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Q&A: Ken Lingenfelter opens his famed car collection to benefit the Pink Fund
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 7, 2024
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and numerous Metro Detroit businesses step up to raise awareness — and money — for a vital medical cause. The Uniroyal Giant Tire on I-94 has been lit pink. Pink Chevrolet Camaro pace cars will lead NASCAR races to the green flag. Emagine theaters are serving pink popcorn. The American Cancer Society turns Corktown pink with T-shirts on its 3-mile Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk walkathon.
And in Brighton, the Lingenfelter Collection is holding its Fall Charity Open House to benefit the Pink Fund.
The massive, nationally-known, 150-plus car Lingenfelter Collection sprawls across three bays and 40,000 square feet, and features everything from Ferraris to drag racers to General Motors Co. muscle cars that Ken Lingenfelter has modified for even more performance. The collection also holds the car that turned a young Ken Lingenfelter into a car guy, the second-generation, front engine, 1963 Corvette C2 Split Window — the first ‘Vette to wear the Stingray badge. It makes a wonderful bookend to Lingenfelter’s current daily driver, an eighth generation, mid-engine, 2020 Corvette C8.
Lingenfelter laughs at how much has changed in 60 years. “The tires we were using back in those days are not like the tires today. So if I take (the 1963 car) out for a show, I have to remind myself — I have to press a lot harder on that brake pedal. With the setup and everything else, (the 2020 C8) feels like a race car.”
Ken Lingenfelter, owner of Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, with his 1955 Chevrolet Corvette Zora Dontov test mule at his showroom in Brighton. David Guralnick, Detroit News
Lingenfelter spoke with The Detroit News ahead of Saturday’s open house. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: Ken, you’re very generous with your collection. You contribute to Toys for Tots at Christmas time and host other charitable events throughout the year. Tell us about this weekend.
A: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and for the past 11 years we have been supporting a charity called the Pink Fund. The group helps breast cancer patients when they have been diagnosed and helps with their treatments. It’s a great charity. The mission for the car collection is charity work. We just do charity fundraisers there and (Pink Fund) is a great charity to support. We’re going to do an Open House for them October 5th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Brighton. You can find more information: Go to thelingenfeltercollection.com.
We are looking for a good turnout. Our motto has always been a donation at the door for any amount. You don’t have to buy a ticket, you can just show up. We have some people come though and give us a few bucks and others write big checks. So, it all depends on whether breast cancer has touched your life or not.
Q: You open your doors to the public to view 150 glorious cars. Have any pink cars in there?
A: We don’t. We used to have one that we used for this specific event, but someone fell in love with it and had to have it. So we sold it to them and donated the money to the Pink Fund.
Q: I know you have a few red cars in there. The first thing you see when you walk into the Collection — after you give your donation, of course — is a red Ferrari.
A: Yeah, I have a Ferrari thing, but I have an even bigger Corvette thing, as you know. We probably have 60 Corvettes in there right now. They range from the (first generation) 1953 to Zora Duntov’s mule car that he used for testing while trying to convince GM that it could be a future race car to the latest model C8 Corvette.
Q: I know that C8 is really dear to your heart, Ken. For over 60 years and seven generations, we had front- engine Corvettes and then — lo and behold — the eighth-generation put the engine behind your ear in the middle, just like a Ferrari. For the price, I don’t know that there is a better mid-engine car on the planet.
A: It is such great bang for the buck. I have a 2020 model, and it is my daily driver. I’ve put 50,000 miles on it and I am enjoying the daylights out of it.
Lingenfelter Collection: Ken’s wife, Kristen Lingenfelter, autocrosses this Corvette C8.Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Q: Sometimes I see you on this weekend out at M1 Concourse in Pontiac for the American Speed Festival. I have an old Porsche race car and you like to exercise that Duntov Mule Corvette. But I suspect I’ll miss you this weekend since you’ll be busy at the Collection.
A: I’m going to try real hard to get to (Speed Fest) on Sunday. But I am also a trustee for Northwood University and we have our annual, student-produced new car show up there. I’m hoping to spend a little time up there as well.
Q: You need to clone yourself. Sounds like a busy weekend, and we’ll be sure everyone puts the Pink Fund and the Lingenfelter Collection on their list for Saturday.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.