Three Corvette Generations, One VIN & the Greatest Garage Setup We’ve Ever Seen

Corvette Forum member Michelle Sadler dubbed her three Corvettes the ‘VIN Sisters’ after adding a 2020 C8 to her matching-VIN collection.

Southern California native, Michelle Sadler, wasn’t always a Corvette aficionado. But a fateful trip to the Pamona Swap Meet in 1982 changed her life forever. That’s the day Michelle and her husband, Jay, noticed a 1963 C2 Corvette Sting Ray Split Window on a for-sale board and ended up acquiring it along with a 1958 Corvette “for next to nothing.” (Remember those days?)

Michelle’s Split Window was, thankfully, still matching numbers and included the original bill of sale. But one of the two previous owners had repainted it Verdugo Green, flared the fenders, and added a big-block hood. Decades later, Michelle oversaw the Sting Ray’s restoration, returning the 4-speed Fuelie back to its stock Saddle paint color, where it sits on display in one of the Sadlers’ epic garage bays.

1963 Corvette Sting Ray Split Window

• A01 Tinted Glass
• A02 Tinted Windows
• A31 Power Windows
• G81 Posi-Traction
• J50 Power Brakes
• L84 Fuel Injection
• M20 Manual 4 Speed Transmission
• N34 Wood Grain Plastic Steering Wheel
• P48 Cast Aluminum Knock Off Wheels
• P92 White Wall Tires
• U65 Wonderbar Radio
• 932 Paint: Saddle
• 898 Interior: Saddle Leather Trim

Twins

Michelle Sadler’s amazing ‘63 Corvette would be the prize of any collection, but it marks only the beginning of her Corvette passion. In 2014, as you all know, GM brought back the Stingray nameplate to the then-new C7 generation. Since her 1963 car was produced in its generation’s first model year, the Sadlers decided to see if they could find the same VIN — 101550.

#gallery-1 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-1 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-1 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

“We went to the Orange County Auto Show and they had a new Stingray on display,” said Michelle. “I asked the crew if they could find the matching VIN for us. They weren’t much help so I went home and called Chevrolet. They told me they needed the last eight VIN numbers, not four or six. So I decided to look on eBay and, low and behold, we found a 2014 Corvette Stingray with a VIN ending in E5101550. I then called Chevrolet back, gave them all eight numbers, and they told me the car had just been delivered to Dimmitt Chevrolet in Florida.”

Unfortunately for Michelle, when she spoke to Corvette specialist, Mark McIntrye, he had already sold the Crystal Red Metallic Stingray Coupe to a local doctor just a few days prior. Michelle continued, “I told Mark the story of the matching VIN and he said, ‘well, I can call the buyer. I personally know him and can see what he says.’”

#gallery-2 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-2 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-2 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Michelle waited anxiously for two excruciating days before hearing back from Mark McIntrye with good news. The doctor decided to sell and didn’t gouge them. Michelle paid a couple thousand more than the doctor had paid (he had been waiting six months for his order) and, when their C7 arrived, it still only had 60 miles on the odometer.

2014 Corvette Stingray Coupe

• Crystal Red Metallic
• 2LT Kalahari w GT Seats
• Z51 Package
• LT1 6.2L V8 w/active fuel management
• 6 Speed Paddle Shift Auto
• Exhaust Multi Mode Performance
• Chrome Aluminum Wheels
• Bright Red Calipers

Triplets

Flash-forward to 2019. The mid-engine C8 blows the lid off the automotive world, with aggressive styling, upgraded interior quality, and a price point well below the competition. Michelle, “fell in love with the look of the C8 and, being the first year of the mid-engine, thought it would be nice to get it ordered with the same VIN number.” Theoretically, picking her own VIN should have been easier this time, as GM offered a pick-your-VIN option for $5,000. But, with so much hype and demand for 2020 Model Year Corvettes, Michelle wasn’t guaranteed an order.

#gallery-3 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-3 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-3 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

“We called [Corvette Forum Platinum Vendor] Kerbeck Corvette because they are the number one Corvette dealer in the US. We figured that we had a better shot of getting one if we went with the big boys. Rich Pepe, the Corvette Manager, made it happen. It was a long wait between the strike and then the coronavirus which was starting around the time mine went through the production line, but I also joined Corvette Forum [as crazycargirl] in September 2019 after putting in our order.”

2020 C8 Corvette Stingray Coupe

• Elkhart Lake Blue
• Natural Dipped 3LT
• Z51 Package
• 6.2 V8 DI HP Engine
• 8 speed Dual Clutch Trans
• Magnetic Ride Control
• Interior Carbon Fiber Trim
• Front Lift
• Body Color Accents
• Bright Red Calipers
• Trident Spoke Sterling Silver Wheels
• Museum Delivery

The only sad part of this wonderful story is that Michelle and Jay had to skip their Museum Delivery trip, as the country was starting to social distance amidst the growing number of COVID-19 cases. But Michelle’s gorgeous Elkhart Lake Blue C8 arrived undamaged and the Sadlers are both happy, healthy, and safe at home looking over their growing collection.

(Side note: the Sadlers have the most incredible home garage setup I’ve ever seen. Look at those pictures. Is there actually a house behind the garages? No one knows and no one cares. Because look at all those garages. Anyway, if they’re looking to adopt any automotive writers named Michael, I am tech avail.)

#gallery-4 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-4 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-4 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-4 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

As for Michelle’s future Corvette plans, they’re a bit up in the air. She never attempted to find the C4, C5, or C6 Corvettes with the matching 101550 VIN. And she doesn’t plan to modify her C8. But, if it turns out that the C8 Convertible is pushed back to the 2021 model year, she might just have to order one more VIN Sister, as she calls her triplets. “My husband created a ‘car monster’ when he started introducing me to cars and now I love them more than he does.”

Thanks so much to Michelle and Jay for sharing their story, photos, and videos with us. And for being a part of the Corvette Forum family. Fingers crossed you end up with two matching-VIN C8 to expand your family to quadruplets.

Do YOU own more than one Corvette? Show off your Corvette Collection and join the discussion about Michelle’s VIN Sisters right HERE in this thread!

#gallery-5 {
margin: auto;
}
#gallery-5 .gallery-item {
float: left;
margin-top: 10px;
text-align: center;
width: 33%;
}
#gallery-5 img {
border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;
}
#gallery-5 .gallery-caption {
margin-left: 0;
}
/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Photos for Corvette Forum by Jay Sadler

.