Jesse
Soltis is driving his NCRS Top Flight 1961 Corvette at 60 miles-per-hour when
the judge seated next to him checks the rear view mirror for traffic, then
gives the command,. "Okay, now take your hands off the wheel and step
on the brakes."
If
the silver convertible swerves, the test is over because the car has failed.
If it brakes in a straight line on those original-style, 6.70 x 15-inch bias
ply whitewalls, Jesse’s ‘61 will proceed through a myriad of additional tests
for Performance Verification on its way to the coveted Duntov Award.
The
road to this challenge started 21 years ago, in 1974, when the convertible
was mainly a neat sports car for the daily commute to work. Until four to
five years ago, Jesse, with help from his four sons, racked up more than 200,000
miles on the odometer before finally having
