Production
of the C5 Corvette began in
1997 and ended with the 2004 model year. Chevrolet used cars like the
Nissan 300ZX and Mazda RX-7 as benchmarks for quality and styling due to
criticisms the C4 Corvette received when compared to Japanese rivals.
The C5 had a top speed of 181 mph (291 km/h) and was judged by the
automotive press as improved in nearly every area over the previous
Corvette design thanks to its much improved structural rigidity and much
more curvaceous design.
Also introduced with the C5 was
GM's new LS1 small block. This third-generation small block V8 was
completely redesigned. Now all-aluminum, it features a distributor-less
ignition and a new cylinder firing order. It was initially rated at 345 bhp
(257 kW) and 350 lb·ft (470 N·m), but was increased to 350 bhp (260 kW) in
2001. The new engine, combined with the new body and its low 0.29 drag
coefficient, resulted in a performance car that was able to achieve up to
28 mpg on the highway.
For its first year, the C5 was
available only as a coupe, although the new platform was designed from the
ground up to be a convertible, which returned in 1998, followed by the
fixed-roof coupe (FRC) in 1999. One concept for the FRC was for it to be a
stripped-down model with a possible V6 engine (nicknamed in-house as the
"Billy Bob"). By 2000 FRC plans laid the groundwork for the return in 2001
of the Z06, an RPO option not seen since Zora's 1963 race-ready Corvette.[16]
The Z06 model replaced the FRC
model as the highest performance C5 Corvette. Instead of a heavier
double-overhead cam engine like the ZR-1 of the C4 generation, the Z06
used an LS6, a 385 bhp (287 kW) derivative of the standard LS1 engine.
Using the much more rigid fixed roof design allowed the Z06 unprecedented
handling thanks to upgraded brakes and much less body flex. Those
characteristics, along with the use of exotic materials such as a titanium
exhaust system and a carbon fiber hood in the 2004 model year, led to
further weight savings and therefore performance gains for the C5 Z06. The
LS6 was later upgraded to 405 bhp (302 kW) for 2002-2004. Although the
Z06's rated power output equal to that of the C4 ZR-1, the improved
rigidity, suspension, brakes, and reduced weight of the C5 produced a car
much quicker than C4 ZR-1.
More Trivia . . . . . .
The first 200 production C5 Corvettes were
painted Red, not the traditional color for the first production run.
The 1997 Corvette C5 is the first Corvette
designed from the ground up to be a Corvette.. Not borrowing parts from
other cars. One of the few "Off the Shelf" parts - the exterior door
handles, same ones used on the Oldsmobile Aurora.
The first use of a transaxle in a
production Corvette occurred in the '97. However, the first plans for one
were in the Q-Corvette in 1958, planned for the 1960 model. Transaxles
showed up in Corvette prototypes in the mid '60s in running models.
The first 4 speed in a Corvette was built
by Borg Warner in 1957. The first transaxle in a production Corvette was
also built by Borg Warner, forty years later in 1997. Both were introduced
late in the model year.
Borg Warner has produced a transmission for
each generation of Corvette: C1 - 1957 to 1962, C2 - 1963, C3 - 1980 to
1981, C4 - 1984 to 1988, and C5 - 1997 to 1998.
The 1997 Corvette is the first Corvette to
have windshield wipers that sweep in the same direction instead of
opposing directions.
November 4, 1997 - The 9752nd 1998 Corvette
rolled down the assembly matching the total 1997 Model production run.
The last "Fairway Green" C5 a 1998
Model came down the assembly line November 10, 1997. The color was
discontinued.
It takes 55 hours to build the new C5
Corvette, down from 70 hours for the previous C4 model.
