The Corvette C5 had to be developed for better refinement and handling. The new hydroformed side frame rails, made from a single piece of tubular steel, gave it some much-needed structural rigidity, and aerodynamics were improved to 0.29 Cd. The most noted improvement was the engine, however; an all-new small-block V8 called LS1. "Before the introduction of the LS1," said Racing Executive Director Herb Fishel, "almost every V8 engine used for racing dated back to designs that originated in the mid-'50s." The LS1 unit had the highest specific output of any production V8 GM had built, and Fishel called it "truly the high-performance engine of the future". LS1 had a capacity of 5.7 litres, like the LT1 before it, but a cast aluminium (instead of iron) block, smaller-diameter cylinder bores, longer crankshaft stroke, symmetrical intake and exhaust ports, cast-steel roller rocker arms and a deep skirt design. It developed 350bhp at 5600rpm, and GM claimed improved noise and vibration levels, as well as better fuel economy.
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The trademark retracted headlamps and quad taillights have continued, the latter circular again, larger and more prominent than before. A convertible model returned in 1998, the first with a proper boot since 1962, and a special edition coupe served as a pace car for the Indianapolis 500. The C5-R project was announced, the first official GM factory racing programme, and the team took third place in class in its first race, the 1999 Daytona 24 Hours. A higher-performance production coupe joined the range with a no-frills specification and a fixed hard top.
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Into the new millennium, and the Corvette C5-R made its debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The two cars contended took third and fourth in the GTS class, and 10th and 11th overall; later that summer, the C5-R driven by Ron Fellows and Andy Pilgrim won the ALMS (American Le Mans Series) race at Fort Worth, Texas. A year later, the C5-Rs finished first and second in the GTS class at Le Mans, eighth and 14th overall, with a victory in the Daytona 24 Hours as well. 2001 also saw the launch of the production Z06, with a 385bhp version of the LS1 engine dubbed LS6, and sharpened-up handling. This engine was upgraded by a further 20bhp a year later in 2002, when prices for the hard top model reached $50,150; the LS6 engine received a new mass air flow sensor, lightweight hollow-stem valves, a higher-lift camshaft and a free-breathing exhaust system.
This year, the inevitable special edition 50th Anniversary Corvettes have been released, with special red paint and badging and champagne-coloured alloy wheels - the same as the pace car for 2002's Indianapolis 500. Prices currently start from $43,895 (Coupe), $50,370 (Convertible) and $51,155 (fixed hard top). The C5-R racing programme continues, with the Corvettes a mainstay of the ALMS races and the GTS class at the Le Mans 24 Hours itself, taking second and third places to a Ferrari 550 Maranello and 11th and 12th overall.
But where does the Corvette go from here? It's well on its way down the retro route anyway, bought by people with a hankering for the golden age of Americam muscle cars, and is likely to go even further if a concept car shown this spring at the Geneva Motor Show is of any influence. The ItalDesign-Giugiaro Corvette Moray, finished in incredibly cheesy stars-and-stripes livery, is an unashamed tribute to the Sting Ray of '63, with a dome-like glass roof, sharply cut-off boat tail, vaned alloy wheels with propeller-like hubs and an immensely long, swooping bonnet. Named after an eel-like fish, the Moray illustrates this piscine theme with gill-like side air intakes, a gaping front grille and two tiny, eye-like front fog lights. Its gullwing doors are hinged to the rear of the door frame, and combine the doors, side windows and roof panels into single units which can be removed for a roadster effect, though the central 'spine' remains. It's not all retro, though: the front headlights have been replaced by LEDs, and the rear-view mirrors by cameras projecting information onto screens into the passenger compartment, which is streamlined into two individual modules, with some functions such as the handbrake and instruments located on the passenger's side. The Moray is unlikely to see production, however, having been prepared for the 50th anniversary celebrations, though some of its features might make it into the Corvette C6. Whatever the outcome, the current Corvette's not looking bad for 50.
