How An Impromptu Conversation With A Supercar Owner Gave Me Hope

2016 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Z06, All Photos By Joel Patel

As of right now I can confidently say that I thoroughly and whole-heartedly hate supercar owners. I’ve been going to more car shows recently and I have dealt with some ignoramus supercar owners that think they’re hot shit. When you have to deal with idiotic people that think they’re omnipotent for a freaking photo, you start to lose faith in the automotive community. Especially with supercar owners.

All of this stuff means that I’ve lost faith in the owners of some of the best vehicles ever made and that’s not right for an enthusiast. But all of this changed in a recent conversation that I had with the owner of a 2016 Chevrolet C7 Corvette Z06. First off, I am the type of guy that loves to talk to people about cars. It doesn’t matter whether you have a supercar or a dumpster with wheels, I love hearing about an enthusiast’s ride. Unfortunately, people on the Internet are fickle and only like supercars. Second, as a journalist, I’m not afraid to go where I’m not supposed to. So I may push the boundary sometimes and that’s gotten me in a bit of hot water before.

So this may seem creepy or out of the ordinary, but it started off as a regular day with me staring deeply into my iMac’s desktop photo. I was contemplating actually working or not, because the life of an automotive journalist is not what Chris Harris depicts it as. I heard a low rumble outside of my apartment. Now I live on the third floor and my desk is facing a couple of windows, so I have a wonderful view that includes some nice cars from time to time. So I stuck my head around the screen to see a gorgeous, all black Z06 parked on the street. Now I don’t go chasing after all cars, but the new Z06 is stunning and it’s on my permanent wish list. Even with all of the catastrophic problems, I would own one and I would love it.

Since I was extremely bored and had no drive to actually work, I watched the owner of the Z06 give an individual a tour of his vehicle and he was very gracious. He took the individual throughout the entire vehicle, showing him what options he had, even opening the hood to reveals the monstrous motor. I watched this for 10 minutes before I decided that I had to go down there to talk to the owner of the Z06.

Looking back it at, yeah it was pretty creepy. Imagine a random person walking up to you and trying to talk to about your vehicle. But I knew that they were enthusiasts and I figured that the worst they could say was no. Plus my interactions with Ferrari and Lamborghini owners has made my skin extremely tough as I have been verbally abused by supercar owners before.

I went down there with a plan in mind to get a few photos, not ask anything that would get me into trouble and only stay for a few short minutes. I ran down my building’s steps and out to the road. I caught my breath and politely asked the Z06 owner if I could take photos of his vehicle. Usually, at this point, supercar owners just stare right past me, make a smartass comment, or ignore me. But this supercar owner was different. He was ecstatic that I wanted to take photos of his vehicle and was more than happy to talk about the car.

As I was taking photos of the vehicle, he told me about the options that he had chosen, the amazing process of hand-building his engine at the factory in Bowling Green, KY and the vehicle itself. I only took a few photos of the vehicle, because I was shocked that this owner let a stranger take photos of the vehicle and while I was interested in the Z06, I was more interested in hearing the owner’s story.

My initial plan was to stay for only five minutes, since I was supposed to be working and I didn’t want to impose on the nice owner. But I ended up staying for a lot longer than that and we had a great conversation about the vehicle, other supercars, as well as the weather. The Z06 owner never made me feel awkward, genuinely wanted to talk to me and treated me like an enthusiast, which I appreciated.

After dealing with numerous supercar owners that treat individuals of the middle class like dirt, I’ve started to look at supercars in different light. No longer are supercars things that I dream of, but vehicles that idiotic, narcissistic own to show off. The Z06 owner didn’t necessarily change my view of all supercar owners, but he sure did give me hope. Hope that one day, I’ll be able to own a car like the Z06 and make another enthusiast smile. Because that’s what owning a supercar is all about. Giving individuals that may not have the same financial ability as oneself the ability to take part in the enjoyment. He renewed my love for cars in a 15 minutes conversation and I’m grateful for that.