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Corvettes were the exclusive territory of Bob Wingate. Bob started at Clippinger in 1955. He quickly focused on muscle cars. Bob raised eyebrows by buying up stagnant 1962 Corvettes that were a hard sell when the radical new 1963 model glittered on the horizon. He bought unsold 1962 Vettes from other dealers and reinvoiced them through Clippinger. This amped Clippinger’s tally of Vettes and broadened Bob’s quota capacity to order the new 1963 models. Bob sold all those 1962s and obtained more than 100 new 1963 Corvettes because of this inventive move. He continued to build on his success and was soon getting factory assistance.

GM’s Corvette national sales promotion manager Joe Pike asked Bob to guide Corvette clubs through start-up procedures in the Western zone of the United States for 1964. Chevy provided Bob with a Corvette to drive courtesy of the factory. Bob also assisted with the local Clippinger Corvair, Corvette, and Camaro club, which met at the Covina Public Library. The proliferation of Corvette clubs in California led to the formation of the Western States Corvette Council (WSCC) in January 1966 with Bob Wingate as president. The WSCC coordinated the activities of the 40-plus clubs. Clippinger also hosted the National Vintage Chevrolet show on the Clippinger premises.

Clippinger Chevrolet’s high-performance car offerings stretch back as far as the eye can see. Bob Wingate’s 1967 Corvette 427 435-hp screamer parked at the front of the line has a white stripe that runs down the middle of the car, which made him a distinctive sight at car club gatherings. Note that Bob’s Vette and the next in line have custom six-pod rear taillights. Normal 1967 Vettes have four taillights. (Photo Courtesy J. Scott Shannon, Covina Past blog)

The caricature of Bob Wingate that appears in this promo item would actually mean something to most Corvette people. Bob’s face was instantly recognizable to Vette people due to his constant appearances at all the Corvette events and attendance at the drag strips.

In 1966, Bob Wingate sold more than 150 cars (mostly Corvettes) and was awarded a special factory custom Corvette in appreciation. Normally these types of cars were strictly built for executives. Some sources refer to Bob’s car as a Factory Shop Order (FSO). Bob’s Vette was very special and gives some indication of how much of a stir he caused with his Corvette promotional activity.

Bob’s first factory reward 1967 Vette was basically a show car. When executives from General Motors saw it, they suggested a toned-down car that was more in keeping with what was actually available to customers. Bob’s second factory special car was a 1967 Greenwood Green 427 435-hp Vette with a wide-ratio 4-speed with 3.55:1 rear axle and side pipes. It had a white stripe over the top of the car, six taillights, fender flares to house American Racing mags, a removed front bumper, and a custom interior.

Bob immediately had this Vette lettered with Clippinger sponsorship and raced it at the strip as well as bringing it to car events. He kept it for a year until his next new factory special car arrived: a 1968 L89 convertible. The 1968 Corvette was forced into production even though the car wasn’t ready. For the first few months of production, only convertibles were being built while engineers worked out the T-top solution for the coupes.

Bob hated convertibles, but he made do with it for a few months while the factory sorted out the T-top issues. As soon as 1968 coupes were built, Bob received another 1968 factory special Corvette. This time it was a coupe with 17-inch American Racing wheels.

Bob Wingate’s final factory special Corvette was a 1970 convertible with the fabulous high-winding LT1 350 motor.

Clippinger Chevrolet’s high-performance car salesmen stand with exciting offerings that stretch back as far as the eye can see. Harry Edison (left) had a niche sales area that featured 375-hp Camaros, while Corvettes were a Wingate exclusive. Note that the first five Camaros are SS and RS (hidden headlight) models. (Photo Courtesy J. Scott Shannon, Covina Past blog)

James Garner’s A.I.R. Corvette L88s weren’t ordered through Clippinger Chevrolet, but the order was put together by Clippinger’s super salesman Bob Wingate. Garner displayed two of the L88 cars in the Clippinger showroom and gave this picture to Bob Wingate in appreciation for getting the cars pushed through the pipeline. (Photo Courtesy George Pappas)