Question for the vette experts
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Instructor
Joined: Aug 2025
Posts: 101
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From: Lovelock nevada
Question for the vette experts
I have a 99 frc, I know they only made them for 2 years (1999, 2000) with alot of the z06 options, ie frc, suspension n all manuals. My question is, why did Chevrolet wait until 2001 to introduce the z06? Were they testing the water's to see how the frc was accepted or does anyone know the whole story?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 2,951
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From: North Coast
The FRC was originally going to be the entry level model. It was going to be a base car with power nothing and not extra bling. But then they found they could sell all the expensive cars they could build. So they added the new Z06 engine when it was ready a couple years later and raised the price. Then the Z06 has continued as the up scale performance model.
The FRC died with the C6.
The code name for the entry level was Billy Bob if I recall.
No recall added value now on the FRC non Z06 but in the future the low numbers could generate some added demand and value over the higher volume cars. Not much is rare anymore and this one is not a common one.
The FRC died with the C6.
The code name for the entry level was Billy Bob if I recall.
No recall added value now on the FRC non Z06 but in the future the low numbers could generate some added demand and value over the higher volume cars. Not much is rare anymore and this one is not a common one.
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The FRC was originally going to be the entry level model. It was going to be a base car with power nothing and not extra bling. But then they found they could sell all the expensive cars they could build. So they added the new Z06 engine when it was ready a couple years later and raised the price. Then the Z06 has continued as the up scale performance model.
The FRC died with the C6.
The code name for the entry level was Billy Bob if I recall.
No recall added value now on the FRC non Z06 but in the future the low numbers could generate some added demand and value over the higher volume cars. Not much is rare anymore and this one is not a common one.
The FRC died with the C6.
The code name for the entry level was Billy Bob if I recall.
No recall added value now on the FRC non Z06 but in the future the low numbers could generate some added demand and value over the higher volume cars. Not much is rare anymore and this one is not a common one.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 649
Likes: 348
From: San Jose CA
The FRC was going to be the lightweight stripped out competition model. GM figured out it was more expensive to get rid of a lot of the options (like power window and AC) than it was to leave the assembly line unaltered. As others have said, they compensated with more power.
People forget, when the LS6 came out, it was a revelation. LS6 was one of the most technologically advanced mass production engines built in the US to date. Sodium filled valves, over .550 lift... it was insanity. Prior to 2001, I don't think GM really knew how to build this engine on a large scale. I think it took 3-4 years of production to really be able to dial in the LS1 to the LS6 specs.
Some people will cite the LT5 as more advanced, I say the LT5 was more complicated, but not better and certainly not mass produced as <7000 LT5's were ever built. Point of reference there were 36,000 LS6 engines built for production, plus an unknown number of crate engines. There were over half a million LS1 engines built.
People forget, when the LS6 came out, it was a revelation. LS6 was one of the most technologically advanced mass production engines built in the US to date. Sodium filled valves, over .550 lift... it was insanity. Prior to 2001, I don't think GM really knew how to build this engine on a large scale. I think it took 3-4 years of production to really be able to dial in the LS1 to the LS6 specs.
Some people will cite the LT5 as more advanced, I say the LT5 was more complicated, but not better and certainly not mass produced as <7000 LT5's were ever built. Point of reference there were 36,000 LS6 engines built for production, plus an unknown number of crate engines. There were over half a million LS1 engines built.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,876
Likes: 2,506
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 2,951
Likes: 1,701
From: North Coast
The FRC was originally going to be the entry level model. It was going to be a base car with power nothing and not extra bling. But then they found they could sell all the expensive cars they could build. So they added the new Z06 engine when it was ready a couple years later and raised the price. Then the Z06 has continued as the up scale performance model.
The FRC died with the C6.
The code name for the entry level was Billy Bob if I recall.
No recall added value now on the FRC non Z06 but in the future the low numbers could generate some added demand and value over the higher volume cars. Not much is rare anymore and this one is not a common one.
The FRC died with the C6.
The code name for the entry level was Billy Bob if I recall.
No recall added value now on the FRC non Z06 but in the future the low numbers could generate some added demand and value over the higher volume cars. Not much is rare anymore and this one is not a common one.
Here is a published story explaining. It was intended be a cheap low end car and not a stripped competition model. It was later changed to be a higher cost performance model.
Here is one of many to back up the story. I think the book All Corvettes are Red also has the story right from Dave Hill the Corvette program manager.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-pr...-bob-corvette/
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