a Special 50th Anniversary Edition for 2003 would be built in hardtop and convertible. The biggest question was what one year colors would they come in. The original Polo White with red interior was ruled out as too obvious and plain. Then, it was to be that Aztec Gold like the 12 prototypes made in 1998, but, no... too disco. Finally, they figured it had to be red... but not just any red.... and not the purple red of the 40th Anniversary edition. This one-year-only Anniversary Red would have a burgundy base, with Xirallic Aluminum Oxide flakes floating in a special tinted clear coat complemented by a Shale interior trim with anniversary badges and cockpit embroidery. {{{Phew}}}The resulting metallic burgundy on this model flopped so much with different backgrounds and lighting I don't think I ever captured its true color. It was most exasperating.
Great shots but some colours are almost impossible to replicate in images. Thanks for an interesting post, Rich.
@geoff-jowett Yeah. That was the first stowage hatch I'd ever seen on a Corvette
I have one of these 50th anniversary convertibles also. After they sold out, these models were selling for double the issue price. This is my second one. When I received the first car, the doors were much lighter than the rest of the body so I sent it back. Those looking to find one on the secondary market, be aware of this potential issue.
It's my opinion that the anniversary color is one of the best ever put on a Corvette. A former neighbor had a 1/1 convertible and the color on the model was an exact match.