What do you call a lady who has owned 22 Corvettes since she was 17 years old? A lady who finds flooring the gas pedal of a 500hp Vette to be a near-transcendental experience that should be felt as often as possible? How about a lady who would place getting that new toy for her Vette (especially if it'll make the car go faster!) as a higher priority than putting food on the table?
This is not a trick question. Meet Peoria, Arizona's Lyn Adams. We think she's perfect, although her husband, Jody, is not necessarily so quick to agree on all counts (Guess he's got a hang up about food, or sumthin')! Jody does indeed share Lyn's enthusiasm for Vetting. His '76 with a blown 327 ("The Dawn of Cool," July 2002) inspired Lyn's "need" for her 600-plus-horsepower '66 big-block roadster ("A Healthy Fanaticism," September 2001), but it's pretty tough for anyone to keep up with her zealousness when it comes to fiberglass. Corvettes are more than simply a hobby to Lyn; they're literally a way of life. "One time a friend of mine asked Jody what he was giving me for our anniversary, so he showed her a mass of C4 wiring," Lyn recalls. "She was shocked. Then she asked me if I was happy with my gift. I loved it! It was absolutely perfect. I'd much rather something for one of my Vettes than a diamond tennis bracelet or anything."
To Lyn, a Vette is a Vette, and she actually felt no need to move on from her modified '96 C4 when her friends at Midway Chevrolet called her up in March 2001. Because she is so deeply involved in the Corvette hobby and knows so many enthusiasts in the Phoenix area, it's usually a fair bet that she or someone she knows would be interested in buying their latest 'glass offerings. Lyn agreed to take a look at the C5 they called her about, but was quickly turned off when she discovered it was a coupe. However, she became quickly enchanted with a '00 in the shop for some minor service. It was a Millennium Yellow drop top being sold by the Honda dealership down the street. The Vette had a six-speed and was totally optioned out, but by Lyn's standards, "It was a pig!"
Despite its stock performance, the glowing yellow paint really grabbed her attention. Lyn's motto in life is to, "Go fast and look great!" and the Millennium Yellow convertible would get her halfway there. "Then Jody told me, 'don't worry, I'll make it go quick.' I knew I could count on those words. If it looked good, then Jody could fix it up and make it really quick." Thus, after a full day of hard negotiations with the Honda dealer, they left the '96 and drove home in Lyn's "slow" new Corvette.
Of course, even a bright yellow Corvette seemed a bit subtle and "ordinary" for Lyn, so the drop top soon received some flashy graphics to liven up the package even more. Artist Jim Gardner accentuated the contrast of the Vette's black top and black interior with the yellow exterior by adding an explosion of black checkers down the sides of the convertible. He then followed that up with a red "Z" pinstripe to add even more pizzazz. The solid black interior with Sport Seats was highlighted with the addition of yellow leather accents on the steering wheel and shifter boot.