Torch Red Upkeep
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 25,236
Likes: 451
From: Sun Coast of Florida
St. Jude Donor '03-'26
"All Corvettes are Red"…..at least in spirit….title of book by James Schefter. Take care of the car with quality stuff like Pinnacle or Zaino and the Torch Red will be beautiful for as long as you own the car!!
Just remember……red Corvettes are THE most "pulled over" vehicles on the road!!
Just remember……red Corvettes are THE most "pulled over" vehicles on the road!!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,079
Likes: 98
From: York PA
Full disclosure, I'm retired, my 2011 TR GS is not a daily driver and I do fuss over it, now to my experience.
I once thought white was the easiest color to maintain and in my experience white is easy to live with but my 2010 Brilliant Silver 370Z was super easy to live with, the dirt and dust were there but they just didn't catch your eye. If you park outside or can't devote the time to keep your car as clean as you would like I'd go with silver first and white second.
Now let's talk about Torch Red. Back in the day reds would dull with age but contemporary clear coat reds hold up very well, nothing to worry about in my experience. TR has been easy to maintain and is a little better than average when it comes to hiding dirt and way better than most (silver excluded) metallics. I would not shy away from TR because of maintenance issues. Now don't buy TR because someone tells you to buy it, buy it because you are tired of elegant but boring colors. Buy it because you want something that POPs! Buy it because strangers will walk right up the car and just say WOW! The C6, especially as GS with the pearl white fender stripes was made for Torch Red. Buy it because they actually wrote a book about it, "All Corvettes are Red". Buy it because you want it, but if you don't want TR please don't buy it that way there will be more Torch Red Corvettes for the rest of us.
By the way, "All Corvettes are Red" is a terrific book for any fan of the Corvette, it is the detailed account of the development (and near cancellation) of the C5. It is an enjoyable (not a dry history of the make) and engaging read, a real story with loads of insight into the development of the first world class (no offense to the C1, C2, C3 and C4) Corvette.
I once thought white was the easiest color to maintain and in my experience white is easy to live with but my 2010 Brilliant Silver 370Z was super easy to live with, the dirt and dust were there but they just didn't catch your eye. If you park outside or can't devote the time to keep your car as clean as you would like I'd go with silver first and white second.
Now let's talk about Torch Red. Back in the day reds would dull with age but contemporary clear coat reds hold up very well, nothing to worry about in my experience. TR has been easy to maintain and is a little better than average when it comes to hiding dirt and way better than most (silver excluded) metallics. I would not shy away from TR because of maintenance issues. Now don't buy TR because someone tells you to buy it, buy it because you are tired of elegant but boring colors. Buy it because you want something that POPs! Buy it because strangers will walk right up the car and just say WOW! The C6, especially as GS with the pearl white fender stripes was made for Torch Red. Buy it because they actually wrote a book about it, "All Corvettes are Red". Buy it because you want it, but if you don't want TR please don't buy it that way there will be more Torch Red Corvettes for the rest of us.
By the way, "All Corvettes are Red" is a terrific book for any fan of the Corvette, it is the detailed account of the development (and near cancellation) of the C5. It is an enjoyable (not a dry history of the make) and engaging read, a real story with loads of insight into the development of the first world class (no offense to the C1, C2, C3 and C4) Corvette.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 960
Likes: 118
From: Panama City, Florida
Make sure you have one of those California Dusters. Every morning and evening I use it to give it a quick dusting. But right now my red vette has a yellow tint to it all day. The pollan is crazy.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 495
From: Southern California
Hang on to that book! Dave Hill is perhaps the central figure in allowing the Corvette to make the jump from C4 to C5, it almost didn't happen. Hill was also the man in charge at the time of the release of the C6. Hill pushed for excellence and ended the "good enough" approach to Corvette design and development. The C5 was the pivotal vehicle in the Corvette's progression from a good car to a world class car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,079
Likes: 98
From: York PA
Hang on to that book! Dave Hill is perhaps the central figure in allowing the Corvette to make the jump from C4 to C5, it almost didn't happen. Hill was also the man in charge at the time of the release of the C6. Hill pushed for excellence and ended the "good enough" approach to Corvette design and development. The C5 was the pivotal vehicle in the Corvette's progression from a good car to a world class car.
Hill wrote a note in the book when he signed it…."the best Vette yet!" Probably one of the best books ever written on how a car goes from a concept to a production vehicle! I love my C6 GS…but if it were not for the C5, there would be no C6, or C7 for that matter!
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Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,277
Likes: 199
From: Oakhurst Ca
I had a 1998 C5 TR Corvette that was never parked in a garage in the 14 years I owned it and the color really hadn't changed noticeably over the years when I sold it in 2012. I thought it was easy to maintain and maybe got a wax twice a year at most. When it was dirty it didn't show the dirt very much. I currently a VR Corvette and I like the color a lot but I still think that TR was better.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,525
Likes: 495
From: Southern California
Indeed!! Hill wrote a note in the book when he signed it…."the best Vette yet!" Probably one of the best books ever written on how a car goes from a concept to a production vehicle! I love my C6 GS…but if it were not for the C5, there would be no C6, or C7 for that matter!
Hill wrote a note in the book when he signed it…."the best Vette yet!" Probably one of the best books ever written on how a car goes from a concept to a production vehicle! I love my C6 GS…but if it were not for the C5, there would be no C6, or C7 for that matter!If you ever need to find a new home for that book please (seriously) put me at the top of the list. I would put it right next to my original mint condition C5 press kit.