Since Joe and Sue Carlozo bought their first Corvette five years ago, the Fallston couple has traveled from car show to car show, racking up a resume of awards, like proud parents tagging along with a talented Little Leaguer or elite gymnast.
At the Corvette Annapolis car show yesterday in Gambrills, the scene resembled a bizarre family reunion as car owners gathered to brag about their Corvettes' new spoilers and ramped engines as if they were part of their children's stellar report cards.
"It's like having a child," said Carroll H. Hynson, an Annapolis resident and a self-described "gearhead" who has spent 6 1/2 years outfitting his 810-horsepower Corvette. "There is a deep connection, and it's hard to get rid of it."
Yesterday was the third annual Corvettes and Classics Fun Show, run by Corvette Annapolis, a sort of play group for people who pamper their cars. It's considered a marquee event for Corvette owners in Maryland, which has at least 10 clubs for aficionados.
More than 100 car owners lined up their babies, popping hoods and trading stories as the temperature rose above 90. The more the sun glared, the more the lollipop-colored cars sparkled.
Annapolis Corvette offered 40 trophies for prizes such as "Best in Show" and "Best Engine Compartment." But unlike a stiff dog show, the emphasis wasn't on competition. Rather, there was a fraternity spirit, particularly among Corvette owners, as if they had been inducted into an exclusive order when they bought what is often referred to as "America's sports car."
The Carlozos stood in the shopping center parking lot with their two - a six-speed black Corvette with flaming-red leather interior and a gray model with pewter-colored seats.
"It will be five years in September," Joe Carlozo said of the black 2001 model he brought to the show. The car has been souped and resouped: a pointier front called a tiger shark, black trim to make the red interior pop and tiny headlights like spider eyes. Yesterday, the car sat side by side with his wife's sparkly gray model.
Joe Carlozo placed a tiny red carpet in front of his car. He wore his Corvette visor, and his wife wore a black "Vette Girl" tank top.
"The car is special, certainly," Joe Carlozo said, "but I think what you find is that it's that bond that everyone has."
The Carlozos have brought their children into the Corvette fold. Their son, never a car fanatic, learned to drive his dad's car and has since started his own detailing business, called Mr. Happy Cars. Their daughter, Jessica, said the Corvettes have given her parents a shared hobby.
"It's a little crazy, but it's great," she said. "It makes me happy that they meet so many people."
Most of the Corvettes on display are driven only on weekends, some even less frequently. Hynson estimated that the twin 1957 restored Corvettes owned by Mary Lou and Larry Gilbert - displayed at the show with "His" and "Hers" signs - are worth at least $250,000.
But the Corvette owners who gathered under shady tents were of all age groups and from across the financial spectrum, from seamstresses to accountants. The show's proceeds went to Anne Arundel Medical Center.
The Gilberts, who live in Elkton, were there with their identical cascade-green 50-year-old Corvettes. They brought their 15-year-old granddaughter to the show, and she rattled off engine stats like a car salesman pitching hard for a sale. Mary Lou Gilbert, 58, recalled her first Corvette - a 1960 pea-green model, "a terrible color," she said. She and her husband, now 62, rode it to their prom in 1966 when they were newlyweds.
"The kids love to come to the shows," she said. These days, she matches her outfits to the deep sea foam color of her cars. Her girlfriends think she's nuts, she said. "But we've met some really nice people."
julie.turkewitz@baltsun.com