ALL IN THE FAMILY
At the 40th Corvettes at Carlisle I happened upon this stunning 1966 Sting Ray Roadster owned by Kyle and Michelle Manseau of Collegeville, PA with a very well-done show board. When I moved in close to inspect who designed it, I was struck by the story.
It was a tribute to the current owner’s father, Arthur Manseau, who purchased the car in 1970 for $1,000 as a project. While running and drivable, it needed body work and some TLC. But, life, as it always does, got in the way and the car remained in the garage for over 40 years.
Arthur Manseau, Jr. was a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army and served in Operation Enduring Freedom. He retired after 40 years of service and wanted to begin restoring this car, but it was not to be. His retirement was cut short by cancer, and he died in 2012.
Son Kyle got the car out of the garage in 2013 and wanted to restore it as a tribute to his dad. Arthur insisted, “all it needs is paint”, but it soon became apparent that the little Sting Ray needed much more than he could accomplish on his own. Enter another Arthur, his father-in-law, Arthur Barry.
Kyle and Arthur worked on the car for three and a half years in Barry’s Connecticut Garage to bring the car back to its original glory in 2016. Kyle’s aunt, Arthur Manseau’s sister, did the beautiful tribute to her brother on the show board, which I would rate with four stars. Well done, Auntie.
The story does have a bittersweet end. A week before Corvettes at Carlisle, Arthur Barry passed away. So, at this show, Michelle pointed out the framed photos on the seats. MSgt. Manseau’s in the pilot’s seat and Arthur Barry’s riding shotgun in the passenger seat as the copilot.
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