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Reviews
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Date of last review
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1
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19625
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Wed May 16, 2007
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Recommended By
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100% of reviewers
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10.0
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Description:
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Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Motorbooks International (April 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0933534515
ISBN-13: 978-0933534513
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
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Keywords:
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antonick specs black book
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Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
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Hib Halverson
Technical Writer for Internet & Print Media
Registered: January 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 2140
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Review Date: Wed May 16, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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In summary, this is another credible effort by Mr. Antonick and a valuable contribution to Corvette reference material.
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Cons:
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You're a Corvetter reading this review of a book with "Specs" in the title, so you probably already have a copy of the Corvette Black Book. Imagine this new title, Cor-Vette Specs: 1984-1996 Models by Corvette authority, Mike Antonick, as "Black Book, only more so." While this book is not the first attempt at a platform-specific, in-depth, technical reference on the 1984-1996 cars, it's the first that's worth its cover price.
In his newest project, Antonick combines the best of Black Book (which he also publishes) along with more, in-depth technical specifications, a specially-selected collection Chevrolet's press releases from the C4 period along with the author's personal insights to each model year in the series. This is all topped-off by exclusive photography of the Bob McDorman Corvette collection which includes a number of all-original, never-driven C4s.
The book opens with Antonick's description of the March 1982, "long-lead" press preview for the 1984 Corvette at old Riverside International Raceway in California. Antonick, then, takes us back through the history of the Corvette and finally, picks up where he left-off with the then-new '84 and embarks upon his year-by-year chronicle of the C4 era. The book is well-written and its variety of material along with each model year's content being presented in a consistent style, makes for comfortable reading.
A standout in this book is the "Specifications Summary" section included with each model year chapter. The basis for this information was the Motor Vehicle Manufacturer's Association specifications. These are comprehensive technical specifications and statistics that each MVMA member makes public on an annual basis. The problem with "MVMA's" is, because the member manufacturers usually rely on entry level clerks, to prepare the information, there are often errors in data entry. Since Chevrolet almost never proof-read MVMA information that carried over from a previous model year, some mistakes continued to be listed for many years. Antonick, with The Corvette Restorer Editor, John Amgwert, assisting, him undertook a comprehensive verification of MVMAs from 1984-1996 and have published the revised data in Cor-Vette Specs and it is more accurate than the original MVMA material.
The press releases are a gold mine of information and an interesting insight to how Chevrolet saw it's flagship products through the dozen years of the C4 era. Some of the best writers whom ever worked for Chevy PR did Corvette stuff in the C4 period, such as Ed Lechtzin (who is still at GM and oversees the company's world-wide automobile show presence) and Tom Hoxie (retired in 1999 as Assistant Director of Chevy PR).
In summary, this is another credible effort by Mr. Antonick and a valuable contribution to Corvette reference material. Cor-Vette Specs was a welcome addition to my C4 data archive and needs to be on any serious Corvette fan's bookshelf.
Mike Antonick's first media achievement in the Corvette hobby was the production of two three-year runs of a hardcover, coffee-table periodical called "Corvette: The Sensuous American." When the first run ended in 1978, Antonick published the first edition of the Corvette Black Book, a series that continues, today and will celebrate it's 25th anniversary in 2003. Antonick operates a publishing company, Michael Bruce Associates, in Powell, Ohio.
For more information on Cor-Vette Specs, contact Michael Bruce Associates, Inc., Box 396 Powell, Ohio 43065. Tel: 740 965 4859 Web: www.corvetteblackbook.com.
This book is in-stock and ready for purchase at the National Corvette Museum's on-line book store at www.corvettemuseum.com
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Hib Halverson
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;)
Registered: January 2001
Location: Southern California