[PICS] Zora Approved! The 2020 Gold Collection at Bloomington Gold

Sep 23, 2020

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[PICS] Zora Approved! The 2020 Gold Collection at Bloomington Gold

Photo Credits: Steve Burns

The Gold Collection is one of Bloomington Gold’s anchor events. It traces its root back to the Special Collection and Great Hall over the course of the last four decades. While the name has changed, the mission has not – gather a stunning group of significant Corvettes that fit a given theme. In the past, they’ve saluted L88’s, 50-year-old Corvettes, racers, Callaway’s, and more. The 2020 theme was “A Tribute to Zora Duntov”. As Corvette’s first Chief Engineer we can all trace our love of Corvettes back to him and his drive to keep the brand evolving.

Cars participate in the Gold Collection strictly on an invitation-only basis. They can be amazingly restored examples or unrestored originals. They can be factory racecars or GM styling cars. If it’s a unique or special Corvette and fits the given year’s theme, an owner can apply to show their car. From there, a selection committee will review the car’s resume and, if it’s it good enough, formally invite it to participate in the Gold Collection.

The 2020 Gold Collection would have made Zora proud. It spanned the full gauntlet of the Corvette hobby. From racers to restored factory-correct examples, to unrestored and carefully preserved originals, the display showcased just how diverse the world of Corvette can be. On the racing side of things, we had the 1968 Sunray DX L88, the famous Penske L88, a 1961 Sebring racer (which we don’t recall ever seeing before), and the “Ultimate L88” 1967 racer. Adjacent to them we had a pristine red/red 1969 L88, a sinister triple black 1967 427/435 convertible, and a red 1965 big block coupe. The first 1967 L88, raced by Tony DeLorenzo, sat opposite an award-winning silver 1963 coupe, and an unrestored 1961 roadster. Further down the line, a blue, first-time shown big block 1965 coupe sat next to a stunning, yellow 1972 LT-1 convertible. The 1,600 original mile green 1965 fuelie and 1965 developmental L88 completed the inside group of cars. How’s that for a group of special Corvettes? Well, we haven’t even talked about the famous 1-of-2 blue 1956 Corvette SR-2 which sat front and center in the Gold Collection with hood, doors, and trunk open for all to see inside. Additionally, Corvette author and Hall of Famer Jerry Burton was present to talk about Zora, sign copies of his book about Zora, and even gave a short off-the-cuff talk about Zora’s life and career on Friday afternoon.

Once again the Bloomington Gold team did a fantastic job assembling a stellar group of special Corvettes. We can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store for us next year. Until then, the list of 2020 honorees and our gallery of the 2020 Gold Collection resides below ready for your perusal. A copy of the full Gold Collection program can be downloaded here.

1956 Corvette SR2 – Owned by: Irwin Kroiz, Ambler PA