Story and Photos by: Shannon Hammett

Chattanooga resident Phil Higgins has had a passion for the Corvette for many years. It all started when he was a teenager.

“At seventeen years of age, my car broke down several miles from home,” said Mr. Higgins. “I hitched a ride in a new, 1958 ‘Vette. The hook was set, but life’s plan for me delayed owning my own Corvette for many years. School, marriage, and children all came first.”

Mr. Higgins refers to himself as an army brat. He was born in Columbus, Ohio in a military hospital. During his school years, he lived all over the country. In 1960, he went to work for a company and transferred to Toledo. By 1972, Mr. Higgins had turned in his notice.

“I was bored. I was going to quit and go to California to be a carpenter. That's when they offered me a job in Chattanooga, so I took it. Oddly enough, they also offered me the choice of a 1969 Corvette or a new 1972 Chevrolet Caprice as my company car. It took me all of 3 seconds to choose the ‘Vette. It was a 1969 4-speed with a 350-horse motor. It would run. They eventually sold it to me for what they had it on the books for, which was $360. It was worth a lot more than that. I eventually turned it into a full blown race car with a roll cage in it,” said Mr. Higgins.

A trip to Northgate Mall would get Mr. Higgins hooked on auto-crossing and keep him hooked for the next twelve years. “There was an auto cross out back behind JC Penney in Northgate. I went out there and watched. It was all Corvettes. I thought, you know, I can do that. So, the next time they had something, I went. I got a 3rd place.”

Mr. Higgins's first Corvette would be followed by several more; including a 1966 racer. Then, in 1978, he found his dream car; a 1963, split-window coupe. “It was white with black interior. The first thing I had to do was put an engine in it because it burned oil really bad, so I built a 327/340 HP engine for it and spent the next 12 years auto-crossing. I got pretty good at it.

“I've driven all around the country: California, Michigan, south Florida and many other places. I've run on some tracks, but I'm not a big fan of them. On tracks; if you get going fast enough and lose control, you can really hurt your car and yourself, but in the parking lots, I was a killer. Airports, yes! You could slide forever and not have to worry about your car. If you could put auto-crossing into a needle, I'd be a junkie because there's so much of a thrill in it.

“When I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I got to take a television reporter on a ride on the course. I scared the fire out of her. I had already won the fastest time of the day for everybody that was in the event. When she rode with me, I beat my best time by half a second. I asked her, ‘So what did you think?’ She said, ‘I think I just wet my pants!’ Afterwards, she interviewed me. I never did get to see if it was on TV because we had to leave and go home, but I'm sure it was terrible because during the entire interview, two of my friends were standing behind her making rabbit ears behind her head. It was hilarious.”

Mr. Higgins continued racing his 1963, dream Corvette until June of 1982 when a wreck forced him to park it.

To Be Continued . . .