It was the autumn of 1969, rustling leaves fell lazily from the trees, signaling the end of summer—and what a summer it was in the small town of Everett, Massachusetts; a tiny suburb of Boston. Back then, jobs were plentiful for a teenager. Pumping gas was an easy score, especially when your dad was the one on the books. I just helped out for 50 cents an hour. Little did I know that pumping gas and smelling like it would change my life forever!
Larry Shinoda, designer of the second generation Corvette, is mostly to blame for what happened next. My first long stare at his iconic “stingray” design burned images onto my internal hard drive decades before such terms came into vogue. That’s the day lightning struck and a slow IV drip of Sunoco 103 changed the chemistry and PH in my platelets forever!
Hello—I am Corvette Mike Vietro.
Given the occasion, I thought it fitting to pull out the yellow pad and scribble a reflective note to all of my friends, family, hobbyist, clients and Facebook followers to say thank you. I was only 14 years old in the fall of 1969 so I have a lot more high-test left in me. A childhood dream became a reality and on January 18, 2016 I celebrated my 34th year as a licensed dealer known as “CORVETTE MIKE”. And to think, next year I’ll be celebrating 35 years! Wow how time flies!
After 34 years in any other job you would be packing up your desk, grabbing an extra stapler, some trusty pens, taking the framed photos of the family down and heading for simpler days ahead. Some call it retirement; Me, I’m geared up for a few more quarter milers, which brings me back to this yellow pad.
I’m still here, still want to buy your Corvettes, car collections; (the more the better), and multi-marques and more importantly, “I want to sell you a quality car.”
I’ve diversified over the last decade. I find myself taking in trade and purchasing some very neat non-corvettes. I also find myself needing glasses and getting gray! HA HA
It’s been fun and exciting learning about all things with 2 or 4 wheels and powerful motors.
Let’s talk. Tell me about the dream car you can now afford. I, or my trusty guys will find it for you. Tell me about the cool car collection down the block that may be for sale or enjoyed. Tell me about how you outran the cops when you were a kid. Tell me about how your dad, reluctantly, loaned you money for the down payment on your muscle car. I never tire of car stories, pun intended. We’ve collected some 40,000 cars in our database. Certainly there’s one in there for you. Let’s talk! And in the meantime, to all of you, wherever in the world you may be, or above- thank you for your support, making Corvette Mike the premier Corvette dealer in the world!
I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Your Friend, Corvette Mike Vietro