Dateline: 12.4.11
A Look Back at the Last of the C5 Corvettes. Was this the “Best” C5?
For the last six months in my VETTE Magazine monthly column, I have been looking back at the end of each generation Corvette with the question, “Was this the best C_ Corvette?” (with the exception of last month where I covered the Greenwood No. 49 Corvette race car that sold at the RM Monterey Auction in August ‘11). The tern “best” is subjective because it depends on what an owner’s purpose for the car happens to be. It’s easy to make a case that the “Big Brake” ‘62 Corvette Fuelie racer kit and the ‘67 aluminum head 427/437 L89 Corvettes were the “best” of their respective generation cars based on stout performance. potential. Same with the LT5 optioned ‘96 Collector Edition Corvette with its fat ZR-1 wheels and tires. The ‘82 Collector Edition Corvette was a completely different animal. “Stout” it was not, but it was arguably the most refined of the C3 Corvettes with the liftback rear hatch adding functionality that should have been with the car from the beginning in ‘68.
The C5 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06 had what was arguably the most delicious collection of creature comforts, plus what was then the pinnacle of factory performance parts all included in a beautiful, distinctive package. Briefly, the ‘04 Commemorative Edition Z06 had the following unique features that, from a performance point of view, made it “the best C5: unique paint, stripes and graphics, special interior trim, the 1SB option package, the Z06 suspension, the ultra-stiff Z06 structure, the LS6 405-horsepower engine, AND the carbon fiber hood. When the customer took delivery of their 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06, they were driving home in a totally maxed out C5 Corvette. While the production run of 2,025 units didn’t make them the rarest of the special edition Corvettes. But there’s no denying this was one SWEET C5 Corvette. – Scott
Related: Check out our collection of Special Edition Corvettes, HERE.
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