Though Sylvia was enjoying her C4 Corvette immensely, it didn't take long for her to fall head-over-heels in love with the C5 styling. On August 25, 2000, "I took delivery of my first brand new Corvette, an '01 [Navy Blue Metallic] coupe, that I truly enjoy, and it's become a way of life for me," says Sylvia. She bought her '01 C5 off the showroom floor at Capitol Chevrolet in Montgomery, Alabama, with a Light Oak interior, automatic transmission, blue-tinted removable roof panel, and all the luxurious options available. Those first 500 miles of break-in were torture for her as she fought the temptation to simply hammer it. "I knew I had to use the 'TLC' treatment, but as I drove my new Corvette off the lot, with a huge grin on my face and the odometer barely clicking over 15 miles, I was ready to fly!"
Sylvia and her C5-affectionately dubbed "Speedy-Vet"-have become quite familiar since then, and they take fabulous care of one another. She's kept the '00 virtually all original except for detailing. However, Sylvia did have Corvettes of Houston install a set of chrome taillight louvers on her coupe, along with a Tri-Flo PRT cat-back exhaust system. Under the hood, the C5 is exactly as it left the Bowling Green plant, except for replacing the standard black LS1 fuel rail covers with red ones from a ZO6. Sylvia has recently also installed ZO6 stainless steel mesh grille inserts from a ZO6 to add a little more pizzazz up front.
"Speedy-Vet is my pride and joy!" beams Sylvia. "My C5 has been a way to meet many great people, including other ladies who are also Corvette owners. We attend functions, get together, and mostly share our passion for owning these cars regardless of color or model." Sylvia also regularly chats online with other Corvette enthusiasts around the world, not just here in the States, but in Canada, Hawaii, and Europe as well. "I've come a long way!" she exclaims. "Today, I truly enjoy being surrounded by the genuine sports car styling and feeling the power of the engine and rumble of the exhaust! I give special thanks to my father, for now I stand tall and proud next to a true American legend-the C5 Corvette!".
Sylvia's dad would be very proud of how hard she has worked in order to get to play as hard as she does. Good ol' Horatio Alger would be proud, as well, of the little immigrant girl who dedicated herself to succeed, to making her father proud, and growing up to be an all-American lady driving a purebred, all-American sports car! Sylvia's truly is a classic American success story!