Photo: Mecum
Corvettes and aviators… A match made in Heaven back in the early days of America’s sports car, which coincidently were also the early days of supersonic and space flight. And also a match made in Heaven that some people can clearly profit from to this day.
As you may know, it was not that uncommon to see Corvettes being driven by astronauts and pilots back in the 1960s. In fact, Chevrolet preferred it so, as what better advertising than to have your products used in plain sight by America’s heroes?
Captain Norman Gandia was one of those heroes. This guy flew with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels demonstration team, including at the helm of an F-11A Tiger, is responsible for some 500 carrier landings, and was even involved with the famous Top Gun school and the scary Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1966, the man got his own Chevrolet Corvette, and it’s this one here. A 1966, second-generation Sting Ray that over the years came to be known, thanks to its owner, as the Blue Angel Corvette.
Finished in Laguna Blue, the car is not that different from all others of its kind. It packs a 427ci engine and a four-speed transmission, and comes with an AM/FM radio with a power antenna, a teakwood steering wheel, and Goldline tires.
The car was initially ordered by a GM executive, but it was Gandia who made it famous, and the car even wears the number 5 on its body, a reference to the pilot’s Blue Angels F-11A Tiger.
This incredible and remarkably well-kept Corvette just popped on the lot of cars auction house Mecum will be selling in early January in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s going with a reserve, it seems, just 56,000 miles (90,000 km) on the clock, and a variety of documents.
And it also goes with Gandia’s flight bag, a pilot's pocket checklist, and an assortment of photos, making it even more valuable for those with a passion for both Porsche and military aviation.
Captain Norman Gandia was one of those heroes. This guy flew with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels demonstration team, including at the helm of an F-11A Tiger, is responsible for some 500 carrier landings, and was even involved with the famous Top Gun school and the scary Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1966, the man got his own Chevrolet Corvette, and it’s this one here. A 1966, second-generation Sting Ray that over the years came to be known, thanks to its owner, as the Blue Angel Corvette.
Finished in Laguna Blue, the car is not that different from all others of its kind. It packs a 427ci engine and a four-speed transmission, and comes with an AM/FM radio with a power antenna, a teakwood steering wheel, and Goldline tires.
The car was initially ordered by a GM executive, but it was Gandia who made it famous, and the car even wears the number 5 on its body, a reference to the pilot’s Blue Angels F-11A Tiger.
This incredible and remarkably well-kept Corvette just popped on the lot of cars auction house Mecum will be selling in early January in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s going with a reserve, it seems, just 56,000 miles (90,000 km) on the clock, and a variety of documents.
And it also goes with Gandia’s flight bag, a pilot's pocket checklist, and an assortment of photos, making it even more valuable for those with a passion for both Porsche and military aviation.
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