Corvette History Part 8: The C5 is a Hit and the Z06 Returns (1997-2004)

The all-new Corvette C5 blows competitors’ doors off, reclaiming its place as one of the best sports cars of all time.

GM found itself in dire straits following the crisis of the late-80s. However, with new management, a new image, and new platforms across the board, the company was back and firing on all cylinders again. And the flagship of this new GM was the C5 Corvette.

As we talked about in the last article, the car was a near-total clean-sheet design, the automatic transmission being the sole carryover from the C4. And the public rated the Corvette with the universal language: money. In just its second year alone, the Corvette outsold all individual years back to 1986. And it wasn’t even close. Chevrolet built 21,537 C4s in its final full year of production. By comparison, the 1998 C5 saw 31,084 units produced in just the first year alone, according to the C5 Registry. By all measures, certainly financially, the C5 marked a defining success, and a terrific forward leap for the company. So how else was it a vast improvement over the C4?

Well for starters, the Corvette faced harsh competition due to its status as GM’s new halo car, mainly from abroad with the likes of Porsche and Ferrari. It certainly wasn’t America’s only sports car of the era either, with contemporaries like the Viper. But it was one of the most accessible of all of these. And notably much less expensive and more subdued than its Mopar or European rivals. However, the C4 dropped in quality as the doomsday of GM loomed closer, which soured the taste for many grand touring enthusiasts. So the C5 had some mighty big shoes to fill to bring its reputation back up to speed. As said before, the public received it well. But there’s always more under the hood. So let’s take a look at why it was so successful.

Nailing the Launch

Generally speaking, each initial production of the Corvette had certain teething issues. And as time went on and the C4 started overstaying its welcome a bit, the nameplate didn’t inspire much confidence anymore. All that changed practically overnight with the C5, however.

As you dig into the nuts and bolts, you’d be hard-pressed to find a definitive weak link. Almost every aspect of the C5 is, objectively, an improvement over its predecessor. Even factors not normally considered “sporty” are significantly improved across the board. For example, the new C5 gets up to 30 MPG highway with the manual transmission. It has a significantly lower aerodynamic coefficient. The new frame is far stiffer, leading to fewer rattles and a quieter ride. The list goes on; pick a trait, almost any trait. Power, acceleration, top-end speed, cornering G’s, reliability, parts-availability, options, comfort, fit and finish. Say what you want about the ubiquity of the LS these days, the C5 Corvette marked a massive leap forward for Corvette.

This vast improvement quickly endeared its mechanical features to critics. While some certainly didn’t like the body, not many faulted the C5’s hard figures. This reception helped bolster sales to decade highs of 33,270 units by 1999. Initially, GM produced the C5 in hardtop and convertible body styles, later adding the coupe in ‘98. The exterior even featured some very welcome surprises, like an actually fairly spacious trunk – Corvette’s first since 1962. Or the novel options the interior boasted, like a digital heads-up display. In general, the C5 remained in this same basic configuration through its production run. GM introduced a few minor updates, especially in handling and suspension, as well as new interior features as they became available. But for all intents and purposes, the core C5 remained almost unchanged from the beginning to the end of production. Almost.

The Z06 Package

Special packages have long remained staples of the Corvette lineup. The C4 had the ZR-1 in 1990. The C3 had the ZL1 and ZR1 (no hyphen) in 1969. And the C2 had the infamous Z06 in 1963. Paying homage to its humble yet savage C2 predecessor, GM debuted the C5 Z06 in 2001. Externally, the most obvious giveaways are the black rear brake ducts on either side. Otherwise, the exterior remains quintessentially C5, albeit only available as a fixed-roof coupe. Internally, however, the Z06 features one very important feature: the brand-new LS6.

The LS6 block is, for all intents and purposes, a factory-tuned LS1. Its original stated power output was 385 horsepower, up 35 over the 350 of the 2001 model year LS1. Admittedly it doesn’t sound like much of an improvement. But under the hood, GM put a lot of attention into overbuilding the heck out of the engine. To the point where modified LS6’s these days can and will reliably produce frankly ludicrous figures. Take the highest “production” car’s quoted power from an LS6 block, the SSC Ultimate Aero, producing almost 1200 horsepower with a bored-out 6.3L twin-turbo LS6.

Complementing the performance-oriented engine, GM only produced the Z06 with the six-speed manual gearbox. The package also came standard with very stiff suspension, bespoke wheels, less soundproofing, lighter battery, titanium exhaust, and other racing-inspired features. Overall, these features lightened and stiffened the Corvette, not especially dramatically. But certainly enough to earn it a place among the likes of your 911 GT3s and Ferrari 355s. And thanks to the LS6, the motorsport-oriented platform, larger tires, and improved underpinnings, C5 Z06s remain competitive in track days today.

Ending the C5 on a High Note

C5 production ended on July 2, 2004, marking the beginning of a new era for GM. The car undeniably improved upon the C4 in nearly every measurable way. And it did so in a very understated, affordable, and reliable package.

Its success endeared the C5, even within its relatively short lifespan, into the automotive community. In 1998, a convertible graced the Indy 500 as the official pace car. And you have the 2003 50th Anniversary Edition, and later the 2004 Le Mans Commemorative Edition.

It marked many firsts and a few lasts for the Corvette name. Like being the first with an LS block, the first with a rear-mounted transaxle, the first (since 1962) with a trunk, and technologically ahead of the curve. As for the lasts, well the obvious elephant in the room is the pop-up headlights. It actually beat out the Lotus Esprit for being the last production car bearing pop-up headlights. The Esprit completed production on February 20, 2004, whereas the Corvette went to July 2.

Of course, the Esprit cost around $90,000 in the US. Meanwhile a Z06 went for $51,585. And was faster accelerating, generally more reliable, and kept up in the corners with an Esprit. It was also as fast, if not faster, than a 360 Modena, about three times the price. Essentially, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better price-to-speed ratio in any other car in 2004. Even today, a C5 Z06 remains a brutally fast car for the money. And it’s not like it’s Spartan, either. It has a drive-by-wire throttle, digital HUD, outstanding reliability, leather interior, ridiculously good fuel economy, you name it. Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that the C5 is an excellent machine by today’s standards, let alone the early 2000s.

Brochures used: 1997-2004 Corvette, 2002-2004 Corvette Spec Sheet, 2003 50th Anniversary

.

‎