Bertelsen Family Tradition with an American Classic

The world has been enamored with America’s prized sports car since 1953, when the first 300 Corvettes were hand built in Flint, Michigan. For the past 30 years, Corvette production has made its home in Bowling Green, Kentucky. And according to the National Corvette Museum, it’s now the world’s longest running, continuously-produced passenger car. Matt Bertelsen, a Keystone sales associated based out of Texas, is a third-generation enthusiast and son of a local shop owner who specializes in the restoration and restyling of the hero badge.

“Me, my dad, and my grandparents used to attend the annual Corvette rally in Bowling Green. We’d take two Vettes for a little road trip and make a weekend deal out of it,” said Bertelsen. “It was around that time that my dad purchased a 1999 C5 body style that we went pretty aggressive with, including pretty much every bolt-on you could do—header, exhaust, intake, manifold, thermostat…” he continued.

Two Minds are Greater than One

But teenage rebellion led Bertelsen to a Ford Mustang Cobra that he hoped would rival his dad’s Corvette. Although it put up a good fight on a few occasions, it proved no match in the end. Like many his age, he dabbled in the import performance scene for a while, even boasting the first turbocharged Acura NSX in Dallas. This ultimately led to a meeting-of-the-minds between father and son, as they fused their performance styles for a few builds with true custom flavor.

Bertelsen feels fortunate to live in Texas, a mecca for over-the-top street cars. Some of which throw down 1500-2000 horsepower. The industry professional plans to carry on the family tradition with a C6 body style, Z06 race-prepped purchase of his own one day. For now, “I actually ordered a 2018 Corvette as of the end of November, but won’t get delivery until 2nd quarter of this year when it’s available,” he said. Bertelsen is flooded with warm family memories as he prepares to finally own a piece of the history that he could never afford before, but has worked so hard to attain.

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