The C5 Kit Car
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,469
Likes: 275
From: Naples FL
The C5 Kit Car
A lot of people have forgotten about these cars. They were called kit cars or box cars. The car actually came in a bunch of boxes. You could order them from the parts counter at your local dealership. Here's the story on the rarest of all C5 Corvettes. Only 42 were created. Here's the story.
Richard Newton
Richard Newton
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CF "Young" Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,034
Likes: 26
From: Cupertino CA
St. Jude Donor '12
OK, that's just damn cool! 
I mean, it's already generally accepted that the Corvette is a "buy it and beat everyone" kind of vehicle just rolling off the factory floor assembled, but giving people the option to say "this one is built from the ground up to race. Period"... that's madness, utterly awesome madness!
I mean, it's already generally accepted that the Corvette is a "buy it and beat everyone" kind of vehicle just rolling off the factory floor assembled, but giving people the option to say "this one is built from the ground up to race. Period"... that's madness, utterly awesome madness!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,000
Likes: 2
From: Oklahoma
Very cool article I have always liked the look of FRC corvette but always hated the billy bob stigma that some labeled it. It gave the rear style of the early c-3 throwback to me which I always liked. Funny how marketing turned the FRC into a throwback z06. They had to give the hardtop performance upgrades to help sell the cars...and it worked out so well for GM they figured out that a few performance upgrades and a badge from the factory does sell cars. This worked and helped blaze a path for the c6 z06. Thanks GM for making your billy bob race car. 
I have always liked the look of FRC corvette but always hated the billy bob stigma that some labeled it. It gave the rear style of the early c-3 throwback to me which I always liked. Funny how marketing turned the FRC into a throwback z06. They had to give the hardtop performance upgrades to help sell the cars...and it worked out so well for GM they figured out that a few performance upgrades and a badge from the factory does sell cars. This worked and helped blaze a path for the c6 z06. Thanks GM for making your billy bob race car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,475
Likes: 10
From: Wake Forest NC
Interesting read. I found special interest in this quote:
Back in '08, I had assembled a table of C5 Corvette colors. There was a 38 car discrepancy in 1999 I could not reconcile.
Forum member Adam Boca stated, " In 1999 or 2000 GM made available to race teams a C5 Chassis that was intended for race use. It was a full frame, engine, suspension, etc..."
It looks like he may have been right - at least for some of them.
.
All of the chassis were assembled in the Bowling Green plant but pulled off the assembly line prior to what is known as serialization. In other words these twenty cars did not have the standard 17-digit VIN. Neither were they counted into the 1999 model year production numbers. All of the cars were given a serial number from GM Motorsports. They ran from 0000001 to 0000020.
Forum member Adam Boca stated, " In 1999 or 2000 GM made available to race teams a C5 Chassis that was intended for race use. It was a full frame, engine, suspension, etc..."
It looks like he may have been right - at least for some of them.
.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 16,897
Likes: 412
From: Lewisville TX
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13
We built and/or modified a few of them.
#14 for a local customer. You can find it at Motorsports Ranch in Cresson on most weekends
I believe this to be car #3 but that was before my time. It later came back to us in 2004 as Kevin Chamber's #68 and ran the entire 2004 season and some of the 2005 season.
#14 for a local customer. You can find it at Motorsports Ranch in Cresson on most weekends
I believe this to be car #3 but that was before my time. It later came back to us in 2004 as Kevin Chamber's #68 and ran the entire 2004 season and some of the 2005 season.
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 16,897
Likes: 412
From: Lewisville TX
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13