Feeling the Bern? You will in a Bernie Sanders Corvette Z06

We always try to stay out of politics when it comes to Corvettes but sometimes in a crazy political season, it’s really hard to stay above the fray. Especially when folks are willing to dress up a $100,000+ Corvette Z06 in a candidate’s swag.

The last time there was a presidential race going on, the candidate with the politically-wrapped Corvette was Ron Paul. This year, it’s Bernie Sanders and a C7 Corvette Z06.

But that’s the current fate for this formally Black Corvette Z06, which was originally purchased by Jim Glickenhaus for his daughter Veronica.

Glickenhaus, a former movie director and current investment banker, is the owner of a fantastic car collection and the Z06 Corvette was a gift to his daughter for a promise he made to her long ago.

Veronica’s husband Gene Leeds has had some different ideas about their 650-horsepower grocery getter by once promising to drive it all winter long (he didn’t or if he did, he never mentioned it again).

Now, the Corvette Z06 is doing duty as “Bernie Sanders Art Car” for a school project.

Luckily, there was still rational thoughts when Gene designed the art car using a clear 3M vinyl wrap that allowed him to paint over it. Whenever he decides to remove the custom artwork, it should just peel right off.

Here is what Gene told Jalopnik about the process:

I’m a visual art student at Columbia University. I’m looking to get into making art cars for people when I graduate this summer. Personally, I feel there’s much more presence in a car that’s actually painted as opposed to using printed vinyl. I first wrapped the car in Sanders stickers and then painted red, white, blue, and clear 3M vinyl using a printmaking process called silkscreen. Once all that dried I painted clear acrylic over the new paint to protect it from the elements. From there it was all cut and paste.

Why Sanders? Well I enjoy the political theatre every four years surrounding the presidential election, and this year has needless to say been overwhelmingly entertaining and often concerning.

My candidate is Bernie Sanders for all the reasons that have finally become clear to people by now. I wanted to do something extremely American with an American car in an attempt to support the underdog. The response thus far has been 99% positive which is far more than I was expecting. Other than my coming out of a store and seeing that someone spit on it, a lot, people of all ages and backgrounds have asked to take photos of it.

Parents ask if their their kid can sit in it. At least once a day an older woman will come up to me and say “Bernie must win I’ll never vote for Hillary.” I’ve been lucky enough to have driven and ridden in a lot of supercars and hypercars, but I have never experienced the overwhelming attention this thing gets during my 100 mile round trip in and out of the city. Hopefully Bernie will survive tomorrow and the car wont become outdated anytime soon.

When I do eventually peel it, it will still be pristine.

Are you feeling the Bern yet?

Surely there is irony in using a $100,000 sports car to promote a candidate that complains about income inequality and wants to tax the rich, but hey, that pretty much sums up this year’s crazy Presidential election.

Source:
Jalopnik
Photos by Gene Leeds

Related:
President Obama and Jerry Seinfeld Drive a 1963 Corvette at the White House
Joe Biden: Corvettes are Better than Porsches
[PIC] NY Governor Cuomo Attends a Corvette Show