Corvette: Year by Year
1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 19671968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Part IV
The wheelbase for the C5 increased from 96.2" to 104.5" - more than eight inches. Yet the overall length of the car only increased about an inch, from 178.5" to 179.7". Pushing the wheels out further allowed the designers to come up with a more roomy passenger area. Weight was down by approximately 80 lbs.
The new chassis was much more rigid than the C4, despite the fact that the door sill was almost four inches lower. A more rigid chassis makes for a more precise handling car with less potential for rattles and squeaks. This took care of two major complaints customers had with the previous generation 'vette.
Also improved was the aerodynamics. The coefficient of drag (Cd) was a mere .29, the best of any car sold at the time except for GMs own EV1, which could hardly be called a production car.
Family Portrait
Front, center: C5 Corvette; back row, left to right: C1, C2, C3 and C4.
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