Douglas Barton, Author at CorvSport.com - Page 26 of 28

JoinedDecember 13, 2022

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Douglas caught the Corvette affliction in 1999 at 31 when he bought his first brand new Fixed Roof Coupe. Since then, he has owned 20 Corvettes, the most recent being his third FRC, a 2000 model in the same color as the first two. Douglas recently traded his 2000 FRC to feed his new car smell addiction, and he hopes when you read his pieces, you will sense his genuine passion for all things Corvette.

Douglas Barton·

1998 – C5 Corvette

FOR SALE: Unique Corvette Dealer Offers Even More Unique Aztec Gold C5

Most collectors will tell you that what makes something special and collectible is not only low production but that unique “it factor”. After all, a vehicle could have low production numbers because it was simply undesirable and was nixed from production before further embarrassment ensued. Meet Barry from Vette City,...

Douglas Barton·

Market News: Used C8s Becoming More “Affordable”

This Covid-Era market has been bizarre to live through, but at least for the C8 resale market, the trend is heading in the right direction. Will the day come when we don’t see a flurry of lol emojis on every Facebook for sale post, and the price-police takes a day...

Douglas Barton·

C8 Updates: 2023 1st Quarter Deliveries Down, When ’24 Production Begins

The 2021 Corvette travels down the assembly line of GM's Bowling Green Manufacturing Plant.

With the bizarre Covid-Era issues like plant closures, C8 Z06 allocation issues, overall availability issues, a crazy used market, and dealer markups over MSRP, it’s no surprise that C8 deliveries were down. For the first quarter of 2023, 7,904 C8s were delivered to excited enthusiasts around the globe. How does...

Douglas Barton·

Good News Friday: Encouraging C8 Production News On Two Fronts

The Corvette Manufacturing Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky is expected to re-open on June 1, 2021.

Lately, it feels like all the news enthusiasts receive regarding the C8 is bad news, with plant closures, C8 Z06 allocation issues, overall availability issues, a crazy used market, and dealer markups over MSRP. Whew, that was a mouthful, so you can see why enthusiasts are glad to see light...

Douglas Barton·

BAT Market News: All-Original 6000 Mile C5 Z06 Enters Top Five

I’ve searched all the closed listings on the popular go-to collector/specialty auction site Bring a Trailer to find the top five. So Corvette enthusiasts, as the Covid-Era market insanity continues did this gorgeous low-mileage 2004 Torch Red example hit the $50,000 club? More on that in a moment, but just...

Douglas Barton·

C8 Corvette Z06

All Rise: 70th Anniversary C8 Z06 HTC Sets New Auction Record

Well, that market adjustment didn’t take long, as I had just done a story about how auction sales appeared to show the C8 Z06 market cooling off. Just over a month ago, we had another 70th anniversary Hard Top Convertible (HTC) failing to meet its reserve on Bring a Trailer....

Douglas Barton·

Corvette Videos

Cringeworthy Moments: 1962 C1 And Others Fall To Their Demise

The latest video to go viral is painful to watch, and the “come on man, f**k!” from who we can assume is the owner sums it up well. One doesn’t even have to be a Corvette enthusiast for their stomach to turn with the nails on the chalkboard sound of...

Douglas Barton·

1975 - C3 Corvette

DIY: Race Car Build In Progress… Part 9

I feel like we are turning the corner and will start to witness some exponential progress. Overall Scot describes this build as “wild but controlled”, and based on what we’ve seen so far I agree. If you need a review of Scot’s Pro-Touring race car build or missed an episode,...

Douglas Barton·

C8 Corvette Z06

C8 Z06 Rockets To New “Stock” Drag Strip Record, Or Does It?

Photo Courtesy of Hendrick RVA

You can call me old school, but stock is stock, as it rolled off the Bowling Green Assembly line. Stock does not have an asterisk. Some say, but it’s just tires! Well yes, but have you looked at the difference tires make with some of the yearly race track events...

Douglas Barton·

Guide: “Pull Key, Wait 10 Sec” Service Column Lock Issue And Fix

If you own a C5 Corvette and haven’t gotten this error message yet, chances are high that you will if it has not been addressed, as it is one of the most common issues affecting the fifth-generation Corvette. There were adequate previous fixes, and even “dealer fixes” but then the...

Douglas Barton·

Market News: How Is The Callaway C4 Doing In This Crazy Corvette Market?

If you’ve been following the Corvette market daily as I have, you may have noticed values have been creeping up steadily since early 2020, and I wrote about it here as the Covid phenomenon. In short, the popularity of the C8 in concert with a lot of disposable income for...

Douglas Barton·

2019 - C7 Corvette

Viral Video: C7 ZR1 Tries To Join Crowd Plow Club

Photo from ZR1_M7 on Instagram

If you’ve been around the Internet on car forums for any amount of time you probably know the old joke, the unfortunate phenomenon of Mustangs leaving car shows and becoming crowd plows. It’s hard for anybody with a heavy right foot to resist as the crowd cheers them on for...

Douglas Barton·

C8 Corvette Z06

Waiting In Line: Patient C8 Z06 Buyers May Not See Their Orders Filled

This Thursday the 30th is the last chance for hopeful C8 Z06 owners to get their orders filled, as it was reported Chevrolet had zero allocations nationwide last week. The basic economics of this will continue to frustrate Corvette enthusiasts who are shopping, as the demand for the super-hot Z06...

Douglas Barton·

How Much Love Do You Have For The C2?

For many, the second-generation Corvette is the one that began to light a passion and lust for the brand. How could the muscle car enthusiast resist such beautiful curves and the monstrous big block engines that hid under them? What the C2 lacked in production years, it made up for...

Douglas Barton·

New King Of The Hill? E-Ray vs Huracan Evo vs F8

Just as the buzz around the E-Ray was starting to quiet down, Jason Cammisa cranked up the volume with an awesome showdown, pitting the E-Ray against two revered Italian exotics. If you want to take a deep dive into the E-Ray specs, we took an in-depth look here when the...

Douglas Barton·

$4600 Supercharged C5: Meet The Youtuber Who Increased Subscribers 450% In 3 Days

Meet Shawn Pilot

I know what Shawn Pilot has accomplished, especially in the days of Youtubers who reach 1,000,000 plus subscribers, may not seem very impressive, but it’s certainly newsworthy since it was a risky Supercharged C5 purchase that catapulted him to viral status. Just days ago Shawn’s Youtube channel had a “measly”...

Douglas Barton·

Did I Shudder? 8-Speed Auto C7 Owners May See Some Relief

8L90-E transmission in 2015-2019 C7s

If you have a group of Corvette enthusiasts you hang with or are on Corvette-focused social media sites, you probably know somebody who has been affected by this 8-speed (8L90) automatic transmission issue. Especially if you have a friend who owns a GM truck, as the issue is prolific with...

Douglas Barton·

1975 - C3 Corvette

DIY: Race Car Build In Progress… Part 8

It’s been awe-inspiring to follow Scot’s work so far, as his attention to detail and patience put some paid professionals to shame. If you need a review of Scot’s Pro-Touring race car conversion or missed an episode, here are the links: part one, part two, part three, part four, part...

Douglas Barton·

Corvette Racing: C8.R Has Mixed Results At Sebring

I try to be a glass-half-full type when possible so will lead with the positive moments from this year’s 71st year of racing at Sebring. If you are an avid follower, you’ll know that there are now two series that race at the acclaimed yearly race in Central Florida, the...

Douglas Barton·

Deja Vu: Corvette Plant To Close For 8th Time Since Pandemic Began

The Corvette Manufacturing Plant in Bowling Green is now running double shifts thru November in an effort to fulfill as many 2020 C8 Corvette orders as possible.

We’ve tracked most of the shutdowns here at CorvSport, with this newest one beginning the week of March 20th, and for those keeping entries in their diary here they all are. The most recent was the week of February 20th, 2023, then we had the week of October 17th, 2022,...

Douglas Barton·

Here’s a C1 Restomod That Should Tickle Your Fancy

Photo Courtesy of Barrett-Jackson

I know the restomod segment receives its fair share of criticism, especially from purists who say, “leave it alone!” And some can tend to be overdone to tacky degrees, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (and creator). But there is just something about this resto-expression...

Douglas Barton·

How Much Love Do You Have For The C3?

What an incredible run the third generation Corvette had, spanning three decades to produce the longest-running iteration of the iconic halo car. Well over a half million examples were hatched from the St. Louis and Bowling Green factories, with a record-setting 53,807 spit out in 1979. As a matter of...

Douglas Barton·

Corvette Videos

Price Police Frustration: Old Man Selling His Z06

If you have tried to sell a Corvette recently and used social media to drive leads, you’ve most likely been frustrated by the tire kickers and “social media price police”. This video is a funny depiction of how some sellers can be and is mocking the process, but do overly...

Douglas Barton·

1975 - C3 Corvette

DIY: Race Car Build In Progress… Part 7

Scot hasn’t updated his man hours recently, noting he had around 200 hours before part 4. But based on some of this intricate and time-consuming work, I’d easily estimate he’s closing in on 300 hours. If you need a review of Scot’s Pro-Touring race car conversion or missed an episode,...

Douglas Barton·

C8 Corvette Z06

Lightning Lapper: C8 Z06 Wins Coveted Annual Contest

Photo Courtesy of Car and Driver

Seems like yesterday when I plopped down on my plump Rooms To Go leather couch to flip actual Car and Driver paper pages, in anticipation to see how the second iteration of the mighty Z06 would do at this iconic 4.1-mile track in Virginia. But that was 17 years ago,...

Douglas Barton·

Abandoned Part 2: Tyler Starts To Transform His Rescue

When Tyler C. found this abandoned 2007 Corvette on his California Navy base he was immediately compelled to save it, but his plans were non-conventional, to put it mildly. Some enthusiasts would ask, why not fix up the body, replace the engine parts, and have yourself a $20,000+ Corvette? After...

Douglas Barton·

Corvette Videos

Culprit Caught: Youtuber Street Speed Finds Vandal

Well, I must admit, that was quicker than I expected, as I just did a story on this last Tuesday. And I know many really don’t like Street Speed 717, but naturally, vandalism shouldn’t be condoned no matter how much a Youtuber, or anyone for that matter, annoys you. I’ll...

Douglas Barton·

C4 ZR-1 Flashback: King Of The Hill Takes On The World

Photo Courtesy of Car and Driver

My first impression after taking this nostalgic walk back to the supercars of the 90s was wow, look how far we have come. The Ferrari 348ts had “only” 296 horsepower and now our most powerful ZR1 has over 700hp, compared to 375 for this first-year model. The birth of this...

Douglas Barton·

C8 Corvette Z06

Has The C8 Z06 Market Finally Cooled Off?

Photo Courtesy of Bring A Trailer

There have been many times in this crazy Corvette market when I thought there was no limit to what enthusiasts will pay to get that “shiny new Vette”. The pay more phenomenon to be the “first on the block” to acquire something has been exacerbated by supply chain issues, factory...

Douglas Barton·

DIY: Race Car Build In Progress… Part 6

When I first thought about bringing Scot’s build to you I figured it would be a four or five-part series. Obviously, I missed the mark on how intense and intricate it would be, but I’m sure Scot knew exactly what he was biting off. I hope you’re enjoying reading about...

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