Washington Automotive Press Association Honors Chevrolet Corvette Team with 2014 Golden Gear Award

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At its Annual Gala, the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) presented the Golden Gear Award to the team responsible for the development of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The award was accepted on the team's behalf by Stacy Summers, District Sales Manager for Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., for Chevrolet.

"The new Corvette is the quintessential American performance car," said WAPA President Melanie Batenchuk, editor of Be Car Chic. "From its powerful and efficient small-block V8, to its lightweight construction, the 2014 Corvette showcases the best of 21st century automotive technology wrapped in a shell that evokes the '63 Sting Ray. We felt that the team managed to breathe new life into the C7 in a way that both embraced the model's storied past and invited drivers to dream about its future." 

"On behalf of the Corvette team, I'd like to thank WAPA for the Golden Gear Award," said Russ Clark, Director of Marketing, Mid-size, Performance, and Compact Utilities for Chevrolet. "The Corvette Stingray delivers world class technology and performance by every measure and breaks new ground visually, while remaining instantly recognizable as a Corvette. It truly lives up to its iconic legacy."

The WAPA Annual Gala, held at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. brings together auto journalists, manufacturer and industry representatives from all over the country. For nearly 30 years, WAPA has presented its Golden Gear Award to honor an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the automotive industry. Since 2009, the Golden Gear has been awarded in memory of WAPA founding member and legendary automotive journalist John Lynker. An occasional newspaper columnist and magazine contributor, Lynker anchored Washington's WTOP radio station for more than 20 years.

Prior recipients of the Golden Gear Award include Scott Keogh of Audi; John Krafcik of Hyundai; Roger Penske; J.D. Power; Carroll Shelby; Robert Lutz of General Motors; Carlos Ghosn of Nissan; Henrik Fisker; and John W. Hetrick, designer of the patented airbag. 

The goals of the Washington Automotive Press Association are to improve communication between automotive journalists in the Baltimore-Washington area and the automotive industry, regulators, and other related groups and further the accuracy and quality of automotive journalism.  To learn more about WAPA and its networking and information-sharing opportunities, visit washautopress.org

SOURCE Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA)