16,000 Corvettes. That’s just about 128,000 cylinders – and these aren’t your puny little thimble-sized European cylinders. These are the size of wine bottles. One of the pleasures of being publisher of our sister publication, Corvette Market, is that a few times each year I get to immerse myself completely in the world of America’s sports car. At Mike Yager’s 18th annual Funfest in Illinois, I can unabashedly wrap my ass in fiberglass for three glorious days. Unlike some snooty events (I’m sorry, I meant exclusive), Funfest is open to all Corvettes, from pure stock to personalized to resto-mod to outrageous. What the owners have in common is their passion for their thundering beasts.
In keeping with the American ideal of instant gratification, there is a muffler installation facility on site, and hundreds Corvettes end up leaving Effingham with a much more authoritative sound than when they arrived.
Further, Mike, his wife Lori and her sons Michael and Blake really know how to throw a party. Saturday night they presented Don Felder, former lead guitar for the Eagles to a crowd of over 20,000 – admission included in a modestly-priced Funfest ticket.
My only moment of sheer terror came when Mike brought me backstage before the concert, and said, “Keith, you’re a professional, just go out and warm up the crowd.”
I didn’t think telling stories about driving three MGBs to Reno would exactly get the job done.
After my “deer-in-the-headlights” moment, I realized that my job was simple. All I had to ask was “Are you having a good time,” “Do you love your Corvette,” and “Let’s hear it for Mike, Lori, Michael and Blake!”
The concert was a huge success, as was the entire weekend. The SCM / CM garage is strangely lacking in Corvettes right now, but I didn’t find what I was looking for in Effingham. Alex wants a chrome-bumper C3, Wendie would prefer a 1958 like the one her dad drag races, and Bradley just wants a pre-airbag model so he can ride in the front seat.
We had a 1991 LT1 C4 that we drove from Portland to Anchorage a few years back, and I still believe that a nicely-kept C4 coupe (targa top, actually) represents the absolute best value in a Corvette. A Grand Sport would be nice, but for half the price a good color 6-speed would definitely fit in with the other rides in the basement. Got one? Email me at
keith.martin@sportscarmarket.com
