The flawlessly prepared body shell was lavishly coated with PPG Ultra Bright Viper Silver. The Vette still sports all the proper trim and emblems, but for extra shine, the stainless body moldings were polished and then chromed, and the original bumpers were re-plated. The soft-top received a subtle, yet unique demeanor with a black Hartzcloth cover, made by Portage Trim of Ravenna, Ohio.
The interior of the '66 is almost completely stock. Ginny wasn't too nuts about the large and thin-rimmed stock steering wheel, though, and replaced it with a leather-wrapped Lecarra "Vette 3." She also had Portage Trim re-cover the stock seats with black leather. The dash insert and gauges have been fully restored to original, and for a little added driving pleasure, a Custom Autosound stereo/cassette player sits in the original radio opening.
While the '66 is Ginny's trophy car, it's not her only Corvette. Two years after buying her '66, Ginny found the '67 convertible she'd wanted, and thus far its life has paralleled that of the '66. Ultimately, the '67 will receive the same sort of restoration and mild updating as the '66, but that's probably three to four years away. As Ginny told us, "We have to build some more cars for customers first."
Ginny Lobeck's drop-top '66 is evidence of the magic that can happen when different elements of the car hobby meet. This cross-pollinating between restoration and street-rodding has produced a beautifully detailed and eye-catching Vette. With this being "only" the first try, we can't wait to see the '67 when it's finished!