Tracy Fisher's '69 Corvette Stingray
Model: Roxi Rocket // IG: @roxirocketpinup
This article first appeared in Gnarly Magazine, Issue #15
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By Mitzi Valenzuela
As a kid growing up in Simi Valley, California, Tracy Fisher always dreamed of Hot Rods, custom cars, and motorcycles. His father was an avid customizer. His most avid memories were growing up in the garage, watching him work his magic, turning cars and motorcycles into fine art. His dad was very talented and could do so much with so little. At the age of fifteen, Tracy built his first car with his father — a1966 El Camino. Together he learned how to do bodywork and paint. Tracy would prep the El Camino while his dad painted it. Of course, it had to be a custom blend, which made it stand out from the rest. By the age of sixteen, it was finished, and Tracy was ready to cruise Van Nuys Blvd and hit the show circuits.
At the time, his father had owned a few Corvettes, a '62 and then a '66. They were his daily drivers. He even built a custom two rail trailer for their dirt bikes, and the tow vehicle was the '66 Corvette. They would take road trips every Sunday to Muntz Motorcycle Park with no one having a cooler tow rig than they did.
One day in 1969 his dad pulled up in a new silver '69 Corvette. His dad sold the '66 and bought the new '69 Corvette that just came out. Tracy had many fond memories of that '66 and was sad to see it go. It was time to customize the new Corvette and add their own spin on it. The first thing his dad did was mask out a panel-style pattern and sprayed it white. He added some fully polished US mags and drove it that way for many years. One year he decided to paint it a copper color and stripped it similar to the pattern it had when it was silver.
In 1984 his dad got rear-ended. It had only minor damage to it, however, that gave him the opportunity for yet another color change. He took it to a guy known as Jessie, the Candy Man. Jessie was known for his colorful paint jobs he laid down on lowrider cars. The colors he chose were orange with a heavy gold pearl along with adding some killer candy graphics.
When his dad passed away, Tracy took ownership of the Corvette. It had sat for many years and needed some TLC. Everything on the car was still original. It was unmolested other than the paint and wheels. It had a 350ci engine and a turbo 400 automatic transmission. With the motor in need of a rebuild, Tracy decided to disassemble the car down to the body on a frame, and bring it back as a period-correct '70s Street Freak. Everything was replaced or rebuilt except for the paint. That killer lacquer paint job was the perfect canvas for his vision. He already had a 327ci engine that would be just right for this project. To add to the thrill of driving, he converted the transmission from an automatic to a manual TREMEC TKO 5 speed. Once the car was reassembled, he brought it to the king of Corvettes, Dick Guldstrand of GULDSTRAD MOTORSPORTS to perform the final dial in before hitting the streets.
The Corvette has never been a trailer queen. Tracy and his wife, Terri, enjoy cruising the streets of So Cal every chance they can.
Be sure to check out Tracy Fisher’s Corvette on the cover of the new Mitzi & Co. Calendar seen advertised in this issue!
Model: Roxi Rocket
INSTAGRAM: @roxirocketpinup
Get the calendar at MitziAndCo.com
INSTAGRAM: @mitziandco
