Dead Page: Louis Groebner, the Corvette Guy

LOUIS A. GROEBNER, JR. 1939-2007

"Ultimate Pro" with Corvettes- Highland Park service-shop owner was the sports car's devotee. Finding and restoring rare models was 'like a treasure hunt for him,' and his personal collection had dozens of gems.

Imagine getting to work your life's love into a full-time job. That's exactly what Louis Groebner did. And he did it with my life's desire, and that would be a Corvette. I've never owned one, but sure would like to. Maybe, one day.

From Chicago Tribune obituary by Trevor Jensen. June 21, 2007

His parents wanted him to be a mechanical engineer, but that ended right away when he fell in love with Corvettes. As a teenager, he restored a 1958 Vette in his parent's garage. He was hooked.

Mr. Groebner died June 15th. For more than 30 years he ran Vette Auto Sales in Chicago and Corvette City in Highland Park.

He was an expert at picking out the truly hard-to-find parts for Corvettes, but his real thrill came from hunting down rare Corvettes. "He would drive for hours, following leads about a hard to find model. 'It was like a treasure hunt for him.'" said his son Louis Groebner III.

Most of his Corvettes were only used for shows, but he had some that he would take out and put "through their paces on country roads in northern Illinois and Wisconsin, usually with his son or daughter holding on tightly beside him", his son said.

Of course, not much finer than cruising down an old two lane road than in a Corvette. Still wishing and a hoping.

Quite a life he led.