Having a favorite brand or model is all part of being an automotive enthusiast. For Roy Schumacher, his brand of choice is General Motors and among his favorite models is the 1976 Corvette Stingray he’s owned since it was new. Obviously, we couldn’t walk away from a story entailing a die-hard Chevy fan who’s owned his prized Corvette all its life, so we stayed in touch with Schumacher to bring you all the interesting details of his own Corvette story.

We first spotted Schumacher’s “Snow White” Shark Body  Corvette at the Super Chevy Show in Colorado last summer and to say this car was an eye-catcher would be an understatement. Finished in glistening white paint with added personal touches, this virtually stock Corvette is well worth the mention.

Into cars from the time he was a young child, Schumacher dabbled in model cars as a teenager and then moved on to the real deal, making a career out of selling cars as an adult.

“I’ve just always liked them since I was a kid,” he told us. “You can express yourself through cars.”  In addition to his career in automotive sales, Schumacher has owned quite a few vehicles of his own, including a ‘95 Corvette and a 2004 Chevy Silverado.

One-Owner Wonder

Schumacher bought his Stingray new back in 1976 and hasn’t looked back since – it was exactly what he was looking for. Selling Fords at the time, the fact that Schumacher bought a Corvette may seem weird to some, but as a Chevy guy at heart he knew exactly what he wanted. “They’ve always had kind of a unique styling and I’ve always liked them,” Schumacher told us of his C3 Corvette. “It (1976) was the year that everyone knew what was going on, and it just happened to be the last year for the Stingray.” It’s notable to know that Schumacher has been selling Chevrolets for over 20 years now.

As a show class winner at the Colorado Super Chevy Show for seven years in a row, Schumacher’s classic American sports car possesses all the qualities of a show-stopper. First off, the Corvette’s flawless Classic White finish sprayed by Perry & Terry Auto is undeniably gorgeous.

Complimented by custom pin striping, the car has both an authentic stock and personalized appeal. “I repainted it about five years ago just to personalize it and to make it different than any other white Corvette,” Schumacher said. “When I was in a club, everyone seemed to trick out white cars. No one was really personalizing them.”

Beauty More Than Skin Deep

Underneath that fine white exterior is everything that made the classic Stingrays worth the hype. The pin striped hood conceals a standard L48 350ci engine worth about 180 horsepower to the flywheel, which is mated to an automatic gearbox. You’ll also find the factory-allotted four-wheel disc brakes and independent rear suspension on the car. Aside from just a few small touches, Schumacher has kept this Corvette just the way the factory intended.

From the interior to custom pin striping, Schumacher's Corvette has just enough personal touches to make it unique. The Corvette even has a custom license plate referring to Schumacher's name.

A tan Sports Leather interior compliments the gorgeous exterior quite nicely with luxurious wood details on the door panels and center console that match the wood touches on the rear luggage rack. The car also sports tinted windows done by Kool Sunshine.

Adding even more character to the Corvette are the chrome details. From the door handles and interior trim to hood hitches and valve covers, each chrome piece has a purpose – to give Schumacher’s car just a bit more personality. The whole show piece sits atop billet Foose Design wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich rubber that give the car plenty of road-gripping power and an undeniable Stingray stance.

So why keep the car nearly stock and not do some crazy build? Well, why not?

“It’s a proven show winner how it is,” said Schumacher, referring not only to his Super Chevy Show class wins, but also awards at the Black Hill Classic in Rapid City, South Dakota. The car sees about three to four shows a year and Schumacher has every intention of keeping her how she is.

“I’ve enjoyed the car,” Schumacher told us. “That’s why I’ve kept it.” Mostly stock or not, we can’t argue with enjoying a car no matter how many modifications it has.