I recently met up with Paul Ruggiero at the bi-weekly Cars and Coffee meet at the Newburgh Mall held every other Sunday across from McDonald’s.

The beautiful blue color of Paul’s Grand Sport Corvette caught my eye. Paul told me the color of his Vette was called Jetstream Blue. He told me that he purchased his car in 2015 and that the car was originally from the State of Florida. The Corvette has 18,000 original miles on it. It sports a 6.2-liter V8 engine with close to 500 horsepower. Paul is a Newburgh native that owns a business in the Town of Newburgh, Eclipse Solar Control Products. He is also a popular and well known Town of Newburgh Councilman.

Paul enjoys getting together with his fellow car enthusiasts at car meets and charity events to talk cars and support local causes. I asked Paul, what was his favorite and worst moments with his car were. He said that his favorite moment with Corvette was the day he purchased the Corvette in Florida.

He said that his worst moment was when he wanted to go on a nice Sunday morning drive, but the car wouldn’t start because the battery died. His favorite music to cruise with is 70’s Rock. His favorite person to cruise with is his wife, Serina. His dream car is a Porsche. His first car was a Chevy Mazda. Special features to the Grand Sport include, a Borla Exhaust and a VaraRam Cold Air Intake.

Specifications: Base Price-$50,000, Only 5,212 Grand Sport Corvettes built in 2011, 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, top speed @ 185 mph, Wheelbase 105.7 inches, Length 175.6 inches, Body width 75.9 inches, Curb weight 3,311 lbs