Corvettes have been George Michel’s passion since he was a young boy. He's someone who you would call a "Corvette guy."
“When they came out with the 1953 Corvette -- they introduced it in June of 1953 -- I took a liking to the Corvette," Michel said.
"I was only 6 years old, but I’ve been a Corvette enthusiast ever since.”
Car buffs from all around the world are in the Valley this week for several car auctions, in what is referred to as “Auction Week."
Some are here to look, some to buy and some to sell.
Michel has been a fan of Barrett-Jackson for years, even buying a 1965 Corvette at the auction five years ago.
But when his collection became too much, he decided it was time to lighten the load.
“I’m getting to the point where I’m not enjoying the cars,” Michel said. “I’m just maintaining them, so it’s time to start selling them off.”
Which, Michel hopes, will leave a little more time for family.
“It’s time to start selling the cars and enjoying my grandkids," he said.
Michel has two 1965 Corvette Sting Rays on the block this weekend.
One, the Corvette he bought at Barrett-Jackson five years ago, is a rare model: It came equipped with drum brakes.
The 1965 model of the Sting Ray introduced disc brakes.
While many applauded the innovation, some preferred the tried and true drum-brake system. Three hundred and sixteen of the 23, 526 Sting Rays produced that year included the “Disc Deleted” option.
But selling these two Corvettes still leaves Michel with a few left in his collection.
“I’ll have 15 left in the collection after these,” he said.
When Michel isn’t enjoying time with his grandkids or maintaining his fleet of Corvettes, the 72-year-old can be found at the Bonneville Salt Flats racing his ‘Vettes and attempting to break the land speed record for Corvettes.
You can find Michel’s Corvettes on the block between 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Barrett-Jackson auction at Westworld in Scottsdale.