Our initial intent was to keep the 2003 50th Anniversary Edition Coupe original, when we purchased it on Saturday, June 28, 2003. However, after locating and purchasing our '78 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Pace Car with 1,370 original miles in July 2004, our perspective changed. We decided to make the '78 our Show car and the '03 our Touring car. Both have filled those roles very well and have won numerous awards.

Since July 2004, we have purchased the following upgrades for the '03 50th AE Coupe:

1. Speed lingerie bra, mirror covers, cargo area bib, and console arm cushion in Anniversary Red.
2. Smoothie fuel rail covers, battery cover, fuse box cover, windshield washer cover, and coolant cover in Anniversary Red.
3. Embroidered 50th Anniversary Logo hood liner.
4. Polished stainless steel plenum cover and door sill covers with Corvette and 50th Logos.
5. Carbon Fiber air bridge with 50th Logo.
6. Interior decals for the Steering wheel and passenger side air bag in Anniversary Red.
7. Stainless Steel Corvette letters for the front and rear bumpers.
8. 50th Logo exhaust plate.
9. GM Durastop performance slotted and cross drilled rotors, and ceramic disc pads.

While these upgrades have worked very well at both local and out-of-town Car shows, it was time to take our '03 50th AE Coupe to the next level.

On Tuesday 9/12/06 while attending the Texoma Area Corvettes dinner cruise in Bonham, TX, I spoke to Paul Perry, i.e., founder of Texoma Area Corvettes and owner of Hi-Tech Auto Care, about installing the decals. Paul, without hesitation, stated it would take him a good day to complete the installation, and asked if I wanted it completed before going to the Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend event. My answer was of course, "Yes". Therefore, we agreed that whomever obtained the best price quote would order the decals. By the evening of Wednesday 9/13/06, I had ordered the 50th AE Pace Car decals directly from Phoenix Graphics. The order was processed on Thursday 9/14/06, and arrived late on Friday 09/15/06. We delivered the '03 50th AE Coupe and decals to Hi-Tech Auto Care in Pottsboro, TX (903-786-3472) on Sunday 09/17/06. I received a phone call from Paul mid day on Wednesday 9/20/06, stating the installation of the '03 Pace Car decals, Polished stainless steel door sill covers with Corvette and 50th Logos, and minor touch on the right rear had been completed. Therefore, we picked our '03 50th AE Pace Car on Thursday 9/21/06 evening.

In closing, we are completely pleased with the decision to have the Pace Car decals installed on our '03 50th AE Coupe and the high quality work performed by Paul Perry. Paul completed the decal installation in 9 hours, while most Chevrolet dealerships in the North Dallas area would not touch the decal installation, or quoted 40-48 hours to complete the installation. Therefore, we can't say enough about Paul Perry. He is a loyal Corvette enthusiast and owner (4-C4s), a very talented and dedicated Corvette Care professional, and most of all . . . a GOOD friend. We would gladly recommend Paul's services in a "Heart Beat" !!

I have included some photos of the graphic installation process below.

Phil & Karen Pitalo
NCM Lifetime: #1941
NCOA: #135337
NCRS: #42562
NCRS Top Flight & Chevrolet Bowtie Awards - '78 Pace Car #1671
50th Registry: #30813
Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car Registry
Lone Star Corvette Club
Texoma Area Corvettes