georgia Street Rod Association's 4th Annual Collector Car Appreciation Day drew 90+ collector vehicles for a 60-mile sheriff-escorted cruise through Cartersville, Georg...

08/28/2026

Whether you are returning for the final chapter of our series or just joining us for the first time, welcome to the ultimate masterclass on the second-generation Corvette.

In our first two installments, we navigated the high-stakes $15,000 Acquisition Strategy and braved the Mechanical Minefield of cooling and braking systems. Now, we arrive at the most rewarding—yet complex—stage of the journey: Living with the Legend.

In this final guide, we move beyond the “how-to” of repairs and dive into the “how-to” of long-term stewardship. We explore the delicate balance between maintaining a museum-grade investment and enjoying the raw, visceral thrill of a Stingray on the open road.

If you have ever wondered whether to chase trophies on the judging field or miles on the odometer, you are in the right place.

Master C2 Corvette ownership with Bob Catapano. Balance technical judging with street reliability. The "Originality Trap," and ensure long-term stewardship

08/21/2026

Whether you are just joining us or returning after our deep dive into the C2 Corvette Buying Guide: The $15,000 Reserve Fund Rule, welcome to the second chapter of our masterclass on the legendary C2 Corvette.

In our first installment, we stripped away the showroom glamour to reveal the forensic realities of buying a mid-year classic. Now, we shift our focus from the purchase to the pavement.

For those who followed Bob Catapano’s advice and secured their reserve fund, it is time to put that capital to work. We are diving headfirst into the “Mechanical Minefield,” where we tackle the invisible chemical wars, the physics of vintage stopping power, and the high-maintenance reality of the second generation of America’s Sports Car, the Corvette.

If you’re ready to transform your Stingray from a “garage queen” into a reliable, road-worthy machine, you’re in exactly the right place.

Navigate the C2 Corvette mechanical minefield with Bob Catapano. Expert tips on cooling systems, heater cores, power brake retrofits, and 427 maintenance.

08/14/2026

Welcome to a definitive three-part masterclass dedicated to the second-generation (1963–1967) Corvette. Over the next three installments, we are stripping away the showroom glamour to provide a forensic look at what it truly takes to buy, restore, and master the legendary C2 Sting Ray.

Part 1: The C2 Acquisition Strategy – Navigating the high-stakes world of purchase inspections and financial planning.

Part 2: The Mechanical Minefield – A deep dive into cooling systems, vintage braking, and the reality of Big Block maintenance.

Part 3: Living with a Legend – Provenance, safety, and long-term stewardship of your investment.

Master the C2 Corvette purchase with Bob Catapano’s expert guide. Learn about the $15k reserve fund, birdcage rust, and forensic tips to avoid costly mistakes.

08/07/2026

For over three decades, Louie Moore ran two full-time lives at once. Computer science by day. A parallel career in the Army National Guard and Reserve that carried him from private first class all the way to lieutenant colonel.

Deployments. Relocations. Rebuilding his standing from scratch in a new state, over and over, while still showing up as a husband and father.

He’d heard the stories every retiring high-achiever hears, whether they admit it or not. Guys who spend thirty years running at full speed, who finally stop — and then drop dead a year later. Nobody told them what to do with all that momentum once the job stops asking for it.

That fear sat with him. He needed something to catch the fall.

He didn’t know yet that it would come from Facebook Marketplace.

Summit Racing Equipment
Top-End Motors Inc.
Corvette Central
Muscle Car Therapy

https://vettesofatlanta.com/1972-corvette-c3-a-veterans-2000-hour-restoration/

08/07/2026

For over three decades, Louie Moore ran two full-time lives at once. Computer science by day. A parallel career in the Army National Guard and Reserve that carried him from private first class all the way to lieutenant colonel.

Deployments. Relocations. Rebuilding his standing from scratch in a new state, over and over, while still showing up as a husband and father.

He’d heard the stories every retiring high-achiever hears, whether they admit it or not. Guys who spend thirty years running at full speed, who finally stop — and then drop dead a year later. Nobody told them what to do with all that momentum once the job stops asking for it.

That fear sat with him. He needed something to catch the fall.

He didn’t know yet that it would come from Facebook Marketplace.

Top-End Motors Inc.
Corvette Central
Muscle Car Therapy
Summit Racing Equipment

07/31/2026

When Chevrolet engineers flipped the Corvette script and moved the engine behind the driver, they threw a massive curveball at the design team: How do you maintain the soul of America’s sports car while ensuring owners can actually take it on a weekend road trip?

The solution was a masterclass in tight packaging, yielding a combined 12.6 cubic feet of total cargo space specifically shaped to swallow two golf bags.

But packing a C8 is nothing like loading up an old front-engine grand tourer. Instead of one deep cavern, you are dealing with two completely unique environments:

Key Takeaway Section The S2L Evolution: GM carried over the C7-generation ordering code (S2L) for the C8 platform, transitioning the physical product from a $920 5-piece textile set to a $1,695 2-piece premium leather kit. The Counter Catalog Trap: Ordering a C8 new automatically pairs the luggage s...

07/24/2026

Every Corvette hunter knows the drill. You spend months scouring forums, tracking down spreadsheets, and calculating production codes. You know exactly what you want, and you are ready to pull the trigger. Then, you walk into a showroom, and reality changes your entire plan.

That is exactly how Frank Cangemi found himself standing in the back room of Buyavette in Atlanta. Frank wanted a clean 2003 50th Anniversary Edition C5. He set his sights on that classic Burgundy look, but fate had other plans. As the dealership staff guided him through the back row of inventory, a brilliant flash of Millennium Yellow stopped him cold.

Sitting under the showroom lights was a 2002 C5 convertible. It looked absolutely striking. As Frank moved closer, he noticed something unique: the doors wore bold, official graphics for the 86th running of the Indianapolis 500.

National Corvette Museum

Discover the story of Frank Cangemi’s rare 2002 Indy 500 Festival Corvette—one of just 33—as it goes from a quiet museum display to a screaming track day.

07/17/2026

A high-powered inspection flashlight slices through the shadows beneath an open clamshell hood, pinpointing a tiny, factory-stamped assembly marking on a pristine master cylinder.

Inside the main service bays of American Street Machines Inc, the air carries that intoxicating cocktail of high-octane fuel, fresh chemical wax, and vintage vinyl.

Outside, the thick Georgia summer humidity is already baking the pavement. Inside, the morning chill breaks to the sharp, syncopated rumble of high-compression small-blocks fire-cracking to life.

This isn’t a sterile convention center car show. The National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) Southeast Chapter descended on this active muscle car destination for their summer meet, turning the facility into a high-voltage proving ground for historical preservation.

Operations ran with Swiss-watch precision, providing the ultimate crucible for a masterclass in factory correctness.

To understand the depth of knowledge on display, you only have to look at three storytellers driving the event forward: Rich Ma**er, Tom Beuglas, and Todd Willoughby. Together, their insights paint a vivid picture of where the classic Corvette movement stands.

American Street Machines Inc
National Corvette Restorers Society- Southeast Chapter
National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) Group

Inside the 2026 NCRS Southeast meet at American Street Machines: Master judges reveal the secrets to Flight Judging and avoiding costly auction risks.