Lance Wheeler recently contacted Grundy Worldwide to let us know that he was enjoying a gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest, as he sat back, looking at one of the most beautiful vehicles he has ever seen. And, that is a bold statement--- “one of the most beautiful vehicles he has ever seen.”  But, Lance has been a collector for practically his entire life—ever since he got his license in 1965— so, we will take his word for it.

Before we even tell you about this simply divine vehicle of which he speaks, let’s tell you a little about Lance.

During the muscle car era, there was no better place to grow up than Lance’s hometown of Dearborn, Mich. and the metro-Detroit area. All of the prominent auto manufacturers that produced the cars of that era were based in the Auto-City, and Lance’s dad was a technical illustrator for General Motors. With that being said, it seemed natural that young Lance, who had always been into engines since he was just a small child, would find his way into the car scene. 

He says that even before he had a license to drive fast cars, he was begging the older guys in his neighborhood to let him join them on weekend cruises to the local drive-ins on Woodward Avenue, from Detroit to Pontiac, Telegraph Road between I-90 and 8 Mile, North Line Road and best of all, Detroit and Motor City Drag Strips. 

Sometimes he’d get so lucky to actually ride in the back; at other times, Lance says that he was thrown in the trunk. By the time he was 16, his dad was able to help him buy his own ride: a new 1965 Chevrolet 396/425 Z16 SS Chevelle. 

“Oh, what a learning curve,” says Lance. 

Within twelve months, he had managed to badly hurt, damage and/or destroy 13 engines, six transmissions, numerous clutches and an assorted host of major body and frame components. 

Next, he owned a 1963 409/425 SS Impala; then, a 67’ Z28 Camaro. And, for a very brief time, a maroon 1967 427/435 Corvette Coupe.  This was all quite the collection of cars to have gone through, for only being a teenager.

But, it was not until decades later that Lance would find his baby. This brings us to that beautiful car he was telling us about…

“I’m sitting on a deck, overlooking the pond in my front lawn, admiring the body and sensuous curves of what I believe—this may be a bit bias— is one of the most stylish sports cars to ever come out of Detroit: the 1967 427 Corvette Coupe,” says Lance.

Lance says that he has owned this car since 1990.  And, since then, he spent fourteen years restoring and perfecting the car, disassembling and reassembling every piece.

“I’m a bit of a perfectionist,” explains Lance. “Every nut, bolt, washer, rivet... they came out. And, the car was reassembled from scratch.  I separated the body from the ‘bird-cage’ and made a few molds to repair damaged body panels…”

He notes that the only piece of the car that was not rebuilt was the steering box, which appeared to be in great condition.

Lance goes on to explain that it was this time, last year, that he had an unfortunate accident with the Corvette, when the key bearing in (you guessed it) the steering box failed. The Vette was nearly totaled, and seeing all those years of hard work destroyed, left Lance and his family devastated.

But, that sense of devastation did not last too long, he says. Lance explains that his insurance company, Grundy Worldwide, came to the rescue and was able to help him get his car back into tip-top shape in time to attend the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise with his 86-year-old father, which had become a family-tradition that Lance did not want to break.

“I’m reflecting back to what might have been if it were not for you guys being there when we needed help,” he says. “With such a unique and sensitive claim, you handled [the claim] with a high degree of professionalism and sensitivity to my situation.”

He says that if it was not for Grundy’s Agreed Value insurance coverage, he does not believe he would have been able to get his car back on the road, because of the cost to repair the damage. After all, not only had Lance poured a lot of heart and soul into this car over the fourteen years of perfecting the Corvette—he had also invested quite a bit of money that he would not have easily come up with, on the spot, to repair the damage.

He says that Grundy Worldwide kept things in motion with his claim, in order to get his car back on the road.

“For a bad situation, Grundy made it good.  If it was not for Grundy, a whole lot of avid car enthusiasts like me couldn’t afford to have these cars, more or less, drive them.  If not for Grundy Worldwide, the muscle car movement would not be nearly as strong and lively as it is today. When it comes to collector cars, with other insurance companies, it is unbelievably expensive. And, quit limiting with the ‘maximum annual mileage allowed.’ Auto insurance is a necessity, and this is one heck of a program. It’s phenomenal.”

Lance says that he currently insures all three of his collector vehicles with Grundy: his ’67 Vette, a 1959 Corvette and a 2006 Chevy SSR retro-mod truck.  He is particularly fond of his rare ’67 Corvette.

He says that he loves the looks and comments he gets as he cruises through the countryside and mountains of the Pacific Northwest— and especially the “thumbs up” from other drivers at just about every stop light.   He says that it is particularly satisfying to listen to the music produced from the healthy 580 HP 427 ZL1 engine through side pipes.  Lance says that for an engine-head, there is no better sound in the world.  He calls it a “really, really fun car for cruising the local drives and back roads.”

Lance says that over the years, he and his family have had many great memories with the Vette.  And, while he had a bit of a set-back with last year’s accident, it looks as though he has many more great memories to make with the ’67.

In the above photo, Lance and his father, James Wheeler, are pictured standing next to the Corvette.  This photograph was taken outside of James Wheeler’s summer home in Walled Lake, Mich., just prior to heading out for a full day of cruising Woodward Avenue, between Detroit and Pontiac Michigan, during the 2009 Woodward Dream Cruise, in August. It took Lance six months of non-stop work to get the car ready for the event. He explains that all the work was worth it—at age 60, he says that he is “reliving his childhood, thanks to Grundy.”

Story by: Becky McLaughlin

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