C5 Corvettes for Sale
Generation C5 : 1997-2004
1997 kicked off the fifth generation with a completely overhauled design for the Corvette. Designers and engineers started with a clean slate, using virtually none of the previous year's components. The engine, suspension, interior and body were all new for the C5 Corvette. Even the way the power got to the rear wheels was different, with a rear transaxle replacing the more conventional mid-car transmission. This gained some interior space, but the real advantage was improved weight distribution front to rear.
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C5 Corvette History
The body was also all new for the C5 Corvettes. Every exterior panel had to change as the wheel base jumped 8" and widened 3". The overall shape of the 1997 Corvette remained similar to the year before, but several subtle changes added up to create quite a more modern look. Gone was the horizontal mid-body trim, leaving uninterrupted side panels the flowed from top to bottom. The highly defined flared wheel openings had been receding each of the previous years, but with the C5 they disappeared almost entirely; absorbed into the fenders.
Other C5 milestones included being the Indianapolis 500 Pace Car in 1998, a third body style (a hard top) in 1999, the introduction of the Z06 in 2001, a 50th Anniversary package in 2003 and finally a Commemorative package was offered in 2004, the last year of the C5 Corvette.