The Corvette is a legendary car, and every year the southeast’s largest Corvette show and swap meet kicks off the calendar year in legendary style as well. The 33rd Annual Corvette Winter Regional was held on January 26th-30th, 2011, at Old Town in Kissimmee. This event draws lots of Vettes from all over the state, plus some participants from northern states (who are almost certainly jealous of our hospitable weather - especially if they still have snow on the ground at home). Though the theme is constantly that of Corvettes, there are two distinct shows that take place.
First up is the main portion hosted by the Florida Chapter of the National Corvette Restorers Society (NCRS) on Thursday through Saturday. As the “restored” part of the name would suggest, it caters exclusively to stock style Corvettes. This portion was highlighted by a Flight Judged show, the Duntov Award of Excellence, McLellan Award of Excellence, and a Sportsman Class open to new NCRS cars. But the cars aren’t all you’ll find, as there are also seminars (some by Corvette engineers who you can talk to), special guests, a swap meet area, and plenty of Corvette themed collectables.
On Sunday the Classic Corvettes of Orlando take center stage with their “Wonderful World of Corvettes” portion of the event, which invites all types of Vettes to participate. On Sunday you’ll find not only the stock and restored varieties, but also modified, custom and race versions as well. They have their own awards, which are presented in the Stock, Modified, Custom and Race classes, plus the Brent Ferguson Memorial Award and various sponsor chosen awards.
This year we managed to get out to the show for two days (Friday and Sunday), allowing us to take in both the stock and modified aspects. However, no matter which day you would have gone, a good time would have been had - with many people making it for all the days. Since the show is held at Old Town that also meant those members of the family not as interested in Corvettes could have visited the 75 specialty shops, many restaurants, played carnival style games, and ridden amusement rides.
If you like Corvettes, be sure and make plans to attend this annual event. Watch for a listing in our Coming Attractions section as next year’s event draws closer, or you can also find out info by visiting the two host club’s web sites at www.ncrsfl.org and www.classiccorvettes.org. It’s a great way to celebrate “America’s Sportscar”, and get a new year rolling with a fun car show. We’ll see you there! CN
