About the Queen City Chapter of the NCRS

Welcome to the Queen City NCRS serving the Cincinnati and surrounding Tri-State Area

Several Corvette fans gathered to celebrate the significance of Americas finest sports car, in doing so they started the Queen City NCRS Chapter. Many years later we have developed into a tight knit group of friends, growing and learning all the way. We look forward to our monthly meetings. Prospective members are welcomed and encouraged to attend. See the Calendar for date and location.

With a variety of members any Corvette related answer is only a phone call away. We take part in road trips, picnics, technical seminars; not to mention our annual swap and chapter meets. Along with group trips to NCRS Regional and National activities there is always fun to be found within our great chapter. Look through our website, and mark our next meeting on your calendar we are looking forward to meeting you.

Annual QCNCR Christmas Party

Dear Queen City NCRS Member,

On Sunday, December 6, 2026 we will once again hold our annual
Christmas party from 5:00 PM-9:00 PM at the Aston Oaks Golf Club. The
cost to attend is $60.00 per member and their spouse or guest which
includes the cost of the event as well as your 2027 Queen City NCRS
Chapter Membership Dues. I have enclosed directions to the Aston Oaks
Golf Club for your use.

If you would like to attend, please mail your check made payable to
QCNCRS to Terrie James no later than November 30, 2026. Please call
Terrie with any questions.

Come celebrate the holidays with your fellow Queen City NCRS members!

Terrie James
Membership Chairperson
7329 Southpointe Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45233

513-300-6411

2026 Chapter Judging Meet October 10th Kelsey Chevrolet

Seven cars judged with four Top Flight awards and three Open class awards.

September Meeting-Summer Picnic at Horsepower Farm

2026 Bourbon Raffle

Raffle sell sheet Download

Shriner Road tour/dinner

he Shriners of Southeastern Indiana will once again this year be hosting grill outs. The Queen City NCRS will be holding a road tour culminating in dinner at the Shriners Southeastern Indiana Shrine on Friday, August 21^st. The road tour will be leaving Kroger on St. Rte. 128 in Cleves, Ohio (Whitewater Township Kroger, 4001 Hamilton Cleves Road, Cleves, Ohio 45002) at 5:30 p.m. then driving 25 miles to the Shriners lodge in Indiana. The drive will take approximately ½ hour. Please see below for the menu and cost of each dinner. Cash and checks are the only form of payment accepted at the lodge. A special parking area will be set aside for our Corvettes.

If you are interested in attending this fun event with your fellow Corvette enthusiasts, please RSVP to me no later than Friday, August 14th so that I can let the Shriners know how many people to expect.

$30.00 per person T-Bone Steak

$20.00 per person Smoked Pork Chop

$15.00 per person Chopped Steak

$15.00 per person Boneless Chicken

All dinners include drop biscuits with apple butter, Moore’s Hill potatoes, baked potato, vegetables, salad and dessert.

Terrie James

Membership Chairperson

Queen City NCRS

Plot twist alert: the Chevrolet Corvette just got dethroned as the ultimate Motorama car. It wore the crown for roughly 70 years before one of its humble siblings stole the spotlight. A forgotten Oldsmobile convertible is doing the unthinkable: gaining value rapidly while other classic American muscle cars decline. It turns out that better investment opportunities might be linked to rare builds instead of legendary icons. The evidence shows changing market values and trends.

Why nobody talks about the Oldsmobile that embarrassed the first Corvette

Story by Allison Barfield

The 1953 Chevy Corvette Reigned As Motorama King For Decades

Mecum Auctions

Don’t get your jean shorts and New Balance shoes in a knot; the Chevrolet Corvette remains a true icon that’s associated with launching sports car culture in America. As soon as the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette debuted at the General Motors Motorama show, it couldn’t be stopped. The coupe dazzled crowds and caused a reaction so strong that General Motors rushed it into production.

It sparked a public frenzy, with massive crowds waiting for hours just to glimpse that futuristic sports car styled by Harley Earl. The two-seater roadster features a lightweight fiberglass body with a shade of Polo white paint paired with a vibrant Sportsman Red interior. Plus, it had an original MSRP of $2498 that included standard heater and radio options.

The 1953 Corvette features the 235 cubic-inch “Blue-Flame” inline-six engine with 150 hp and 223 lb-ft of torque. It races from 0 to 60 mph in about 11.0 seconds with a 17.2-second quarter-mile time and a top speed of 108 mph. While this doesn’t seem like a lot of racecar power, it was enough to inspire Zora Arkus-Duntov to join Chevrolet and turn it into a high-performance legend.

At First, The 1953 Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta Convertible Couldn’t Compete

Flickr - SteveM_61

Sitting ignored in the Corvette’s shadow was the 1953 Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta convertible. It simply didn’t gain nearly the same amount of traction as the Corvette. This is probably due to its extreme starting price of $5,715, while the standard Series 98 convertible only started at around $3,229.

It features a 303.7 cubic-inch Rocket overhead-valve (OHV) V8 engine with 170 hp and 284 lb-ft of torque. This convertible accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 15.5 seconds and finishes a quarter mile in roughly 20.9 seconds with a top speed of 94 mph. So, you wouldn’t exactly describe this car as a speed demon.

Plus, the Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta was an expensive, limited-edition trim level of a heavy luxury sedan, while the Corvette launched as a radical new sports car. While the Corvette implemented a cultural revolution, the Fiesta’s main impact was pretty much related to distinct spinner wheel covers. Flickr - JCarnnutz

Flickr – JCarnnutz

The muscle car craze was preparing to take over as youthful drivers wanted smaller options with high-performance thrills. Meanwhile, the Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta serves as a comfortable land yacht associated with carting your family around and getting groceries. But families could skip the luxury upgrades to save thousands.

Collectors Aren’t As Corvette Blind As They Used To Be

Bring a Trailer

For the first time in many years, collectors are starting to look at other vintage Motorama models after being blind to everything except for the C1 Corvette. The older generation that fuels the nostalgia-driven base that grew up with classic straight-axle cars is aging out. Now younger folks are turning to options with more distinct features, comfort, and reliability.

Also, collectors often feel priced out of the vintage Chevy Corvette market. Finding rear replacement parts like original cylinder heads is becoming more expensive and increasingly difficult. Vehicles that are a bit more modern and easier to drive can be found for a fraction of the cost.

The Blue Chip index shows that the 1953 Chevy Corvette is struggling against a 10% decrease in value during the last quarter. On the list of the most popular 25 post-war era models, it had the largest drop. Plus, it faces a year-over-year value decrease of 10%, showing that collector interest is changing.

Even Oldsmobile Series 88 Value Is Decreasing

Bring A Trailer

While value for other popular collector cars like the Shelby Cobra remains steady, the C1 Corvette isn’t alone. The Rocket 88 features historical significance as an early muscle car despite being offered as a sedan and station wagon. Still, the Rocket 88 is a pioneer of early NASCAR dominance as a postwar high-performance option.

In the 1950 Series 88 Woody Wagon, the 303.7 cubic-inch (5.0-liter) Rocket OHV engine delivers 135 bhp and 263 lb-ft of torque. This potent engine launches the car from 0 to 60 mph in roughly 15.3 seconds with a 20.6-second quarter-mile time and top speed of about 91 mph. The affordable wagon had an original MSRP of about $2,580, making it highly accessible.

But for some reason, the Oldsmobile 88 Woody Wagon isn’t as hot as it used to be. Nostalgia for the wagon has been fading as buyers age out of the market. Plus, it’s notoriously expensive and difficult to own. The post-war model faced a 20% decrease in value during the first quarter of 2026.

The Corvette-Beating Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta Convertible Is A Rising Star

Only 300 1953 Chevy Corvette models were made compared to 458 1953 Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta convertibles. But collectors seem to be going for the unique land yacht over sports car classics. It’s benefiting from a 20% increase in value during the first quarter of 2026, while value for the Series 88 wagon dropped. Also, the 98 Fiesta gained a 10% increase in value year-over-year, while the 1953 Corvette had a 10% decline.

Overall, value for American classics dropped by 8% during the first quarter of the year. Not being as rare as the Corvette could help buyers access the 98 Fiesta. The value of the convertible ranges from $78,500 to over $275,000 depending on quality and condition. I know that seems steep, but it doesn’t come close to Corvette prices.

The value of the 1953 Chevy Corvette ranges between $165,667 and over $500,000. But the market may have been temporarily boosted for the car’s 70th anniversary. Once again, value is based on condition, originality, and restoration quality. The rise in popularity of restomods has split the market as a forgotten convertible edges in on the Corvette’s turf.

Source: Automobile Catalog, Hagerty, Hemmings

Least and Most favored colored Corvettes by Generation

Below is a generation-by-generation look at the most popular and rarest/least-produced exterior colors, based primarily on factory production figures. One caution: a “least popular” color is often one offered for only part of a year, so rarity does not necessarily mean buyers disliked it.

Generation	Years	Most Popular Color	Approx. Production	Least Popular / Rarest Color	Production
C1	1953–1962	Ermine White	~6,895	Corvette Copper Metallic	15
C2	1963–1967	Nassau Blue Metallic	~12,122	Saddle Tan Metallic*	~1,765
C3	1968–1982	Classic White	~43,000	Varies; no reliable generation-wide minimum	—
C4	1984–1996	Bright Red	Largest cumulative color	Yellow – 1984	1
C5	1997–2004	Torch Red	~51,136	Navy Blue Metallic – 1998	14
C6	2005–2013	Black	~46,500	LeMans Blue – 2009	1
C7	2014–2019	Arctic White	35,936	Sterling Blue	921
C8	2020–present	Torch Red	31,750 through 2025	Caffeine Metallic	921 through 2025

Car of the Month 1957 Corvette Restomod owned by Skip P.

2026 NCRS Road tour–convention Charleston SC

Zora Duntov

Without Zora’s persistence, expertise and passion, it’s hard to say where America’s Sports Car would be today. In honor of the man dubbed the Godfather of the Corvette, Mid America Motorworks takes a look at the life of Zora Arkus-Duntov.

Early Life

Born Zachary Arkus on December 25, 1909 in Belgium, Zora was the son of Russian-Jewish parents. His family moved to Berlin in 1927, where Zora’s mother remarried. Zora’s father still lived with the family and, out of respect for both men, Zora and his brother Yura adopted the name Arkus-Duntov.

In Berlin, Zora wanted to be a streetcar driver and began tinkering with motorcycles. His first vehicle, a 350 cc motorcycle, gave him the speed that he sought and that his parents feared. To appease them, he purchased a Bob, a cycle-fendered car with no front and weak rear brakes that was set up for oval track racing.

Zora graduated from Berlin’s Charlottenburg Technical University in 1937 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He began writing and publishing papers on topics such as the benefits of four wheel drive and steering for racing.

Elfi Wolff, a dancer at Paris’ Folies-Bergere, soon came into Zora’s life and the two were married in 1939. Around the same time, Zora and Yura joined the French Air Force as pilots during World War II. When France surrendered to Germany, Zora, Elfi, Yura and their parents fled to the United States ahead of the advancing German armed forces.

Ardun Mechanical

Zora settled in New York, where he and Yura started Ardun Mechanical. Originally established to produce war materials, Ardun soon became known for the Ardun Head, an aluminum overhead valve cylinder head initially designed to remedy an overheating problem of Ford V8s used in the military. Zora and Yura soon discovered that their cylinder heads gave the flathead Ford V8 a power increase to 300 hp. The Ardun heads became popular among hot rodders, but few sold due to a hefty $359 price tag.

Ardun Mechanical closed shop and in 1950, Zora returned to Europe, where he worked with Sydney Allard to develop the Allard J2 racecar. Zora raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1952 and 1953, co-driving Allard’s entry. He also consulted with Porsche during that time, which earned him the driver seat of a Porsche 550 RS Spyder, where he won his class in both 1954 and 1955 at Le Mans.

1953 Motorama

Between his trips to Le Mans for Allard and Porsche, Zora returned to the U.S. where he began working for Fairchild Aviation and attended the 1953 Motorama at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was then that he came face-to-face with Chevrolet’s concept for the Corvette.

He was so taken with the potential of the Corvette that he penned a letter to Chevrolet Chief Engineer, Ed Cole, expressing his earnest desire to work on such a beautiful car and providing a paper that proposed an analytical way to determine a car’s top speed. Zora made quite an impression on Ed Cole and it wasn’t long before he left Fairchild Aviation to become an Assistant Staff Engineer for Chevrolet.

Changing the Game at Chevrolet

Though Zora was tasked with many projects as Assistant Staff Engineer, he kept his eye on Corvette. At the end of 1953, he wrote another letter to Ed Cole, this time suggesting that Corvette could be the key to securing Chevrolet in the hearts and minds of the youth market. Zora is credited with saving the Corvette, as the first year sales were low and there very likely could have been an end to further production.

By 1955, Corvettes housed V8 engines and found their place in the winner’s circle on the stock car circuit. In 1956, he took Corvettes to Sebring and Daytona, where he set a flying mile record going 150 mph in a Corvette. As Corvette solidified its place as a sports car, Zora was promoted to Corvette Engineering Coordinator.

Zora continued experimenting with different engines and systems, including the fuel injection system. Together with fellow engineer, John Dolza, Zora developed the first production-based passenger engine with a horsepower equal to its cubic inch displacement.

In 1957, Zora was promoted again to Director of High Performance Vehicles. That year he developed the Corvette SS, intended for Le Mans. The car never reached France, dropping out of the 12 Hours of Sebring after 23 laps due to bad suspension and mechanical problems. Even with the trouble, the Corvette SS set a lap record and reinforced Corvette’s image as a performance vehicle.

CERV I

In 1960, Zora began another pet project, designing and engineering Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle (CERV) I. The mid-engine Corvette was unveiled at Riverside International Raceway during the Automobile Manufacturer’s Association ban on racing. While not able to compete, CERV I still received plenty of attention and became a powerful promotional and research tool. Read more about CERV I here.

Grand Sport and CERV II

The Grand Sport and Cerv II were conceptualized in the early 1960s and came to life with Zora’s design and direction. The Grand Sport Corvette was created to compete with the Shelby Cobra, but due to the racing ban, production was stopped at only 5 cars. Still, those cars were sold and raced by private owners.

CERV II was designed as part of a separate line of racing Corvettes, with the intention of competing with Ford’s GT40. Zora developed CERV II with the technologies he thought were necessary for a good racecar, including four wheel drive and a monocoque chassis.

Corvette’s First Chief

Zora was named Chief Engineer of Corvette in 1968. Before this time, Corvette had never had its own Chief Engineer. He was now responsible for the design and development of Corvette’s body and chassis and began looking at the future of the Corvette. Together with Bill Mitchell, he developed the Astro II, a possible mid-engine design for America’s Sports Car.

The XP-882, Two-Rotor Corvette and 4-Rotor Corvette were all further designs intended to test the waters of a mid-engine Corvette. The 4-Rotor Corvette was powered by two Wankel engines, which proved to be cost-prohibitive. In 1976, the 4-Rotor Corvette received a transverse-mounted V8 and a new name – the AeroVette. It appeared at several auto shows, giving enthusiasts the idea that perhaps a mid-engine Corvette was on the horizon.

Retirement

In 1975, after 22 years with Chevrolet, Zora retired from General Motors. His passion continued well into retirement, as he and Elfi could be found at various car shows promoting the Corvette. In 1992, he attended a celebration at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant to commemorate the production of the 1 millionth Corvette. Two years later, he served as the guest of honor alongside Larry Shinoda at the first annual Corvette Funfest at Mid America Motorworks in Effingham, Ill.

Zora Arkus-Duntov was a member of the Drag Racing Hall of Fame, the Chevrolet Legends of Performance and the Automotive Hall of Fame. Those who had the privilege to know him always smile when talking about his ability to do things his way with seemingly little repercussions. While he passed away in 1996, his mark on the Corvette – and on the automotive industry – lives on.

2026 Indy 500 Festival Parade

Honoring the best of the best club publications

The NCRS Driveline wins the 2025 Golden Quill award for National Luxury-Size publications. Congratulations Vinnie Peters, Editor.

Also Chapter winners were: Crossed Flags, North Central Chapter, The Fuel Line, Florida Chapter, The Legend, St. Louis Chapter, R.P.M., Pittsburgh Chapter, The Vette Signal, Michigan Chapter