DANVERS — Former Peabody resident Charlie "O" Oliveri has owned nine Chevrolet Corvettes in his lifetime, from a 1959 model to the bright blue 2004 one he owns today.
"It is America's sports car, it has been for a generation," Oliveri said about why he loves the vaunted sports car, which retails new from $50,000 to $100,000.
This weekend, the 69-year-old former president and life member of the North Shore Corvettes of Massachusetts car club plans to lead a caravan of Vettes from around New England and Canada to Bowling Green, Ky. There, Corvette owners from across the nation plan to converge and celebrate the 15th anniversary and grand reopening of the National Corvette Museum.
Drivers may notice a parade of the sports cars on Route 114 tomorrow afternoon and Sunday morning.
For the 1,400-mile trip, Oliveri has planned stops in Danbury, Conn., and Harrisburg, Pa., to link up with other members from around the country. The Corvette owners plan a stay in Florence, Ind., before departing for Bowling Green, linking up with others before arriving in time for festivities Sept. 3 through 5. Bowling Green is where Corvettes are built.
Oliveri, who was New England leader of the first National Corvette Caravan, recalls what it was like when the cars first converged in 1994. Fifty Corvettes left Lannan Chevrolet in Woburn; by the time they got to Hartford, Conn., there were well over 100 on the road, he said. Close to 7,000 Corvettes arrived in Kentucky.
"It was so big and so massive, they had to sit on the side of the road for two hours to get into Bowling Green.
You can catch a sense of what the caravan is like on Route 114 tomorrow around 2 p.m., when a contingent of 24 Corvettes from Canada pull into Herb Chambers Chevrolet, 90 Andover St. Corvette enthusiasts are welcome to this event.
The contingent will park their cars at the dealership and stay overnight at the Hampton Inn in Peabody before heading back to Herb Chambers on Sunday morning. More than 50 Corvettes plan to depart for Connecticut at 8:30 a.m.
Oliveri, who lived in Peabody for 39 years, used to work at the nearby Herb Chambers Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Danvers from 1998 to 2002 after he retired from General Electric in Lynn. Oliveri approached the dealership's general manager, James Klimas, to host the caravan.
"We also believe the Corvette is an iconic vehicle," Klimas said.
Oliveri, who splits his year between Salem, N.H., and Florida, has been a member of the local Corvette club since 1978. He bought his first Corvette in 1962, but his latest Vette has the best ride comfort of them all. His prior Corvette, a 2000 model, was destroyed in an accident on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania when it fell off a trailer in 2004.
"I sat there and cried," he said.
Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or by e-mail at eforman@salem news.com.
