by Mike –
In 1966, 30-year-old Don (Donnie) McNamara of Colorado Springs, Colorado bought this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe new after retiring from the US Marine Corp. Since then he put only 2,996 miles on his Corvette. No one ever sat in the passenger seat.
According to Hemmings,
Donnie died in July of 2011, and with no spouse, relatives or close friends to speak of, his estate passed into the hands of a neighborhood couple that he’d befriended in his later years.
It is now at auction by Mecum in Houston in April 2014, who said,
“When the Corvette’s odometer approached the 3,000-mile mark in the mid-Eighties, he retired it from the road for the rest of his life.”
Not good for Donnie
Clearly something was not normal in Don McNamara’s life. He had no family or friends and never took anyone for a ride in his special Corvette. That is a great shame that someone would love a classic car like he apparently loved this Corvette but not share that passion with anyone, ever.
Not good for the car either
And this type of treatment of a car is not good for the car. They need to be started and driven or else things deteriorate and eventually engine fluids wind up in places they don’t belong among other ills.
But for me the real pity is the personal one – Donnie McNamara, the ex US Marine, did not fully enjoy the thrill of owning a 1967 Corvette.
My thanks to Mike Clarke for sending this to me.
To say that Donnie did not enjoy the thrill of owning his 1967 Vette is to say that you didn’t know Donnie at all. Donnie enjoyed his car according to HIS standards, not yours, or anyone else’s. He LOVED to talk about it to his close friends, which were few and far between, and that was by his choice. I’m certain that he never drove the car after May, 1968, when his tags expired, so if he chose not to take HIMSELF for a ride after that, even YOU will understand why no one else went either. Donnie CHOSE the way he lived out his life. Not many of us can truthfully say that.
My friend Donnie was able to do EXACTLY what he wanted, every day of his life, and that was HIS joy.
Iggy, thanks for posting. Agreed 100%. I didn’t know Don but I know lots of service members and lots of Corvette owners. Sounds like this guy was a great example of both.
I knew don mac . And I rode in this vette with him. He raced it once. it was a 57 chevy with a 427 in it. it was 500. for the race, & 100.00 for each gear. he won of course. there was 7 or 8 guys there. me my brother paul. pat & Harold Cummings. terry madrill & indan bill. the race was on Garden of the gods road. It was about dusk at the time of the race. so the cops weren’t around there at that time. back then there was only . Hewlitt Packard. and western forge . on the garden road. And don had hid big fat cigar somkin away. at that time. I’VE been in his garage . & his house. his girl friend at that time was linda. im sure. just ask my brother paul. Don also had a 57 chevy camio pickup painted white. his dad had a car lot on 8th street. and my brother bought his first car there. a 64 ford wagon.
update – the car sold in Houston on April 12, 2014 for $750,000. With fees and assorted commissions the total was almost $800k to the buyer.
It is posted here: https://mycarquest.com/2014/04/this-1967-corvette-sold-for-797500.html
What is even more shocking, is that on the day before, at the same auction, a Ford GT40 prototype, a one and only car, was sold for $7 million. That is quite a sum for an American car, albeit one with special provenance and rarity. Glenn in the Bronx, NY.
The Shelby Cobra Daytona prototype sold about 3 years ago in Monterey for close to $8 million. So, this is the correct price range for special American cars like the GT40 you mention and the Cobra Daytona prototype.
I am alone in life , no family ,no friends, havnt worked since 1989 as im financially secure. just me and my old pitbull out in the country very alone, I have a 2004 Z06 that I only take out in the middle of the night, it has 4800 miles on it.. Im going out now put maybe 3-4 miles on it.