It took Scott Hoffman 18 years to get his Sting Ray.
A fan of cars since he was a kid playing with Hot Wheels and Matchbox minis, Hoffman wanted a red convertible.
It became a running joke with him and his wife. Every year, his wife would ask him what he wanted for his birthday and he would answer:
"A red convertible." Finally, 18 years ago, Hoffman, a North Vancouver resident, was in a position to purchase his American classic and set out to find a red convertible. During a six-month search, he considered a range of cars, all of which he says he would classify as American Detroit iron. He was particularly interested in the American muscle cars because they were popular when he was growing up.
"We all drooled over them but none of us really had them," says Hoffman.
However, at the top of his search list was a Corvette, more of a sports car than a muscle car.
"They're sharp looking. The design was very leading edge at the time," he says of the classic car. He quickly discovered, though, that a Corvette was out of his price range. Then he came across a 1971 big-block, four-barrel Chevelle in good condition, with a good price, and he bought it.
Hoffman describes the Chevelle as a "great cruiser." He says the whole family has enjoyed the car over the past 18 years, but three years ago, Hoffman was once again in a financial position to purchase a classic car, and once again he had the bug to look for a Corvette.
What he found was a 1967 Sting Ray, a mid-year C2 (second generation).
"They're considered one of the nicest because of the design, and they're one of the shortest run Corvette generations ever," says Hoffman.
The Sting Ray ran from 1963 to 1967, and is the only series with the name Sting Ray spelled as two words. Every generation before and since uses the name Stingray as one word, including the seventh generation, which was released last year, notes Hoffman.
The second generation was a dramatic change from the first generation, he adds, but says the real collectibles are the big block ones, which are the 427-cubic-inch versions and his is the small block. "I like the lines. I like the pedigree, the history of it, the story of it. And after I got it I loved the handling of it, the feel," he says of his Corvette. But he didn't get rid of his Chevelle. He kept it, and although he won't refer to his two cars as a "collection" he admits that with his latest purchase he has expanded his "toy box." Hoffman says he bought his two cars to drive them, not just present them at shows.
Although not used as daily commuter cars, his two American classics are driven regularly, and in the past three years, Hoffman has participated in three driving tours. The latest was this fall when he travelled with about a dozen other cars on a three-day, 800-mile excursion into the Interior. "I prefer that sort of activity to car shows. You get the car out and you have a lot of fun driving it and you're with like-minded people."
This was the first tour he took with the Corvette. The previous tours he has taken the Chevelle because of inclement weather. It's an older car and he isn't as worried about the exterior.
Both are convertibles, and Hoffman says the Corvette has a completely different feel to it.
"The Corvette was a serious surprise for me," he notes, describing it as a "turbo-charged go-cart." He also participated in Thanksgiving Day drive up to Squamish with the Classic Car Adventures group in October. Hoffman explains that the non- membership group hosts a number of tours throughout the year.
Hoffman says he enjoys driving along back roads throughout B.C. in his convertibles because "it's just like going back 30 years in time."
He adds: "It's a real thrill. It's an experience." Although neither the Chevelle nor the Corvette required any restoration work, both have had some maintenance over the years, but Hoffman doesn't do the work himself. He says he used to tinker with cars when he was younger but was not very good at it. "As I got older, I got worse," he admits with a laugh.
While he doesn't call himself a collector, Hoffman has spoken to a lot of collectors over the years and says there are many great collections on the North Shore. When asked what makes a car a classic, Hoffman has to think about the answer. He says there are many definitions of what makes a car a classic and it can depend on who you talk to.
"ICBC defines it as anything older than 25 years," he notes, adding that's a pretty broad definition that doesn't sit well with some collectors. Just because a car is 25 years old doesn't mean there is anything appealing about it, he adds.
Cars of the '50s, '60s and early '70s are particularly popular collectibles because of their unique designs, explains Hoffman. "Back in the '60s and '70s you could identify a car by the taillights and I used to do that as a kid," he says. "A lot of people today will walk up to me and say the cars from that era they were all unique, you can identify them."
You can't do that as well with modern cars, he notes.
"The lines have all become blurred on modern cars," he says. "Some people will argue that the colours have even all become blurred."
Classics from the '50s, '60s and '70s were the ones that had crisp lines, distinct lines, and a broad range of sizes, including subcompacts, compacts, mid-size, and full body, he notes. While he doesn't have any immediate plans to expand his toy box, Hoffman calls himself a car enthusiast and plans to continue enjoying his classics.
When asked if his interest in cars can be called a hobby, Hoffman notes that another car enthusiast once described it to him this way: "It's not a hobby, it's not a passion, it's an obsession."
