Long Island Vettes - Membership Profile

	Drew Moore - My Story Back in 1971 I was a freshman in high school. I would draw pictures (mostly during my classes) of my DREAM CAR. It was a 1971 Corvette , 4 speed, black on black with hooker headers ( I didn't know that black was not an option back then ). This was a car I thought I would never own, but that is what dreams are made of. So I had to settle for a car I could afford. My brother's hand-me-down 1968 Cutlass. I loved that car , but it was not a Vette !
Time passes , you get married, have kids, buy a home and your dreams get put on hold. Then one day 26 years later I decided to look for my "MID-LIFE-CRISIS CAR". I was told it could take years to find a vette that was in good shape and was worth buying. But I saw a couple of ads and called up two potential cars a white 71 and a black 71.
	First the white one it looked a little worn but worth a look , I thought. The closer I got to it the worse it looked. A test drive showed the car needed a lot of work. Especially when the owner said "if you put about $9,000 into it you'll have a great car". I didn't walk away from that car , I ran! Now thinking the black 71 could be the same way I was ready to go home and try another day.
My wife talked me into going to look at the black 71 since it was on the way home. When I turned the corner and saw MY DREAM CAR in this guys driveway, my jaw hit the floor. This car was my high school picture to a tee. It needed some work , but so what. The test drive proved it, it would be mine. My wife saw the gleam in my eyes and knew there would be a new addition in the family. The deal was made. As I walked back to my wife and kids in the mini van ( don't laugh, all families have one), my kids said " Daddy it looks like the Batmobile".
	Ever since that day friends and family called me Batman. So of course on Halloween the Batvette, with me in a Batman mask and t-tops off , I cruise the streets in search of potential trick-n-treaters. The faces of the kids is the best part. The parents play the part too yelling, "look it's Batman". Even the State Troopers have to shake their heads and laugh.
I have the car since 1997 and still enjoy working on it almost as much as driving it. Lets face it; the car was meant to be driven. The numerous trophies are great but the driving is what it's all about. The GREAT AMERICAN SPORTS CAR should not be placed on a trailer or left in the garage no matter how much restoration was done. It's like putting a tiger in a cage. If you don't drive it , take a picture of you and your car and hang it on a wall for people to see, then sell it. Let a true fan of the Corvette find his or her dream car and enjoy it. Think of it this way; Who will enjoy the car more, a guy with a $65,000 restored Corvette sitting in a heated garage, or the guy who jumps into his not so perfect Vette and feels the wind in his face . I CHOOSE TO CRUISE ! So if your lucky enough to find your dream car ! GET IT--DRIVE IT-- ENJOY IT !