Rod75
Well-known member
Thanks to the generosity of my sister & brother in-law, I was invited to view the private collection of Ken Lingenfelter.
I couldn’t refuse, as I was chauffeured there, taken out for dinner and on to the viewing.
All proceeds were donated to charity for children, so it was for a good cause.
This is the private collection of Ken Lingenfelter, not John. Ken is John’s cousin, who purchased the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering business several years after John’s death.
The collection’s located in the metro-Detroit, Michigan area in an industrial building that’s climate controlled and divided into 3 rooms.
A live band provided the jams, pastries and coffee were served, giving the event the name: “Sweet Night, Sweet Rides”.
In this Pt I, I’m showing the 50’s Corvettes. Some real ‘milestone’ cars are here.
I never did count all the cars there, as I was stricken with the ‘kid-in-a-candy-store’ excitement and had to compose myself to start taking pictures. Not to mention the caffeine/sugar buzz that ensued. My guess would be about 100+ cars, combined domestic, import, classic and modern.
A couple notes of criticism, as this shows up in the pics:
The majority of battery tenders were left plugged-in and attached to the cars. This took away from quality photo op’s, and was a tripping hazard.
All, and I mean ALL the hoods were closed on every vehicle. Many were not latched, leaving access for the battery tenders. It’s a bit like being invited to the Playboy mansion, and not seeing any naked women! I had asked if just a couple hoods could be opened for pics, but request ignored.
Many of the vehicles had show/info posters resting against the back wall. They should've been placed out in front for easy viewing.
If there’s any further interest, I'll post continuing parts to this.
This is Duntov's 1954 EX-87 test mule Corvette. Prototype V8, initially a 265 cid, later increased to 307 cid. And the "Duntov" cam was installed.
Smokey Yunick drove this car to a record setting 163 mph at GM's Arizona proving grounds in 1955.
This was the very first Corvette to be powered by a V8 engine!
Right rear view showing the legendary 'fin'.
Cockpit of same
1953 Super Charged Corvette. 235 cid Blue Flame 6 cyl 117 hp. 2880 lbs. 0 - 60 in 9 seconds. One of two built, only one known to exist. Built by McCullough Motors to purpose. This made the Corvette a true competitor to the 'T-Bird'.
1954 Corvette Bloomington Gold Certified
1954 Corvette Styling Prototype
And a few more 50's/60's Vettes, some scattered around.
I couldn’t refuse, as I was chauffeured there, taken out for dinner and on to the viewing.
All proceeds were donated to charity for children, so it was for a good cause.
This is the private collection of Ken Lingenfelter, not John. Ken is John’s cousin, who purchased the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering business several years after John’s death.
The collection’s located in the metro-Detroit, Michigan area in an industrial building that’s climate controlled and divided into 3 rooms.
A live band provided the jams, pastries and coffee were served, giving the event the name: “Sweet Night, Sweet Rides”.
In this Pt I, I’m showing the 50’s Corvettes. Some real ‘milestone’ cars are here.
I never did count all the cars there, as I was stricken with the ‘kid-in-a-candy-store’ excitement and had to compose myself to start taking pictures. Not to mention the caffeine/sugar buzz that ensued. My guess would be about 100+ cars, combined domestic, import, classic and modern.
A couple notes of criticism, as this shows up in the pics:
The majority of battery tenders were left plugged-in and attached to the cars. This took away from quality photo op’s, and was a tripping hazard.
All, and I mean ALL the hoods were closed on every vehicle. Many were not latched, leaving access for the battery tenders. It’s a bit like being invited to the Playboy mansion, and not seeing any naked women! I had asked if just a couple hoods could be opened for pics, but request ignored.
Many of the vehicles had show/info posters resting against the back wall. They should've been placed out in front for easy viewing.
If there’s any further interest, I'll post continuing parts to this.
This is Duntov's 1954 EX-87 test mule Corvette. Prototype V8, initially a 265 cid, later increased to 307 cid. And the "Duntov" cam was installed.
Smokey Yunick drove this car to a record setting 163 mph at GM's Arizona proving grounds in 1955.
This was the very first Corvette to be powered by a V8 engine!
Right rear view showing the legendary 'fin'.
Cockpit of same
1953 Super Charged Corvette. 235 cid Blue Flame 6 cyl 117 hp. 2880 lbs. 0 - 60 in 9 seconds. One of two built, only one known to exist. Built by McCullough Motors to purpose. This made the Corvette a true competitor to the 'T-Bird'.
1954 Corvette Bloomington Gold Certified
1954 Corvette Styling Prototype
And a few more 50's/60's Vettes, some scattered around.
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