The year 1997 marked the introduction of the C5 Corvette with new curves, more space and the LS1 V8.
When the C5 Corvette was introduced for the 1997 model year, it replaced an aging C4 that had been on sale for 12 years, so any new car would have been embraced. However, the Corvette team wanted to make sure that this new C5 was perfect and thanks to this classic video from the MotorWeekYouTube channel, we can take a look back at the features that made the then-new, LS1-powered sports car so terrific.
New Exterior Styling
The team at MotorWeek begins by looking at the exterior design of the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette, offering us a look at some of the early sketches of the C5, the final design concept and how the production model relates to that concept. The narrator talks about the bold curves that were unlike the hard lines of the C4, with a new airplace-inspired greenhouse and the flat-ish taillight panel.
Of course, the 1997 Corvette also had the “double bubble” roof line design, allowing extra headroom for a driver and passenger wearing race helmets, along with the familiar side vents, high fender lines and inward-sloping hood.
The C5 Corvette was all-new and it was gorgeous, but the designers worked in design cues from previous models to bring some Chevrolet sports car heritage into these new models.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
