HASTINGS — Gene Swatek's customized red 1984 Corvette drew a lot of attention from onlookers Sunday.

Other Corvette owners asked him and his wife, Bonnie Swatek, questions. People who wish for a Corvette of their own leafed through a photo album showing the various stages of how the Carleton resident remodeled his dream machine.

Some took pictures as others peeked through the open windows to get a closer look at the interior.

And it was a safe bet that no one had seen a Corvette like this one before, except for its owners. Technically, it was two cars, not one. Swatek named his custom creation "The Family Vette" because he designed it with a backseat and lots of leg room in the back — things Corvettes usually don't have. It's actually two-thirds of the front of one Corvette combined with two-thirds of the rear of another.

"I built it because when I went to car shows (in his other Corvettes) I wanted to take my four girls with me, and I could only take one with me at a time," he said. "Twenty years later, I put one (the 'Family Vette') together but now they are all in college."

The Swateks' car was one of about 300 on display at the 17th annual Corvette Celebration Corvette Show & Swap Meet at the Historic Charlton Park in Hastings. It included judging and a swap meet and attracted hundreds of Corvette enthusiasts from Michigan, Indiana and Illinois and even a few from Canada. The Corvette Club of Battle Creek sponsored the car show. A portion of proceeds will go to local charities.

Bonnie Swatek said they brought a large, custom-made sign with a brief history of the car and photos because it's hard for people to imagine what the process involved.

She had trouble envisioning the project when her future husband first told her about it when they were dating and he purchased the front part of the finished car, she said. It had been in an accident that damaged the rear.

But it wasn't until 2003 when he was able to work on his dream project again, she said. It took a year to put the two cars together to make one Corvette with a limousine effect.

They also own a 1973 Corvette T-top and a 1964 Corvette convertible — the first Corvette he bought, Gene Swatek said.

"It's timeless. That's the best way I can describe a Corvette," he said of the sports car's appeal. "They look like new no matter how old it is. Corvettes never go out of style."

As the sun peeked through the clouds, sunlight danced off the multitude of cars of various years, models and colors — red, white, blue, yellow, black and teal. People mingled, laughed and admired the vehicles. Music played over the loudspeakers.

Father and son, Don and Dave Larson of Grand Rapids stopped to chat with 1958 car owner Chuck Stika of Prospect Heights, Ill., a Chicago suburb. Don Larson did not bring his 1987 convertible to his fourth time at this car show.

All three men said they fell in love with Corvettes when they were young. Stika said he remembers being in awe of a neighbor's 1959 Corvette when he was 12 or 13.

"When I was probably 16, I was falling in love with Corvettes," Don Larson said, motioning toward the older Corvettes. "This version, 1956 and 1957. Everybody looked at them, kind of the Route 66, Beach Boy era."

His son said he caught Corvette fever when he was first allowed to drive his dad's Corvette around the same age his father was when he began noticing the cars.

Janet Johnston of Michigan's Portland, bundled up in her black Capital City Corvette Club jacket, fuzzy red scarf and red winter gloves. She laughed with her husband, Don Johnston, and their fellow club members. All wore matching jackets. The Johnstons' 1998 white car was among 20 from their club at the show. The couple also owns a 1976 model.

"I drive mine to work once in a while," she said of her 1998 car. "If you have a bad day, just get in your Corvette. It makes you feel good again."

It's no secret that Corvettes are fast, but Johnston said most Corvette owners who show their cars stick to the speed limit, for the most part.

"We have 130 members in our club. I don't think anybody's ever gotten a ticket ... that I know of," she said.

Khristine Elliott covers news and Neighbors features. She can be reached at 966-0675 or kelliott@battlecr.gannett.com

Originally published May 16, 2005