IT COULDN'T BE BETTER ''A DAY W/ R.HENDRICK - Page 2 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

hairtrigger · 02-01-2012, 10:09 PM

Wow just Wow

I am living vicariously through you right now.

That must have been quite a day!

camaro2lt · 02-01-2012, 10:43 PM

i sure hope you took pics!

Janet · 02-02-2012, 12:01 AM

Harvey, so happy that it actually happened. You must tell me all about it when you have the chance. Did you see my black baby there? I just know that this very special ZL1 Camaro will hold its place with our Corvettes. We are now both Corvette & Camaro peeps.
Janet

TJ91 · 02-02-2012, 12:26 AM

That is awesome man, great to hear!!

1st Gen Forever · 02-02-2012, 12:31 AM

Very Cool Harvey!

Z4me · 02-02-2012, 12:37 AM

Awesome, this is what makes this forum so great the people who post on it. Thx for sharing

Beechdoctor · 02-02-2012, 12:53 AM

We will, of course, be expecting a full write-up with pictures Harvey!!

LOWDOWN · 02-02-2012, 10:49 AM

Glad to see Mr. Perkins made the trip, as well.

Congrats, all around!

fbodfather · 02-02-2012, 10:52 AM

Harvey - I do hope you had a chance to shake the hand of one very important person at the event - and that person is Mr. Jim Perkins.

For those of you who may be recent 'additions' to the Camaro community:

Mr. Perkins worked for GM for many years - and became a GM Vice President and General Manager of Chevrolet back in the very late 80s.

Jim bleeds bowties......

He was able to 'rally the troops' at a time when most were looking for great leadership. He made everyone incredibly proud to be a part of the Chevrolet Organization. (this was when the Divisions had quite a bit of autonomy)

He talked to us constantly about what it meant to be "Chevrolet Proud"- and in fact gave each of us a lapel pin to celebrate that pride. (my first one went on my father's suit lapel in the casket at his funeral - he was so very proud to be a Chevrolet Dealer..)

(you can credit him for taking a very unattractive 'Caprice' of which he had no hand in the design-- and turning it into an amazingly sinister Impala SS for the 1994-1996 model years)

Mr. Perkins always drove a Black Camaro.....you could hear him coming on the Grounds of the Tech Center (we have a speed limit - but he rarely drove at the limit!) -- and he fought to get the 4th gen produced - (ensuring that the GM-80 fwd Camaro proposal didn't see the light of day) He was the one responsible for conducting a 'skunk works' to get the C5 Corvette underway - read the book "All Corvettes are Red" and you'll see the incredible risks he took -- and you'll see him as a hero...

He retired in the 90s - - we were all sad and upset to see him go.....(and when we'd talk by phone after his retirement, the first thing I'd say to him was "OK...how many BILLIONS do we have to pay you to come back???")

And when the 4th gen went on Hiatus - Mr. Perkins would constantly hammer our leadership about when we were going to bring this legendary brand back to life...so I credit his influence and the respect he got from GM Leadership as one of the main reasons that the 5th gen Camaro became a reality.

When we hosted a bunch of Camaro/Firebird Enthusiasts on the evening of January 8th, 2006 at the GM Heritage Center (the night before the Camaro Concept was unveiled in Detroit) -- Jim was one of the first people to arrive and one of the last to leave......

He truly exemplifies what it is to be "Mr. Chevrolet" - he's worked for Mr. Hendrick since his retirement - and he'll always be my hero.

KaotiK · 02-02-2012, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fbodfather

Harvey - I do hope you had a chance to shake the hand of one very important person at the event - and that person is Mr. Jim Perkins.

For those of you who may be recent 'additions' to the Camaro community:

Mr. Perkins worked for GM for many years - and became a Vice President and General Manager of Chevrolet back in the very late 80s.

Jim bleeds bowties......

He was able to 'rally the troops' at a time when most were looking for great leadership. He made everyone incredibly proud to be a part of the Chevrolet Organization. (this was when the Divisions had quite a bit of autonomy)

He talked to us constantly about what it meant to be "Chevrolet Proud"- and in fact gave each of us a lapel pin to celebrate that pride. (my first one went on my father's suit lapel in the casket at his funeral - he was so very proud to be a Chevrolet Dealer..)

(you can credit him for taking a very unattractive 'Caprice' that he had nothing to do with-- and turning it into an amazingly sinister Impala SS for the 1994-1996 model years)

Jim ALWAYS drove a Black Camaro.....you could hear him coming on the Grounds of the Tech Center (we have a speed limit - but he rarely drove at the limit!) -- and he fought to get the 4th gen produced - (ensuring that the GM-80 fwd Camaro proposal didn't see the light of day) He was the one responsible for conducting a 'skunk works' to get the C5 Corvette underway - read the book "All Corvettes are Red" and you'll see the incredible risks he took -- and you'll see him as a hero...

He retired in the 90s - - we were all sad and upset to see him go.....(and when we'd talk by phone after his retirement, the first thing I'd say to him was "OK...how many BILLIONS do we have to pay you to come back???")

And when the 4th gen went on Hiatus - Mr. Perkins would constantly hammer our leadership about when we were going to bring this legendary brand back to life...so I credit his influence and the respect he got from GM Leadership as one of the main reasons that the 5th gen Camaro became a reality.

When we hosted a bunch of Camaro/Firebird Enthusiasts on the evening of January 8th, 2006 at the GM Heritage Center (the night before the Camaro Concept was unveiled in Detroit) -- Jim was one of the first people to arrive and one of the last to leave......

He truly exemplifies what it is to be "Mr. Chevrolet" - he's worked for Mr. Hendrick since his retirement - and he'll always be my hero.

Inspiring! Hearing stories like this makes me proud to be a huge fan of such a company that really cares about producing a quality product! I have always drove Chevrolet/GM products and always will!

Can't wait to own and drive the pinicle of my car collection, the ZL1!

toesuf94 · 02-02-2012, 11:25 AM

Wow...what an opportunity...plus you were able to see your ZL1 built? Totally jealous!

LOWDOWN · 02-02-2012, 11:36 AM

Chevrolet/ZL1 trivia...

Mr. Perkins was the "go-to guy" that connected drag racer Dick Harrell directly (but unofficially) to Chevrolet, when Mr. Perkins was Merchandising Manager and eventually District Manager in the El Paso TX District Office in the early '60s.

Dick Harrell? THE guy responsible for getting Fred Gibb to order the first 50 1969 ZL1-engined Camaros through a Vince Piggins-created COPO program numbered 9560...

mmarx82 · 02-02-2012, 12:37 PM

These are up on facebook...
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...5051668&type=1

htron50 · 02-02-2012, 12:45 PM

On BLOW UP you can see the sparkles in the paint. FYI.

02-01-2012, 10:09 PM	#15
hairtrigger Drives: 69 Chevelle SS396 2013 ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: West Posts: 700	Wow just Wow I am living vicariously through you right now. That must have been quite a day! __________________

02-01-2012, 10:43 PM	#16
camaro2lt Drives: 2010 Camaro 2LT VR/RS CGM Rally's Join Date: May 2009 Location: Palmyra, PA Posts: 5,675 View My Garage	i sure hope you took pics! __________________ Email: rdurso1@yahoo.com

02-02-2012, 12:26 AM	#18
TJ91 :chevy: Drives: 2LT/RS Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 13,033	That is awesome man, great to hear!! __________________ CAMARO Consult your doctor before taking Camaro Side effects include Sudden increase in Heart Rate, Insomnia and occasional hallucinations If you experience Permagrin exceeding 4 hours after taking Camaro, seek immediate Camaro5 Help CAMARO Bringing excitment back into the Garage

02-02-2012, 12:37 AM	#20
Z4me Drives: 2013 ZL1 IOM Vin #169 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Maryland Posts: 1,953	Awesome, this is what makes this forum so great the people who post on it. Thx for sharing __________________

02-02-2012, 10:52 AM	#23
fbodfather Drives: Camaros................ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Seven Fields, PA (Pittsburgh) Posts: 4,523	Harvey - I do hope you had a chance to shake the hand of one very important person at the event - and that person is Mr. Jim Perkins. For those of you who may be recent 'additions' to the Camaro community: Mr. Perkins worked for GM for many years - and became a GM Vice President and General Manager of Chevrolet back in the very late 80s. Jim bleeds bowties...... He was able to 'rally the troops' at a time when most were looking for great leadership. He made everyone incredibly proud to be a part of the Chevrolet Organization. (this was when the Divisions had quite a bit of autonomy) He talked to us constantly about what it meant to be "Chevrolet Proud"- and in fact gave each of us a lapel pin to celebrate that pride. (my first one went on my father's suit lapel in the casket at his funeral - he was so very proud to be a Chevrolet Dealer..) (you can credit him for taking a very unattractive 'Caprice' of which he had no hand in the design-- and turning it into an amazingly sinister Impala SS for the 1994-1996 model years) Mr. Perkins always drove a Black Camaro.....you could hear him coming on the Grounds of the Tech Center (we have a speed limit - but he rarely drove at the limit!) -- and he fought to get the 4th gen produced - (ensuring that the GM-80 fwd Camaro proposal didn't see the light of day) He was the one responsible for conducting a 'skunk works' to get the C5 Corvette underway - read the book "All Corvettes are Red" and you'll see the incredible risks he took -- and you'll see him as a hero... He retired in the 90s - - we were all sad and upset to see him go.....(and when we'd talk by phone after his retirement, the first thing I'd say to him was "OK...how many BILLIONS do we have to pay you to come back???") And when the 4th gen went on Hiatus - Mr. Perkins would constantly hammer our leadership about when we were going to bring this legendary brand back to life...so I credit his influence and the respect he got from GM Leadership as one of the main reasons that the 5th gen Camaro became a reality. When we hosted a bunch of Camaro/Firebird Enthusiasts on the evening of January 8th, 2006 at the GM Heritage Center (the night before the Camaro Concept was unveiled in Detroit) -- Jim was one of the first people to arrive and one of the last to leave...... He truly exemplifies what it is to be "Mr. Chevrolet" - he's worked for Mr. Hendrick since his retirement - and he'll always be my hero. __________________ Last edited by fbodfather; 02-02-2012 at 05:22 PM.

02-02-2012, 12:01 AM	#17
Janet Drives: 2015 Z06, 06 Silverado, Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: So Cal Posts: 275	Harvey, so happy that it actually happened. You must tell me all about it when you have the chance. Did you see my black baby there? I just know that this very special ZL1 Camaro will hold its place with our Corvettes. We are now both Corvette & Camaro peeps. Janet

02-02-2012, 12:31 AM	#19
1st Gen Forever ZL1 #140 Drives: Camaros: 68 SS, 10 2SS/RS, 12 ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 594	Very Cool Harvey!

02-02-2012, 12:53 AM	#21
Beechdoctor Drives: 2010 2SS/RS Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA Posts: 209	We will, of course, be expecting a full write-up with pictures Harvey!!

02-02-2012, 10:49 AM	#22
LOWDOWN Downright Upright Drives: Daily Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Cruisin'... Posts: 4,145	Glad to see Mr. Perkins made the trip, as well. Congrats, all around!

02-02-2012, 11:25 AM	#25
toesuf94 Drives: THR #11 E-force supercharged Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Posts: 4,746	Wow...what an opportunity...plus you were able to see your ZL1 built? Totally jealous! __________________ Cars and women are both going to give you problems...but you can pay somebody else to fix your car!

02-02-2012, 11:36 AM	#26
LOWDOWN Downright Upright Drives: Daily Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Cruisin'... Posts: 4,145	Chevrolet/ZL1 trivia... Mr. Perkins was the "go-to guy" that connected drag racer Dick Harrell directly (but unofficially) to Chevrolet, when Mr. Perkins was Merchandising Manager and eventually District Manager in the El Paso TX District Office in the *early '60s. Dick Harrell? THE* guy responsible for getting Fred Gibb to order the first 50 1969 ZL1-engined Camaros through a Vince Piggins-created COPO program numbered 9560... Last edited by LOWDOWN; 02-02-2012 at 12:14 PM.

02-02-2012, 12:37 PM	#27
mmarx82 Drives: '12 ZL1 #1609 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,762	These are up on facebook... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...5051668&type=1 __________________ Life is too short to drive cars that suck. My build Thread

02-02-2012, 12:45 PM	#28
htron50 Drives: 2017 ZL1 Status "Thank You!" Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: SC Posts: 2,498	On BLOW UP you can see the sparkles in the paint. FYI.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
What song are you listening to right now	Muscle Master	Off-topic Discussions	6743	04-25-2024 10:35 PM
SW Ohio Spring 2011 Mod Day & Car Show	heinzd01	USA - Great Lakes	887	05-09-2011 10:13 PM
Pearl Harbor Day.	Zabo	Off-topic Discussions	12	12-07-2010 01:59 PM
Sucky day at track!!	GQ4Life	Dragstrip and Launch Techniques Discussion	4	10-26-2010 07:01 PM