Labels:text | wheel | vehicle | land vehicle | tire | auto part | automotive design | car OCR: {The honest-to-goodness truth about the C5 Corvette, after all.} Announcing the Death of Speculation. By David Hill, Chief Corvette Engineer Of all the speculation about the new Corvette In fact, there was even some concern about performance sports car, and even though the one we asked felt the same way, from average- over the years, the biggest misconception was making the car too civilized, and maybe people roof is removed. In fact, the C5 has the stiffest size people to professional football players who that it would be a sort of warmed-over C4. would lose their fascination with the Corvette. frame of any open-roof production sports car. attended a seminar we held in Chicago. This was because of the way we masked all When this was researched, we were all surprised It's solid; it communicates an unprecedented of our prototypes to make them look like C4s. to find that far more important than how this car level of goodness because of its breakthrough, We certainly didn't try to dispel this notion. looked - three times more important - was best-of-class kind of structural integrity. how good it was, how dependable and reliable. This became our top priority. Entry, Egress, Leg Room Now the interior space is expanded due to the extended wheelbase and Ride, Handling, Structure The performance The new center tunnel structure and hydeofcemed perimeter frame make the new Corvette 450 peromt stiffer than the Ch. the new rear-mounted transmission and fuel numbers are impressive [175 miles-per-hour, complete novice will feel the difference in ride More than anything else, the improved ride system layout. There's more leg room, and 0-60 in 4.7 seconds (manual), 345 horsepower; quality. You can go 500 miles or more in one is the result of increased rigidity. Structurally, we made entry and egress easier. speculation about all these numbers has been sitting and still be in really good, alert shape, the C5 is 450 percent stiffer than its predecessor, No matter how much someone says that a sports [ The C5 transmission is located in the rear for better weight distribution and increased interior space. true], but it's the ride and handling that really with a clear head and clear hearing, because and it shows. This stiffer structure allows the car should be challenging, we found that while make the C5 a different car. the ride has been quiet and easy. new SLA (short-arm, long-arm) suspension to people will put up with minor inconveniences, The Next Carotte While the C5 is in some senses The handling is easy, natural, free of surprises; We had some people drive the car from Ohio do its job properly. they'd much rather not be hassled by a car. Even a traditional small-block VS Corvette, it really is [The engine is entirely new: aluminum, deep-skirt, 5.71. ] you wouldn't have any hesitation about sending a down to Florida and Arizona. They talked about No other car has achieved the feeling of a very sports car drivers want leg room, and they like a different car than the Vette you've known. It's 1 345 hp at 5600 rpm, 350 ft-lbs. of torque at 4400 rpm. friend out to drive this Corvette. Even the most how good they felt because the car is very kind. expensive touring sedan, even though it's a high- to get in and out of their car easily. Almost every- different in ways I think people will appreciate. In fact, we were so tight-lipped about the CS It's been a long, challenging project, and it's all along that I think people just assumed we been hard to keep quiet about this whole thing had nothing to say about the car. all this time. Now the new Corvette is real. And When the reporters finally drove it, they were now all those years of speculation end right here: probably a little awestruck that the Corvette had with our new car, right on the showroom floor. been reinvented. And, in fact, there are only a few As for the speculators and spy photographers, holdover parts on the car; everything else is new. I guess their work is done. But that was the intention all along, to make the Then again, there's always '98. new Corvette a big surprise, a revolution. To Change A Classic The big dilemma right from the outset was how much change to incorporate into this new car. The goal was to maintain the spirit and soul of past Corvettes. We examined Call 1-888-NEW-VETTE the weak points and turned them into strengths. or visit www.chevrolet.com I like to say the things that were good, we made great, and things that were great are even better. The Next C 0 r V e t e Corvette and the Corvette Emblem ane registered trademarks of the GM Comp. 01997 GM Corp. Buckle up, America! !
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