Local club celebrates 'America's sports car'

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers ATTACHED AT THE 'VETTE- Steve and Marsha Johnson love riding around town in their 1960sera C-1 Corvette and showing it off at meetings of the Simi Valley Corvette Club. As a teen in the 1960s, Russ Bartoli dreamed of the day he'd be sitting behind the wheel of the elite American sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette.

Not a fan of some of the popular foreign sports cars on the market at the time, the young Bartoli admired the Corvette's style, its shape and especially its speed.

But as he entered adulthood, married and had children, his dream car remained just that- a dream.

"You can't put kids in a Corvette," Bartoli said.

Twenty-two years since he purchased his first Corvette at age 40, Bartoli is now living his dream. The proud owner of four Corvettes, the Simi resident said the flagship of his fleet is a 1956 Roadster with a modern Corvette interior that took two years to build.

"I call it the Retro-Vet," said Bartoli, a member of the Simi Valley Corvette Club.

Since 1984, club members have been gathering at least once a month to celebrate their sports cars and enjoy each other's company.

"We are becoming a family. . . . We care for each other and don't leave anybody out," said Al Estill, club president.

Each month, the Corvette Club invites members to attend runs to various dining and vacation spots. The trips can be as simple as brunch at a local restaurant or as extended as the annual Gambler's Classic Run, which takes the Corvette enthusiasts all the way to Laughlin, Nev.

"The Laughlin run has the greatest variety of activities," said club member Jim Heit. "We pass car pools of Corvettes on the way there, and when we arrive there are clubs from all over the country."

En route to their chosen destination, members drive in a single line, making quite an impression on passing motorists.

"We get a lot of waves and cheers, especially when we all drive together. We feel like we're on parade," said Marsha Johnson.

"We look like a rainbow of colors as we drive together on the freeway," added Annabelle Goldberg.

Club treasurer Steve Johnson recalls a memorable trip during which the group "stopped traffic on Route 66 and each Corvette pulled out one at a time."

For married club members, sometimes the hot rods can draw undesired attention from members of the opposite sex.

"Young girls are always waving and high-fiving my husband. I just wave and remind them: 'Wife over here,'" Marsha Johnson said.

The club is always looking to expand and offers about three events each month for members. "I see our club growing stronger. Each meeting we see new guests coming in," Estill said.

Alongside the good times spent at meetings and runs, the club raises money for the MakeA-Wish Foundation and Animal Rescue Volunteers, a Simi Valley nonprofit organization.

The Simi Valley Corvette Club is open to anyone who drives a Chevrolet Corvette and resides in the Simi Valley area. Members of the club welcome visitors to their monthly meetings, held at the Simi Valley Senior Center at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month.

For more information, visit www.simivalleycorvettes.com.