I too have a 96 CE, the only thing I really want to do to it is add the grandsport fender stripes, in black. I think it will give it just enough personality to make it stand out but not be overdone. I say if you go with a pinstripe, do it with the tape so it can be removed if you don't like it. If you plan on keeping the car for a long time why not personalize it to your own liking? 

I must be one of the purists when it comes to older cars, but my feeling is that if it's not permanent and the car can be changed back to original if desired then have at it!

Another idea would be shadow stripping. IMO it would look great on a silver or black vette. The  contours on the C4's would be a lot of fun to work with, especially the raised hood areas and tail section. The silver metallic or solid black base with ghosted black pearl stripping added could be a beautiful accent without creating a distinct contrast between body paint and the strips themselves. 

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I'm not a purist, so I say do whatever makes you happy.  If you think a pinstrip makes it stand out and look good, go for it. 

While red is a standout color and hard to do in a Subtle way, You can get the same custom look on a silver car with a much more subdued color like a nice medium blue to highlight the body lines and badging. Wife has a silver Mustang Convertible and I have been sticking different tapes along to it and viewing, the blue by far has the richiest look while not detracting the attention of the body lines. Just my 2 cents.....

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Allan Brenneis Nashville Tn. 1990 Polo Green Coupe Saddle Interior Chrome ZR-1 Rims https://www.c4vetteregistry.com/member_uploads/14501_14600/14572/image2014329104347r.jpg

There's a simple logic that anyone at the authority on the subject ( National Corvette Restorers Society ) who can give your collector's edition more resale value by simply going through ceritfication. The saying..."They're only original once." Once you do the damage, you can't put them back. These guys at NCRS know when you change things and try to put it back - they really do. You're talking about potentlially thousands of dollars of value on the right car. Is that worth it for a little flash now? You'll have to decide. Pinstripes will not fade the paint evenly under the sun, they will show after a few years when you remove them - they are sun tatoos to paint finsih. Whether the rest of the things can be restored when you go to have the NCRS inspection..hard to tell. You loose points for everything thats not 100% mechanical, functional, clean, and show worthy. As for mine - she's gets respected and talked nice to...she's worthy

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Thom Williams

i think it was stated earlier that if the only reason you have the vette is for an investment then no i would not touch it. as with me i have 2 corvettes because i love corvettes and want to enjoy driving them. i have done numerous things to both of them to make them look better and they are still works in progress. both of them turn heads. i put in things that i like but are not extreme. in my 75 i didn't like the 75 seats so i installed seats from an 86. they look great and look like they were made for the car. may decrease the value but i and a lot of other people like that"upgrade". my thought is to do what you like and makes you happy.

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the dynamic duo

c3vr life member #97

I wasn't devaluing one opinon against another. I was simply adding my POV from one collector owner to another - what you do is fine. Those that have been fixed up, restor mods, etc  do well in shows, but from what I've seen they don't usually equal their value back in resale when you total the investment receipts - not right now anyway. Keeping an unrestored does however. We follow all the auctions very closely and thats what we are seeing. Having a Vette, its about what makes you happy and enjoying the ride, but when you have a collector model you have to look down the road too, a simple mistake can cost you everything - I've heard the stories and those guys kick themselves in the butt every time they see one that looks just like theirs.

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Thom Williams

A friend has an 82 C.E., I dont really know why he has it, he is the 1st and only owner, He took off the original tires and rims and stores them for shows, in the 29 years he has owned the car it now has 17,000 original miles on it. It has the original spark plugs still in the engine, and he puts the original tires and rims back on it when it arrives at the few shows he takes it out for. Obviously it has been certified and is absolutely immaculate, But other than simply owning it, I really don't understand the purpose. It's a mechanical masterpiece that has never been allowed to do what it was created to do.

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Allan Brenneis Nashville Tn. 1990 Polo Green Coupe Saddle Interior Chrome ZR-1 Rims https://www.c4vetteregistry.com/member_uploads/14501_14600/14572/image2014329104347r.jpg

I fall into the category of "It's your car, make it yours" understanding that you might not please some people if and when you want to sell it.

When it is all said and done, did you enjoy your car? Stripes or no stripes, paint or no paint. I say that a Corvette should be allowed to relieve a little stress, row through the gears or finish off a wore out set of tires. If you keep it perfect, would that make you happy? Mine both have their rock chips and scratches, are not perfect and have been enjoyed... One has had an all over repaint, it gets so much attention with its atomic orange glow.