Despite the mid-year having 91,662 miles on the clock before its restoration, it had been maintained well, and many components were still in good shape. Leo emphasizes that, "The Vette has never let me down. The fuel-injection system has performed flawlessly since its purchase. The injection system had a bad reputation in the '60s, but mine never gave me any problems." Besides that, other components like the drum brakes showed little deterioration. In fact, it still wears the original shoes on the rear. The fronts only had to be replaced because they froze on the drums when the '64 hadn't moved during its restoration, and they were damaged when Leo removed the pads.
The Vette's renewal was finally completed in 1998. Since then, it's been enjoying retirement along with Leo and Vonni, who now take the former family hauler on the show circuit. At its first event in '98, the Fuelie received its Bloomington Gold Certification, and it earned both its Chapter and Regional NCRS Top Flight awards in 1999. They've also taken home a myriad of prizes annually from the Lone Star Corvette Classic in Texas, including a Best of Show, two Best Interiors, Dick Guldstrand's Celebrity Choice in 2001, and it was VETTE Magazine's pick in 2003. The roadster doesn't get driven much at the moment but Leo says, "We are having a lot of fun at the Corvette shows with my original Vette and my original wife!"