And that's fine, says Jim Wolf, director of the Las Vegas Corvettes Association, which is sponsoring the three-day celebration of America's most iconic sports car.

Corvette Roulette, which will take place at The Orleans, will feature a car show, rallies, autocrosses, entertainment and prizes for Corvette owners. But, Wolf adds, the car show and autocross events are open for public viewing at no charge.

Wolf says the Las Vegas Corvettes Association was created in 1973 with the merger of three local Corvette clubs. Today, the club has 236 members, and members participate throughout the year in a slate of events that include rallies, shows and trips.

The Corvette Roulette event grew, at least indirectly, out of similar events local club members have attended elsewhere.

"It originally started as a local show ... because there are like 18,000 Corvettes registered in Clark County," Wolf says.

But, he continues, "we decided that these other clubs have got these great events going on, dragging people from all over the country to them, and what better city to have this kind of event in than Las Vegas?"

Because the event is sanctioned by the National Council of Corvette Clubs, the visitor list is a geographically diverse one.

"We've had people coming from just about every state in the union over the years," Wolf says, and from other countries as well.

Saturday's car show runs from noon to 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, starting at 8:30 a.m., autocrosses will begin in The Orleans parking lot.

And at the heart of the three-day celebration is the Corvette itself, the American-made classic introduced by Chevrolet in 1953.

What's behind the Corvette's appeal? "It's just an eye-catcher," Wolf says.

"It's the styling, it's the speed. It's like nothing else. You can be on the freeway and go to pass somebody and you fly around them. People say, 'Man, he's got it floored,' and you're hardly touching the pedal."

For non-Corvette owners, this weekend's events offer a chance to ogle the car they wish they could have. And, for others, it'll be a chance to reminisce about the cars they used to own.

"A lot of people" who attend such events, Wolf says, "say: 'Yeah, I used to have one. It was so cool.' "

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.