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| Unloading the Corvette for the Corvette Chevy Expo in Galveston, Texas. |
Article submitted for VetteVues, ’95 Pace Car, Tri -Power Award®, February 2016
Hello, my name is Charlotte, and I am a 1995 Indianapolis Pace Car (IPC) Replica, one of 527 produced by Chevrolet in 1995.
I was assembled at the Bowling Green, KY, assembly plant on March 16 under Regular Production Option (RPO) # Z4Z, which designated me as an authentic ’95 IPC. As such. I started life in the assembly process with a Dark Purple Metallic (Code 05) body, which was then over-sprayed with an Arctic White (Code 10) on the bottom half to fit the intended paint scheme for the ’95 IPC.
I was assigned my own particular Order No. (954ZDU) and Order Date of 02/06/95. In addition, I was given my own special Sequence Number, 216, of the 504 Domestic Build IPCs to be built in that year, along with 23 more designated for Canadian/export use.
Soon thereafter, I was shipped to my dealership, Tom Benson Chevrolet, the only dealer in San Antonio, TX, to receive directly from the assembly plant one of my special breed of Corvettes. I arrived to my home city on April 18, and the next day met my new human, Noel Osborn, who had successfully bargained for my custody.
From the very start, I was treated like a celebrity, held on display behind gold ropes at the dealership until the end of April. There was even a city-wide-published Corvette car show to commemorate my public debut, along with a presentation of my keys by the Benson Sales Manager and by Randy Parker, the Zone Manager for the San Antonio area. On April 29, I was formally driven out of the dealership by Noel and taken home for garaging.
Since that day, I confess that have been mainly a “garage ornament”, driven only to local shows. I have also enjoyed the designation of a “Trailer Queen”, being hauled out of state for a few shows and displays. (In this context, I have never been driven in the rain, but I have to say I went through the remnants of a hurricane in N. Texas on the way back from one of Mike
Then there were the de rigueur shows for quality verification, Bloomington Gold in 1997 and an NCRS Top Flight in 2010. These would set me up for the ultimate in Corvette recognition, the Vette Vues Magazine Tri-Power Award, bestowed at the Chevy/Corvette Expo in February 2016. Renowned Corvette Judge, Bill Braun, scored me at 99.2 out of 100 points, which also qualified me for the coveted President’s Award, as achieving a score of 98 or above.
I have to admit that for awhile after my first shows, I was given the unkind soubriquet of “Charlotte the Harlot”, reflecting my privileged and sheltered life. However, I now believe I can genuinely take the title of “Lady Charlotte” given my hard-earned awards for quality and originality/condition. I am now coming up on 21 years of age, and I only have about 1800 miles on my clock. Noel promises me there will be no further trailering, so I plan to enjoy my majority as the pampered lady that I am….
~ By T.Noel Osborn
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| Noel Osborn's 1995 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car Receives the Vette Vues MagazineTri-Power® Award at the Galveston Island Convention Center during the Corvette ChevyExpo. |
- This was the third time that Corvette was selected as the official Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500. First in 1978, then 1986 and then 1995.
- Chevy built a total of 527 cars equipped with the RPO Z4Z Indy 500 Pace Car Replica package. The package sold for $2,816 over the price of a standard LT1-powered Corvette convertible.
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