Keeping Up With the Corvette
The C5: 1997-2004
Although it looked large and in-charge, Corvette’s fifth generation model weighed almost 100 pounds less than its predecessor (a rare occurance in the automotive world). While its body contained more plastic than ever before, the car’s lighter weight was also a result of a hydroformed box frame and a new, aluminum-valve small-block engine. Jumping on the green bandwagon with this generation, Corvette was one of the leaders in changing over to a more environmentally-friendly waterborne paint system that drastically reduced solvents.