NEW UNDERSTANDING ON WHAT GOES INTO A NEW MODEL DESIGN, BOTH THE GOOD & THE BAD.
how many have read the book...
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 403
Likes: 2
From: Glen Allen VA
I am the third owner of my 99 C5 and the inside of the hood is autographed by both John Cafaro and Dave Hill. Cafaro added under his sig "Best vet yet" which is pretty cool. After I read the book there was new found respect for the autographs under my hood 
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,122
Likes: 672
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
'All Corvettes are Red'
I read it a couple of years ago, but you could read it when ever as it is fasinating acount of how close the Corvette could of gone in 2000, up on the shelf, back down, up on the shelf, back down . . .
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: NE Ohio & So Cal
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Instructor
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 159
Likes: 32
From: FL
how many have read the book...
When we bought our first Vette a month ago, (2000 RED C5 Vert), I went to Amazon and bought two books:
-Corvette C5
and...
-All Corvettes are Red.
The first book was a good intro to the much more detailed Red book which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. Tons of details about the development of the C5, not just the internal GM politics, which would make one wonder how anything gets introduced there, but also the technical development of the car and all of its parts. Very good reading and highly recommended...
A few funny parts in the book such as page 222 when the engineers are discussing the Driver Information Center, comparing the suggested small screen below the C5 speedo and the much larger screen of the C4.
One engineer in the back of the room, commented:
"Hey, when you've got a Corvette, you don't need a big DIC".
I'm about finished the book but it's worth a reread sometime in the future. Didn't know about the balsa wood floors, fly by wire accelerator pedal, plastic fuel tanks, incredibly low drag coefficient, and a bucket of other first-time developed items in these great cars.
Good read!!!
-Corvette C5
and...
-All Corvettes are Red.
The first book was a good intro to the much more detailed Red book which I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. Tons of details about the development of the C5, not just the internal GM politics, which would make one wonder how anything gets introduced there, but also the technical development of the car and all of its parts. Very good reading and highly recommended...
A few funny parts in the book such as page 222 when the engineers are discussing the Driver Information Center, comparing the suggested small screen below the C5 speedo and the much larger screen of the C4.
One engineer in the back of the room, commented:
"Hey, when you've got a Corvette, you don't need a big DIC".
I'm about finished the book but it's worth a reread sometime in the future. Didn't know about the balsa wood floors, fly by wire accelerator pedal, plastic fuel tanks, incredibly low drag coefficient, and a bucket of other first-time developed items in these great cars.
Good read!!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,868
Likes: 770
From: Kelso Washington
St. Jude Donor '09, '13, '15
I got better than 3/4 through it and stalled....just at the good parts I think.
Not what I would always call and "easy" read, very detailed, but extremely interesting look behind the scenes about corporate activities, budgets, politics, personalities etc.
Need to pick it up again and finish....hey...maybe tonight even.
Not what I would always call and "easy" read, very detailed, but extremely interesting look behind the scenes about corporate activities, budgets, politics, personalities etc.
Need to pick it up again and finish....hey...maybe tonight even.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 11,122
Likes: 672
From: SE Pennsylvania
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Oldtimer
For you IT guys . . .
One of the best parts of the book, (at least to me that is) was all the computer and body modules and the in depth starting done just with the electrical loads and the computer, at -30 degrees new oil, old oil, start and stop while it's still cold, then down to Texas or Arizona to see how the exact same control modules performed in 130 degree temps. and then on to Road tests with the computers going full blast and everything in between.
Anyway, you get a real look at how much testing was done on the cars IT wise and then all the parts testing on new concept's of manufacturing. great read. You get a new respect for the designers and engineers from GM. The whole styling fiasco with Al Palmer is a kinda strange deal, but him having to park his Ferrari right out front and having it wash by GM workers for him ???? I mean what's up with that ?
Anyway, you get a real look at how much testing was done on the cars IT wise and then all the parts testing on new concept's of manufacturing. great read. You get a new respect for the designers and engineers from GM. The whole styling fiasco with Al Palmer is a kinda strange deal, but him having to park his Ferrari right out front and having it wash by GM workers for him ???? I mean what's up with that ?
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 159
Likes: 32
From: FL
how many have read the book...
From a Corporate standpoint, the first half is very good. From an Engineering standpoint, the second half probably is a better read.
Like the part when they are all out in sub-zero North Dakota and they hook up the Alpha prototype and start it just for a few seconds, just to see what would happen, then evaluate, let it do the freeze again, adjust their programing, and start it again. They were designing the car for extreme cold weather starts, and as described, for the proper C5 owner who would let the car warm up, AND the bozo who just drove off with chilled syrup for oil. The car was to have absolutely no hesitations with either type of starts.
The CPU knows the temps, cam position, etc. in the microseconds that it takes the key to enter the ignition and be turned. Amazing stuff and tons of respect for the Corvette rebels who had many starts and stops in the program, with some very fluffy corporate types telling them, early on, that they didn't like the design, but gave no guidance at all as to what they were looking for. A lot of wasted time and money in the GM upper world.
Like the part when they are all out in sub-zero North Dakota and they hook up the Alpha prototype and start it just for a few seconds, just to see what would happen, then evaluate, let it do the freeze again, adjust their programing, and start it again. They were designing the car for extreme cold weather starts, and as described, for the proper C5 owner who would let the car warm up, AND the bozo who just drove off with chilled syrup for oil. The car was to have absolutely no hesitations with either type of starts.
The CPU knows the temps, cam position, etc. in the microseconds that it takes the key to enter the ignition and be turned. Amazing stuff and tons of respect for the Corvette rebels who had many starts and stops in the program, with some very fluffy corporate types telling them, early on, that they didn't like the design, but gave no guidance at all as to what they were looking for. A lot of wasted time and money in the GM upper world.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
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St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
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Read it many years ago - when it first came out. Very good book and I really need to read it again.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,475
Likes: 10
From: Wake Forest NC
I suspect I am one of very few people on this forum who can claim to have read "All Corvettes are Red" from cover to cover - twice. A couple of years apart. It was better the second read because I already knew the ending.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
Just finished the book and it started out slow but still grabs your attention fast. You do wonder how anything ever gets done when there are so many people making the decisions and undercutting the decisions of the other corporate managers. If they could cut all of the financial waste , they could build the cars a lot cheaper but the end result was that they got it right. After you see the abuse that they put the test cars through it makes you think that these cars should go through a half million miles in normal driving. The part about driving them continuously at full throttle was brutal. It gives you a whole new prospective of how good these C5 cars are.
