Back in 1995, I was a powertrain development engineer for GM working out of Ypsilanti, MI. Though I was not a Corvette engineer, I did get the opportunity to test (play with) the C4 and C5 Vettes. The C5 was a true game changer with its ergonomics, power delivery, and overall design. I recall taking a heavily camouflaged C5 $1M prototype on the Desert Proving Grounds high speed test track in Mesa, AZ. Unfortunately the GM Desert Proving Grounds no longer exists. I did an unauthorized high speed test run well over 120 mph, just being a 26 year old engineer, and almost got in big trouble. Thank goodness one of my buddies, Jim Miller, who worked full time at the Desert Proving Grounds covered my butt by saying I was authorized to drive the very expensive prototype, yet I don't know how he got me out of trouble for not wearing a helmet nor getting the track shut down for the high speed runs. I just recall that it was so easy going fast. Jim said that later in the week, they were doing 200 mph high speed runs in that same prototype and it sounded like a jet fighter taking off with full afterburners. Later in 1996, I got a 7-day opportunity to drive on the Phoenix, AZ public roads an early pre-production C5 without any camouflage. The actual design was already publicly released, but the car was not yet for sale. Wow was that a fun ride and an attention getter! Every chance I got, I did a zero to ??? To my amazement, I rarely lit up the tires (and never got caught by the police). I could not stop at a red light without all the guys looking at the C5. Yes, only the guys knew what it was and were curious. I even stopped to eat at a Taco Bell and there were two guys in the store talking about the C5, without knowing I was driving it. I asked if they wanted to see it and I word take them for rides. Of course they said yes and they were appreciative. I still wonder if either of them eventually purchased a C5? The C5's clutch was very heavy and by the time I got into my Saturn SC2, I thought my Saturn's clutch was broken since I nearly put my foot to the floor! I left GM many years ago, but the new Corvettes look exponentially more amazing than the C5. Thanks Motorweek for running the Retro series. It brings up a lot of fond memories. Also, thank you GM for paying me to have so much fun!
In August 1966, as a starting GMI /GM Engineering co-op student (same program Mary Barra would enter 13 years later), I was walking across the plant floor and stumbled across a kewl car like nothing I had ever seen before: the new, unreleased yet, small, Coke-bottle-shaped 1967 Camaro... gold, 327" 210 HP 2 bbl. V8, 3 on the floor... I still remember the details...
The Corvette of my childhood. Roaring and rumbling LS1 V8 , incredibly sexy styling that evokes real emotions, pop-up headlights. The C5 will forever have a place in my heart.
Thoroughly enjoyed owning mine. As a pilot, it is as close to an aircraft as you can get without lift off. If you could think it, it could do it... accelerate, stop, corner... marvelous.
I'm disappointed that my Ford's voltmeter isn't real... it's just an idiot light with a pointer... it either reads nothing... or half scale... 'Ford had a better idea' ???
The C5 Z06 was about 5 years ahead of its time in performance. I was in my early 20's when I got my 01' Z06, one of most memorable experiences to this day. Hell even today, it can still hold its own performance wise with fresh tires. Obviously the interior is very dated though.
Lol no it wasn't! The C5 zo6 was very good for the time especially for the price but there was at least 20 cars that were ahead of this in almost ever aspect except for price.
I actually own a 1997 C5 which was the lowest production number for all Corvette C5 years with under 10,000 produced. I bought it with 50,000 miles 6 years ago it now has 90k and still get compliments all the time because it's Red paint still looks new. Even when I buy a newer corvette I will never sell my first corvette it has sentimental value.
Those glorious, flowing aero curves... somehow they seem to look even better after twenty years. Stole many a heart back in 1997 and really seem to hold up damn nicely against all the overcomplicated tripe churned out by the establishment today...
This is the vette that put them back on the map. It was a great buy back then. I wouldn't have believed that by 2018, the hot vette would be over 700hp and look like a race car.
Brad Conklin i agree with you to a point, but i believe the 1992 corvette with the new (for 1992) LT1 engine deserves credit for finally getting great power to the base vette 300HP.....where as before if you wanted power with your vette you had to spend more then double the price of a base vette to get the ZR1 vette....
I remember seeing an elderly man driving a rare Corvette C5 Special Edition in bright red with red/black interior at a high school homecoming football game in Branchville, SC in October 2017! It had everything that you expect in a high-end sports car!
The real brilliance of the C5 is the chassis. Early on it was let down by the horrible Goodyear runflats, but the right bones were there. The car is only a few parts away from an extremely good track car, even twenty years later.
Sensei Corey. Well, theres really nothing negative to say about the Neon. No, its not the most refined or best assembled car out there but it is astonishingly honest about its purpose. And it fulfills that purpose very well. Its a value segment car that gives you near midsized accommodations for compact pricing, it offers more than competitive performance even in its lowest trim, with numbers that dog the SE-R and Si while trouncing those cars entry level variants.
Sensei Corey. Got any specifics? Like i said, this pos absolutely trounced ever other compact car at the time in raw performance comparing base models. They are still a go-to choice for compact circle track cars because they pack a punch and are more durable than most. They offered more space than most of the class also. They didnt have great fit and finish and their interiors were cheap and prone to breaking, but in over all reliability they were dead average. In the end they were a perfectly serviceable small car for many people.
Well now we have the C8....that’s one bad ass game changing vette. But I still agree that the c5 was the perfect corvette. It is what a corvette is supposed to be and more. Can’t wait to buy one eventually
@@KSUBSWITHNOVIDEOS-zl9np The C8 is a game changer for sure, but it just doesn't have the American look that typifies what a Corvette should be, IMO. Frankly, I think the C7 is a better looking car.
Corvette is a american heart like an eagle , represent the power of America, thank you USA for make a monster car of all time, this is for you chevrolet 👊🇺🇸
I'm a huge C5 fan and I've owned 2 so far and am looking for my 3rd! However... this is the first review I've watched where someone actually complimented the C5 interior and said it "feels expensive". I respectfully disagree, but it's a very comfortable car and I don't mind the interior overall, but expensive feeling it is not. It is however very ergonomic and more than acceptable for the time period it was produced. If you're thinking about getting a C5, I couldn't recommend it more. It's one of the most fun cars to drive, period. Also very reliable and mod friendly. I do recommend the 6 speed manual by a long shot. The auto is alright, but the manual is a very enjoyable experience. If you don't know how to drive a manual, learn!
Oh, I like the Corvette, and the C5 was revolutionary in many ways (drag coefficient, weight distribution, hydroforming, active handling, the works), but ultimately I feel the LS series has had a greater impact overall given how long it's endured in various guises and all the vehicles it's been used in... right up to and including the present day. But the C5 is still a seriously good car.
Algernon Ilfracombe Of course, the LS1 had a great impact, but we are talking Corvette not engines. This car was a game changer and made the Corvette what it is today after many bland years (with low sales numbers I might add) of the C4. /discussion
I think that car is more suitable for motorweek to do the track shot of the car racing rather than slalom brake and take off!! Plus they mostly want to show the plant that made the car as well!!
But I won two SCCA CFR Solo II Championships with my 2000 C5. I also visited Le Mans with mine and other C5 Registry members back in 2000 as well. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it was/still is beautiful in mine. I bought it after never getting better than 2nd place in my 1997 and 1999 911's. To each their own!
I toured the Bowling Green plant on the way to Florida in the spring of 97. It was a thrill and I fell in love with the C5 then and there. I ordered a 98 C5 coupe that fall and took delivery in January. There was a delay because it was a manual trans car. I still have it but it only has 3400 miles. I'll put some more break-in miles on it when I retire in a couple of years. I resisted the temptation to trade it for a C6 or C7 due to my preference for the C5 styling. The newer ones look too much like batmobiles.
When the C7 went on sale and someone asked my opinion, I said "This is the first time it looks much different from the 1984 Corvette." I wanted a C5 even though it looked so similar to the previous Corvette.
Cut my teeth working on this generation of vette at the chevy dealer I worked on out of school. I think I will always love them even if they are tame compared to current sports cars.
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the sleek minimalist feline stance of this 1997 model Corvette is far easier on the eyes than the current generation of 'Vette's sporting multiple complex scoops, air intake ducts, and spoilers. Certainly, overall road-handling performance improves with each Corvette iteration that emerges, but that said, some vehicle shapes will stand the test of time, while others clearly won't.
everyone clamoring that the LS1 was weaker than the much more expensive limited run LT4/LT5 models of the C4: the base LS1 was more powerful than the base LT1 it replaced. the LS6 was able to match the ZR-1's power later, and the Z06 didn't cost like $70,000 like ZR-1 (it was ~$48,000 according to the Google), with a superior chassis. it's honestly incredible GM got so much life out of the C4, 13 model years.
Man this is so cool to see how amazing the C5 was, I have a C5 Z06 and my entire youtube channel is just POV driving in it. the pop up healights look sooo good when down ha!
great video. almost like a condensed version of “all corvettes are red” which i read after i bought my 1999 Hardtop last April. amazing car at now 20k miles, bone stock and still smells like new inside.
I'm glad that they didn't trash the cockpit... every single review trashes the cockpit "it looks cheap" "it looks bad" "bmw looks better"... do these reviewers even like cars? The cockpit looks nice but this car is about performance and the exterior design is timeless, looks better than many modern designs.
First for the all aluminum "LS1" V8. Its kind of crazy because this V8 architecture is still same stuff that powers your new model year 2021 Silverado truck, Tahoe, Suburban, Denali, Escalade, etc. Main thing I like is GM put this same damn aluminum block LS1 V8 in the Camaro Z28 and SS. Pontiac got a bit more fancy with their trim levels and offered the LS1 V8 in Firebird Formula, Firebird Trans Am, and Firebird Firehawk trims. Main thing was in any of these F-body trims you were just as fast as a C5 Corvette in the straight line. I had a 1999 Z28 automatic with a modified intake and no muffler. Straight up spanked a new stock C5 automatic and six speed car at the 1/8 mile drag strip.
The C5 was a true game changer compared to the C4 it replaced. You can hear the surprise by MW by just how good it was. Indeed I was in high school in 97 and the C5 was such a leap forward it was shocking.
I had a C5 Convertible, which I really liked AFTER I swapped out those God awful run flats. Bought it used, but only like 3-years old, and it only had around 25k miles on it, and the tires looked great, had plenty of tread, but everytime it rained, the car slip and slid all over the place, it was nearly undriveable. I'd ask around and morons on the internet would just say, well it's a Corvette, they don't handle well, so what do you expect. But at some point I decided I'd swap out the tires, got the then new Goodyear GSD3, the best wet traction performance tire you'd get, and holy s---, it was literally a completely different car, dry or wet. With the runflats, it cornered OK, if you didn't know any better you'd think it was really good - but the new tires, WOW, you could feel them 'bite' going into corners, thats when it felt like something special. Then in the rain, the car wasn't just driveable, you could drive it like 90% as hard as you could on dry roads, it was spectacular. So lesson here, if you buy a performance car, get good tires. Modern runflats are a lot better from what I understand.
I don't mean that literally...I mean that more like when you eat pizza when you're really really hungry and you're like, "That was the best pizza ever!"
I'm sure there's a lot of truth to that, but personally, I prefer the more angular looks and the clamshell hood of the C4. I'm biased as the owner of a 1994 Vette.
Daniel Reigada I was just trying to troll the guy. I own a 93 C4, love it. C4 saved the Corvette, brought exceptional handling, and power back as well.
Cars were made to drive. I'm sure your car is gorgeous. However, I doubt that it's any cleaner than my C5 with 65k miles. I don't drive mine every day and it stays in the garage most of the time, but I do drive it on weekends. I don't enjoy my C5 nearly as much when its sitting in the garage as I do when I'm driving it.
The Chevrolet Corvette was actually made in 1953 and is still being made in Bowling Green, Kentucky while the Ford Pick-up Trucks are being made in Louisville, Kentucky.
Shawn Kemp v6 still better looking all corvettes before the c6 had hideous rears c6 perfected the look until the c7 didn't stick to the iconic taillights
Shawn Kemp I think it looks like the c5 but it's more modern refined it still has the same curves but anyways I'm a die hard chevy fan and I own an 08 corvette and thinking to get a c6 z06 on December
![[#2024MAMA] BIGBANG (빅뱅) - 뱅뱅뱅 (BANG BANG BANG) + FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EQsYfiPR9uM/mqdefault.jpg)
20 years old and still looks amazing!
James Walsh I’ll tell you, i sold my ‘89 and got an ‘01 6 speed. I can’t stop staring at it. 8 months later!!
SonnyGTA how much did it cost? I’m looking into one!
10K SUBS WITH NO VIDEOS 12500 can get you a clean c5 with less than 100k miles on it.
@@SonnyGTA just
Just got. A97 vette
Back in 1995, I was a powertrain development engineer for GM working out of Ypsilanti, MI. Though I was not a Corvette engineer, I did get the opportunity to test (play with) the C4 and C5 Vettes. The C5 was a true game changer with its ergonomics, power delivery, and overall design. I recall taking a heavily camouflaged C5 $1M prototype on the Desert Proving Grounds high speed test track in Mesa, AZ. Unfortunately the GM Desert Proving Grounds no longer exists. I did an unauthorized high speed test run well over 120 mph, just being a 26 year old engineer, and almost got in big trouble. Thank goodness one of my buddies, Jim Miller, who worked full time at the Desert Proving Grounds covered my butt by saying I was authorized to drive the very expensive prototype, yet I don't know how he got me out of trouble for not wearing a helmet nor getting the track shut down for the high speed runs. I just recall that it was so easy going fast. Jim said that later in the week, they were doing 200 mph high speed runs in that same prototype and it sounded like a jet fighter taking off with full afterburners.
Later in 1996, I got a 7-day opportunity to drive on the Phoenix, AZ public roads an early pre-production C5 without any camouflage. The actual design was already publicly released, but the car was not yet for sale. Wow was that a fun ride and an attention getter! Every chance I got, I did a zero to ??? To my amazement, I rarely lit up the tires (and never got caught by the police). I could not stop at a red light without all the guys looking at the C5. Yes, only the guys knew what it was and were curious. I even stopped to eat at a Taco Bell and there were two guys in the store talking about the C5, without knowing I was driving it. I asked if they wanted to see it and I word take them for rides. Of course they said yes and they were appreciative. I still wonder if either of them eventually purchased a C5?
The C5's clutch was very heavy and by the time I got into my Saturn SC2, I thought my Saturn's clutch was broken since I nearly put my foot to the floor! I left GM many years ago, but the new Corvettes look exponentially more amazing than the C5.
Thanks Motorweek for running the Retro series. It brings up a lot of fond memories. Also, thank you GM for paying me to have so much fun!
BobNarz did you ever fiddle with the 4th generation Trans Ams and Camaros being a powertrain development engineer?
Great story thanks for sharing
Thanks for the story
In August 1966, as a starting GMI /GM Engineering co-op student (same program Mary Barra would enter 13 years later), I was walking across the plant floor and stumbled across a kewl car like nothing I had ever seen before: the new, unreleased yet, small, Coke-bottle-shaped 1967 Camaro... gold, 327" 210 HP 2 bbl. V8, 3 on the floor... I still remember the details...
Im so jealous lol
last gen of the iconic flip top headlights.
SteelCity1981 yeah, corvettes aren’t the same without them
SteelCity1981 Love Those. Sexy Esp In The C5 ☺️
I love the Corvette but I do miss the flip top headlights.
Pop up, c4 was the only generation with flipping headlights
@@jeffersongraves5295 im sure it was c3 c4 c5 gens all had pop up lights
The Corvette of my childhood. Roaring and rumbling LS1 V8 , incredibly sexy styling that evokes real emotions, pop-up headlights. The C5 will forever have a place in my heart.
Thoroughly enjoyed owning mine. As a pilot, it is as close to an aircraft as you can get without lift off. If you could think it, it could do it... accelerate, stop, corner... marvelous.
NASA astronauts back in the day were notorious for driving big-block 'Vettes.
I'm dissapointed that Motorweek didn't give the Corvette engineers applause for including the volt meter and oil pressure gauge. :D
I'm disappointed that my Ford's voltmeter isn't real... it's just an idiot light with a pointer... it either reads nothing... or half scale... 'Ford had a better idea' ???
I’m a volt meter aficionado. . Oil pressure gauges are overrated.
97 corvette is a masterpiece from the 90’s and is a fantastic performance bargain these days.
The C5 has really aged well. I still miss our C5 which was a blast with a 6MT.
The C5 Z06 was about 5 years ahead of its time in performance. I was in my early 20's when I got my 01' Z06, one of most memorable experiences to this day. Hell even today, it can still hold its own performance wise with fresh tires. Obviously the interior is very dated though.
Lol no it wasn't! The C5 zo6 was very good for the time especially for the price but there was at least 20 cars that were ahead of this in almost ever aspect except for price.
@@IrishHooligan86 If price was no object then sure but even now the 01-04 Z06 is a performance bargain.
THE BEGINNING OF THE LS DYNASTY OF ENGINES.
I actually own a 1997 C5 which was the lowest production number for all Corvette C5 years with under 10,000 produced. I bought it with 50,000 miles 6 years ago it now has 90k and still get compliments all the time because it's Red paint still looks new. Even when I buy a newer corvette I will never sell my first corvette it has sentimental value.
ONe Of KiNd
Those glorious, flowing aero curves... somehow they seem to look even better after twenty years. Stole many a heart back in 1997 and really seem to hold up damn nicely against all the overcomplicated tripe churned out by the establishment today...
yea sure buddy.....
i love them in the light grey such a work of art.
Larry N you’re a moron
Algernon Ilfracombe absolutely correct. I have a 2001 6 speed. I have never liked a car more!!!
Timeless car.
#1 favorite generation Corvette of all time
I love this styling with the pop up headlights.
23 years later and it's still beautiful
This is the vette that put them back on the map. It was a great buy back then. I wouldn't have believed that by 2018, the hot vette would be over 700hp and look like a race car.
Brad Conklin i agree with you to a point, but i believe the 1992 corvette with the new (for 1992) LT1 engine deserves credit for finally getting great power to the base vette 300HP.....where as before if you wanted power with your vette you had to spend more then double the price of a base vette to get the ZR1 vette....
And now a mid engine 6.2L
Oh boy you’re in for a treat now. C8 ZR1 haha
I remember seeing an elderly man driving a rare Corvette C5 Special Edition in bright red with red/black interior at a high school homecoming football game in Branchville, SC in October 2017! It had everything that you expect in a high-end sports car!
The C5 saved the Corvette. I had a 2004 Z16 and it was a great car.
LS swap it.... oh wait.
Nutz4Gunz45 if you want a fast old vette coyote swap it.
@@TheBb6prelude na just ls swap it. itll handle better too cuz it's a lighter v8.
😂😂😂
@@TheBb6prelude come on man stop trolling lol
🤣
My 98 Corvette still looks new, I will never sale it! I thinks it’s the best looking Corvette ever made!
The real brilliance of the C5 is the chassis. Early on it was let down by the horrible Goodyear runflats, but the right bones were there. The car is only a few parts away from an extremely good track car, even twenty years later.
Motorweek, Ive been watching your videos for a while....you never have anything negative to say, even about the Neon....You're good people
Sensei Corey. Well, theres really nothing negative to say about the Neon. No, its not the most refined or best assembled car out there but it is astonishingly honest about its purpose. And it fulfills that purpose very well.
Its a value segment car that gives you near midsized accommodations for compact pricing, it offers more than competitive performance even in its lowest trim, with numbers that dog the SE-R and Si while trouncing those cars entry level variants.
You must be a super nice person. The Neon was a POS, only to be outdone by the chevy blazer......someone had to say it
Sensei Corey. Got any specifics? Like i said, this pos absolutely trounced ever other compact car at the time in raw performance comparing base models. They are still a go-to choice for compact circle track cars because they pack a punch and are more durable than most. They offered more space than most of the class also. They didnt have great fit and finish and their interiors were cheap and prone to breaking, but in over all reliability they were dead average.
In the end they were a perfectly serviceable small car for many people.
DrewLSsix the neon was a unsafe unreliaible car, it has been talked about in consumer reports, the automotive mags of the time.
Larry N. That doesn't address anything I said about the car.... so good for you I guess.
That guy destroyed that seat bolster lol
AMEN !!!
No way I would let him in my C5 without first passing the entrance/exit test.
Possibly the coolest generation vette...
Rick Dangerous yes indeed!!!!
Agree 100%!
Well now we have the C8....that’s one bad ass game changing vette. But I still agree that the c5 was the perfect corvette. It is what a corvette is supposed to be and more. Can’t wait to buy one eventually
@@KSUBSWITHNOVIDEOS-zl9np
The C8 is a game changer for sure, but it just doesn't have the American look that typifies what a Corvette should be, IMO.
Frankly, I think the C7 is a better looking car.
Corvette is a american heart like an eagle , represent the power of America, thank you USA for make a monster car of all time, this is for you chevrolet 👊🇺🇸
My Corvette was the worst Vette I have ever had out of 39 vettes
I just bought a 1999 torch red corvette c5 with just 87,000 miles and I love it
I own a c7 now but the c5 is still a beautiful car in 2018
Same here. My first was a C5, then C6, now C7. But i plan to get another C5 in the future hopefully.
Lowest coefficient drag of any car at that time. Such a great story of this car. Very interesting!
have you read "All Corvettes are Red"? its EXCELLENT!
Last of the pop-up headlights.... :(
Tractionless I don’t know why that was considered dated. It’s a selling point for me. It’s why I didn’t want the C6 and up.
I'm a huge C5 fan and I've owned 2 so far and am looking for my 3rd! However... this is the first review I've watched where someone actually complimented the C5 interior and said it "feels expensive". I respectfully disagree, but it's a very comfortable car and I don't mind the interior overall, but expensive feeling it is not. It is however very ergonomic and more than acceptable for the time period it was produced. If you're thinking about getting a C5, I couldn't recommend it more. It's one of the most fun cars to drive, period. Also very reliable and mod friendly. I do recommend the 6 speed manual by a long shot. The auto is alright, but the manual is a very enjoyable experience. If you don't know how to drive a manual, learn!
Corvette C5: The car that changed the world.
LS- the ENGINE that changed the world, you mean.
Algernon Ilfracombe No, I meant exactly what I said. You're not a Corvette finatic I take it.
Oh, I like the Corvette, and the C5 was revolutionary in many ways (drag coefficient, weight distribution, hydroforming, active handling, the works), but ultimately I feel the LS series has had a greater impact overall given how long it's endured in various guises and all the vehicles it's been used in... right up to and including the present day. But the C5 is still a seriously good car.
Algernon Ilfracombe Of course, the LS1 had a great impact, but we are talking Corvette not engines. This car was a game changer and made the Corvette what it is today after many bland years (with low sales numbers I might add) of the C4. /discussion
In the end it’s still a corvette that isn’t worth anything. You can find the C5’s for next to nothing!
C5 owners unite.
One of the best Corvettes I've ever owned lots of room for a big guy like me. Only my 2013 grand sport beats it out but not by much.
No quarter mile times, braking distance stops or slalom test? What happened MotorWeek?
I think that car is more suitable for motorweek to do the track shot of the car racing rather than slalom brake and take off!! Plus they mostly want to show the plant that made the car as well!!
Well, it's not like they're going to create a time machine and go back in time. Unless, Motorweek, along with John
Davis are from the future!
That is not MotorWeeks normal protocol. They dropped the ball on this one for a specific reason.
What was the reason?
Who cares
Still looking good in 2021!
Bought a new 2019 Corvette Grand Sport with a MANUAL TRANSMISSION, and it's a fantastic car! Buy one, life is short.
But I won two SCCA CFR Solo II Championships with my 2000 C5. I also visited Le Mans with mine and other C5 Registry members back in 2000 as well. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it was/still is beautiful in mine. I bought it after never getting better than 2nd place in my 1997 and 1999 911's. To each their own!
The best looking Corvette! They haven't been the same without popups.
Just bought a 2001 6 speed to drive daily and i am in love! This car is a thrill to drive and so easy to work on!
I currently own a C5 She close to 19 years old (2004)
most beautiful vette, i wish pop up lamp could make comeback oneday...
Car will always be bad ass
I traded my 99 C5 in for a C6GS. I miss my C5. I wish I would have kept it and put it in the garage. It wasn't worth trading.
The C6 interior looks cheap compared to the C5...l had a 1995 C4 ...l liked the car except for the gauge layout...hate digital gauges...
You were taken by a Stealership. You were probably lucky to have gotten 25% of the value and they resold it for 150%....thieves...
2:56 "All surfaces have a soft and expensive feel". There must have been a lot of money in that brown GM envelope.
😁😆
Best corvette ever made, does everything it needs to be. And is still reliable, easy to work on, fast and easy to make it go faster
I toured the Bowling Green plant on the way to Florida in the spring of 97. It was a thrill and I fell in love with the C5 then and there. I ordered a 98 C5 coupe that fall and took delivery in January. There was a delay because it was a manual trans car. I still have it but it only has 3400 miles. I'll put some more break-in miles on it when I retire in a couple of years. I resisted the temptation to trade it for a C6 or C7 due to my preference for the C5 styling. The newer ones look too much like batmobiles.
Agreed but you should drive it now, tomorrow is uncertain
When the C7 went on sale and someone asked my opinion, I said "This is the first time it looks much different from the 1984 Corvette."
I wanted a C5 even though it looked so similar to the previous Corvette.
Cut my teeth working on this generation of vette at the chevy dealer I worked on out of school. I think I will always love them even if they are tame compared to current sports cars.
Still my favorite corvette design.
This car always looked great
The first Corvette I ever saw close was the C5. Riding in one of those was like a rollercoaster
3:06
That’s how you enter and egress your vette.
Hold the windshield.
Matt Mayo hahahaha
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the sleek minimalist feline stance of this 1997 model Corvette is far easier on the eyes than the current generation of 'Vette's sporting multiple complex scoops, air intake ducts, and spoilers. Certainly, overall road-handling performance improves with each Corvette iteration that emerges, but that said, some vehicle shapes will stand the test of time, while others clearly won't.
My 2003 FRC Z06 is such an attention getter!
Timeless body design!
everyone clamoring that the LS1 was weaker than the much more expensive limited run LT4/LT5 models of the C4: the base LS1 was more powerful than the base LT1 it replaced. the LS6 was able to match the ZR-1's power later, and the Z06 didn't cost like $70,000 like ZR-1 (it was ~$48,000 according to the Google), with a superior chassis. it's honestly incredible GM got so much life out of the C4, 13 model years.
So nice to see a video where they actually COMPLIMENT the great interior design instead of trashing it. A glowing review overall, and well deserved!
Well, thank God they gave us the all important fuel mileage estimates! ;-)
that's exactly why I bought a Corvette, awesome gas mileage. I have a bridge for sale too.....
It really is helpful though and extremely accurate!
its just a review you half - wits, not a track / street test!
I just bought a 03 Z06 with 5k miles, my first vette i love it so far!
I had a 99 ,best corvette ever.
What a car..a classic..looks fantastic even today.
Man this is so cool to see how amazing the C5 was, I have a C5 Z06 and my entire youtube channel is just POV driving in it. the pop up healights look sooo good when down ha!
I agree, I just use my LED fog lights unless it's really dark. I have a Silver 02 with a blackout kit on all my lights. Looks awesome!
C5 is kinda my favorite vett..
great video. almost like a condensed version of “all corvettes are red” which i read after i bought my 1999 Hardtop last April. amazing car at now 20k miles, bone stock and still smells like new inside.
Still a kick ass sports car almost 25 years later
Today, $38K would be $61K. The equivalent would be the $60K C8 mid-engined layout that does 0-60 in three seconds and has two truck spaces.
28 MPG is unbelievable for a car in that class.
I'm glad that they didn't trash the cockpit... every single review trashes the cockpit "it looks cheap" "it looks bad" "bmw looks better"... do these reviewers even like cars? The cockpit looks nice but this car is about performance and the exterior design is timeless, looks better than many modern designs.
Still looks fresh today. I just picked up a 2000 coupe, I still get remarks on the car's looks from people, and it's 22 years old.
Absolutely game changer! I still have today Corvette's commemorative package mailed to me. 😍
C5 is one of the best looking Vettes IMO.
One of the greatest motors of all time!!!
Mike & Jamine Braun cars too
Looking great 20 years later
I brought a 2000 c5 Corvette, I love it , last of America Muscle V8, the other reason I like it, make me look taler, Hollywood out!!!!
Best looking vette, exterior-wise.
First for the all aluminum "LS1" V8. Its kind of crazy because this V8 architecture is still same stuff that powers your new model year 2021 Silverado truck, Tahoe, Suburban, Denali, Escalade, etc.
Main thing I like is GM put this same damn aluminum block LS1 V8 in the Camaro Z28 and SS. Pontiac got a bit more fancy with their trim levels and offered the LS1 V8 in Firebird Formula, Firebird Trans Am, and Firebird Firehawk trims. Main thing was in any of these F-body trims you were just as fast as a C5 Corvette in the straight line. I had a 1999 Z28 automatic with a modified intake and no muffler. Straight up spanked a new stock C5 automatic and six speed car at the 1/8 mile drag strip.
Best Corvette exterior to this day.
Mine looks like the Bat Mobile
The C5 was a true game changer compared to the C4 it replaced. You can hear the surprise by MW by just how good it was. Indeed I was in high school in 97 and the C5 was such a leap forward it was shocking.
I had a C5 Convertible, which I really liked AFTER I swapped out those God awful run flats. Bought it used, but only like 3-years old, and it only had around 25k miles on it, and the tires looked great, had plenty of tread, but everytime it rained, the car slip and slid all over the place, it was nearly undriveable. I'd ask around and morons on the internet would just say, well it's a Corvette, they don't handle well, so what do you expect. But at some point I decided I'd swap out the tires, got the then new Goodyear GSD3, the best wet traction performance tire you'd get, and holy s---, it was literally a completely different car, dry or wet. With the runflats, it cornered OK, if you didn't know any better you'd think it was really good - but the new tires, WOW, you could feel them 'bite' going into corners, thats when it felt like something special. Then in the rain, the car wasn't just driveable, you could drive it like 90% as hard as you could on dry roads, it was spectacular. So lesson here, if you buy a performance car, get good tires. Modern runflats are a lot better from what I understand.
Best car ever....
JDMricist ...whaaaa?
I don't mean that literally...I mean that more like when you eat pizza when you're really really hungry and you're like, "That was the best pizza ever!"
no ur right
Erik Hertzer you cant read??? Best. Car. Ever.
The C5 was a big improvement over the C4 in every way.
Carl Ryan was the C4 bad?
I'm sure there's a lot of truth to that, but personally, I prefer the more angular looks and the clamshell hood of the C4. I'm biased as the owner of a 1994 Vette.
Daniel Reigada I was just trying to troll the guy. I own a 93 C4, love it. C4 saved the Corvette, brought exceptional handling, and power back as well.
Well hurp de durrrr. 20 years will do that.
I’ve never been a corvette fan but I’ve always like the c5 for some reason. There’s something about it that just appeals to me.
Chris_1973 it’s got everything!!!
Guy 1: What’s your sports car made of?
Guy 2: Metal. Yours?
Guy 1: Balsa wood.
Dork
Corvette designs are timeless, both old and new.
You know what, this was the first car i played in my first video racing game in my life.
2:14 The fact that there was actual wood used in the construction of this car is absolutely hilarious.
I always liked the longer back end version.
That concept looked sick
Back when Chevrolet Corvettes were somewhat affordable. 20 years later they are dream cars!!
I like that they gave credit to the designer, this car still looks great
Got to drive one for a day in early 2000s I loved it . I will get one soon .
I own a 98 and love it. My favorite generation.
I actually own a C5 2003 50th Anniversary Limited Edition Anniversary Red. ONLY 1,806 ORIGINAL MILES SHOWROOM CONDITION
So you are bragging about NOT driving your C5? Brilliant! I can't stop driving mine.
Cars were made to drive.
I'm sure your car is gorgeous.
However, I doubt that it's any cleaner than my C5 with 65k miles.
I don't drive mine every day and it stays in the garage most of the time, but I do drive it on weekends.
I don't enjoy my C5 nearly as much when its sitting in the garage as I do when I'm driving it.
The Chevrolet Corvette was actually made in 1953 and is still being made in Bowling Green, Kentucky while the Ford Pick-up Trucks are being made in Louisville, Kentucky.
Love the C5
I got a complete set of those wheels in perfect shape for $100. That was a common price for them.
The 86 is my favorite but this one is a close second.
C5, the last good looking Corvette.
Man Overboard c6*
Shawn Kemp v6 still better looking all corvettes before the c6 had hideous rears c6 perfected the look until the c7 didn't stick to the iconic taillights
Shawn Kemp I think it looks like the c5 but it's more modern refined it still has the same curves but anyways I'm a die hard chevy fan and I own an 08 corvette and thinking to get a c6 z06 on December
Shawn Kemp chevy still going strong and taking out European cars for a fraction of the price
Man Overboard AGREE!!
Damn I love Corvettes
Best bang for the money 😀