There are a lot of cars on the street, but there's only one "Street Machine of the Year." In 2009, it's a stunning 1962 Corvette, painted with products from PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG), that wowed the crowd and got the unanimous approval of judges at the 12th annual Goodguys PPG Nationals last month in Columbus, Ohio.
While the car looks like a Corvette and would be easily identified as one, it retains very few original components and is nothing like anything that ever came off an assembly line. Known as "C1RS," the car is owned by Barry Blomquist of Onalaska, Wis. It was designed by artist Eric Brockmeyer and built and painted by Phil and Jeremy Gerber and their team at The Roadster Shop in Mundelein, Ill.
C1RS's body modifications were created in aluminum and then executed in fiber glass. Brockmeyer created a paint scheme based on black to complement and accentuate the Corvette's low-slung, swooping profile. The Roadster Shop chose Deltron coatings by PPG to enhance the car's appearance. The Deltron coatings used included DPS 3055 gray primer and DCC 9300 single-stage black along with metal preparations.
"We're very happy with the results we got with the Deltron coatings," said Phil Gerber, co-owner of The Roadster Shop. "We've been spraying PPG products for years. A car like this, you don't want to diminish it by using anything less than the best paint."
"This is an absolutely fabulous car, and the finish is incredible," Blomquist said. "It blends blacks and grays and silvers. These guys created a beautiful car and then made it more beautiful with that PPG finish. It's fantastic."
The car looks like a true street machine and performs like one, too. Goodguys street machine contestants must run at least three laps on the autocross course to prove their mettle. C1RS ran away from the other entrants - 31 of them - thanks to its road-hugging Roadster Shop chassis, Bowler T-56 transmission and monstrous 618-horsepower, LS7 Turnkey engine. Inside the car, Blomquist enjoys Italian red leather seats with suede accents, a sculpted aluminum dash and a handcrafted center console.
C1RS took more than nine months to complete. It is the street machine to beat for the coming year.
Goodguys is one of the world's largest rod and custom associations, with membership approaching 70,000 nationwide. The association produces more than 20 car shows and events annually, with the Goodguys PPG Nationals being the highlight of the year. PPG exhibits at every national and many regional events, featuring colors, pigments and special-effect finishes from the Vibrance Collection of custom finishes as well as other PPG brands including Deltron coatings. PPG is the official paint supplier to the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.