C1 Corvette Outside of Dairy Delite

Video by Kaylee Jenson

This video shows a car revving its engine, turning right and speeding away. The car in the video is a convertible C1 Corvette. Corvettes are a model of sports car made by Chevy and they are widely considered to be one of the most iconic American sports cars of all time. The car in the video has clean black paint with chrome details along the windshield, bumper and surrounding the headlights. The chrome also forms an oval shape along the side of the car that surrounds a nonfunctional vent-like structure. Originally, the car had dual-tone paint and the area inside the oval was painted white, with the rest of the car remaining black. This area is no longer white, which indicates that this car has been repainted. The body styling is curvy and smooth but with aggressive details on the grille and the vents on each side. The car has four headlights, two on each side that are aligned horizontally. The iconic Corvette logo is located just above the chunky chrome grille. The wheels are silver chrome and are not the car’s original wheels. Cars from this era, including the Corvette, often were produced with spokeless wheels that had a dome shape. The C1 is the first generation of Corvette. The first generation was produced from 1953 to 1962. The car in the photo was likely made between the years 1958 to 1962. It is difficult to conclude exactly what year it was produced by just looking at a video. The Corvette is still in production today and is now on the eighth generation. The hood of the car has a scoop in it. This is not a stock feature of the car, which proves that the car has been modified. Another feature of the car that proves that it has been modified is the distinct whining noise heard when the engine is revving. This whining noise proves that the car is supercharged. A supercharger is a form of forced induction. Forced induction is the process of forcing more air into the engine. There are two main types of forced induction, superchargers and turbochargers. Turbochargers are more commonly associated with Japanese and German cars. Superchargers are more commonly associated with American muscle cars. Engines work by combusting oxygen and gasoline. Superchargers use a belt attached to the engine’s crankshaft to force extra air into the engine. By forcing more air into the engine, more combustion takes place and the car produces more power. When the excess compressed air exits through an outlet, it creates the whining noise that can be heard in the video. Superchargers often add an immense amount of power to a car, which leads to the conclusion that this car has been modified for racing.

In the video the Corvette revs its engine loudly while waiting for other cars to pass by, then turns, accelerates and drives away. There are power lines above the road, indicating that this is an older area of town. At the right side of the video, there is a muscle car with its hood propped open. There is also a motorcycle parked to the left of the muscle car. The Corvette is turning onto Eisenhower street in Loveland, Colorado. If driven about five minutes in the western direction, Eisenhower street turns into a highway that follows the Big Thompson River up the Big Thompson Canyon and into the Rocky Mountains.

This car is leaving a car show that was taking place at Dairy Delite in June of 2021. During the summer, these car shows take place once a month at Dairy Delite. The car shows are relatively informal and are not advertised online. At the shows, a collection of muscle cars, hot rods and other classic cars park in the parking lot. Around 25 to 50 cars come each show, depending on the weather. People eat food and ice cream from Dairy Delite while viewing the cars and talking to their owners. The people who come to the shows are typically older than 45 years old, but often bring their children or grandchildren.

Dairy Delite is a local ice cream carhop restaurant. The restaurant was founded about 45 years ago and has remained at the same location for all 45 years. Dairy Delite serves ice cream, along with other traditional fast food and Midwest food. The menu shows a midwestern influence with items such as “Cheese Curds” on the menu. Fast food items on the menu include burgers, fries and fried pickles. The restaurant also features retro decor, such as neon signs, checkered tile and vintage photos of ice cream. The midwestern influence on the menu is reflected in the background of many of the attendees at the car shows, who are often from midwestern states such as Nebraska and Kansas. Dairy Delite is a carhop restaurant. This means that to receive service, customers park their car in a stall and a carhop comes to them, takes their order and serves their food. Carhop service was introduced and popularized in the 1950s and 1960s, which coincides with the rise of hot rodding and car modification culture.

At these car shows, the combination of the food people are eating and the cars they drive both reflect their identity. Food can communicate aspects of identity such as ethnic or class background. Similarly, cars can also communicate these aspects of identity. When these two important symbols are brought together under a common setting, like that of these car shows, a perfect environment for social performance is created. Specifically, at these car shows, people relate to the identity of the American Dream. One aspect of the American Dream, overconsumption and economic prosperity is communicated at these shows. By driving expensive cars, people are performing their class for other attendees. Additionally, these cars often have large V8 engines, which are a perfect symbol for overconsumption. Fast food also reflects these values in the large portion sizes and excessive calories in the meal. Another important aspect of the American Dream are the values of mobility and freedom, in this case, geographical freedom. Cars provide their owners with the freedom to travel anywhere they want in the country on a whim. Additionally, the transportation provided by cars tends to be more private and pleasant than that of public transportation. As highway infrastructure developed in the 1950s and 1960s, it created an economic niche for the food industry. Fast food filled this niche by providing reliable and familiar meals to travelers. By becoming associated with the American roadside landscape, fast food has become a symbol for American mobility.