posted on July 25, 2016
There’s a scene in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds, where Nicholas Cage is talking to a salesman on the floor of a fancy car dealership. He points to a new, black Ferrari and says, “This is the one, yes, yes, I saw three of these outside the local Starbucks this morning, which tells me one thing: there are too many self-indulgent wieners in this city with too much bloody money. Now if I was driving a 1967 275 GTB Four-cam —” and this is where the salesman cuts in with, “You wouldn’t be a wiener, sir, you’d be a connoisseur.”
This is the sentiment that led Justin N. to the beautiful C2 Corvette that he’s renting on Turo. He even named the car Sadie after the Corvette in the movie. Though to be clear, Justin’s not Nic Cage, nor a conman. He works for IBM, and bought his car fair and square from a seller he found on eBay — it even came with the original sticker and factory papers from the first buyer in the ’60s.
Justin has also been a gearhead all of his life. “I’m 36 years old, and when I was growing up, it was all about the fuel-injected modern technology cars out of The Fast and The Furious,” he says. But since becoming a husband and father, he’s sold off his muscle cars and has been ready to try a new automotive avenue: vintage cars. He hoped to maintain his interest as a connoisseur.
While the Corvette was in excellent condition when he bought it, Justin has made a few upgrades to the original carburetor, so it’s more intelligent. “Old cars used to flood in bad weather or not start in the cold,” which are problems new technology can easily solve. On the other hand, he still wants to maintain the vintage driving experience. “There was one night when I was out with my wife, Tammy, it was my first time driving the car at night. Everyone kept flashing their brights at me when they passed by, and I just couldn’t figure out why.” Justin says he’s used to getting attention from the car, but it’s generally smiles and winks. “Turns out there was a knob on the floor by your left foot that turns the brights on and off. I’d seen the button before, but I had no idea what it did. Even though this car is old, it’s all new to me, it’s like learning history,” he explains.
When it came to choosing the right vintage car, Justin wanted a model that would appeal to people in Sarasota, FL, where he lives and where he grew up. “Sarasota, it’s got an older community vibe,” Justin says. Even as a teenager, Justin had liked the idea of renting vintage cars to older people, especially those who only lived in Sarasota for six or eight months of the year. “I asked everyone what the ‘It’ car was when they were sixteen. I wanted to recreate that nostalgia, that feeling of Rydell High and their glory years. The C2 Corvette was the one.” He considers it his personal mission to get older people on Turo to rent his Corvette. “It’s really about a frictionless experience, where you drive the car, but somebody else maintains it and takes care of it when you’re not around.”
Whether you’re looking for a brand new driving experience or a taste of nostalgia, Justin’s car is sunning itself in Sarasota, FL, waiting to take a spin around town.
Kamala Puligandla
Kamala Puligandla is a writer, editor, and bon vivant in LA. She is the author of two books, Zigzags and You Can Vibe Me On My Femmephone, and is always on the look-out for strange stories, excellent eats, and relaxing locales.
