My car is a prototype??
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,724
Likes: 2
From: Holland Landing Ontario
I had a Nissan prototype at one time, and even though it was listed as a 1992 (1st year of production) it was actually built about 3 years earlier.
See if you can find the manufacture date for yours.
See if you can find the manufacture date for yours.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Likes: 1
From: Central NJ
St. Jude Donor '10
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Likes: 1
From: Central NJ
St. Jude Donor '10
I have all original parts that I changed except the stock exhaust that was changed before I bought the car. Same thing with the stock intake that was changed before I purchased. The stock manifolds I just sent to scrap before I found this out so that sucks. But everything else like the lights and stuff since I changed all of those I have.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,072
Likes: 196
From: Arizona
You appear to have a very special pilot car. I would suggest you get the book All Corvettes Are Red by James Schefter. It's available from the big online bookseller that begins with 'A' (and probably others). The book chronicles the development of the C5, and the Epilogue talks a lot about the early pilot cars.
And as others have suggested, keep as many of the stock parts as possible -- including the wagon wheels.
BTW, to clear up the confusion, pilot cars -- by GM's definition -- were early-build cars that were salable to the public. The alpha and beta test prototypes were not.
And as others have suggested, keep as many of the stock parts as possible -- including the wagon wheels.
BTW, to clear up the confusion, pilot cars -- by GM's definition -- were early-build cars that were salable to the public. The alpha and beta test prototypes were not.
Last edited by Virtual Geezer; Jul 30, 2010 at 01:20 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Likes: 1
From: Central NJ
St. Jude Donor '10
You appear to have a very special pilot car. I would suggest you get the book All Corvettes Are Red by James Schefter. It's available from the big online bookseller that begins with 'A' (and probably others). The book chronicles the development of the C5, and the Epilogue talks a lot about the early pilot cars.
And as others have suggested, keep as many of the stock parts as possible -- including the wagon wheels.
BTW, to clear up the confusion, pilot cars -- by GM's definition -- were early-build cars that were salable to the public. The alpha and beta test prototypes were not.
And as others have suggested, keep as many of the stock parts as possible -- including the wagon wheels.
BTW, to clear up the confusion, pilot cars -- by GM's definition -- were early-build cars that were salable to the public. The alpha and beta test prototypes were not.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,075
Likes: 24,732
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Those are some very 
things to find out about your car. Makes it unique for sure. Keep us updated on what else the NCM finds.
things to find out about your car. Makes it unique for sure. Keep us updated on what else the NCM finds.
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
I guess it's a matter of perspective. In my job when we build prototypes they are usually put together quickly and full of bugs. They are used to figure out what we did wrong and correct it in the "final" version. But you never know... it may not be a bad thing. Maybe some of these items were deemed as overkill and not needed in the final version. Or maybe they added cost? In a worst case they were just slapping on some leftover parts from the engineering bin that someone thought would never see public roads. Also makes you wonder how much it was beat on at those tracks....
Either way this is a pretty cool thread and certainly a interesting talking point for us vette geeks. I like the license plate idea too. Keep us posted on what you find.
Either way this is a pretty cool thread and certainly a interesting talking point for us vette geeks. I like the license plate idea too. Keep us posted on what you find.
