The Tiger Shark concept eventually spawned a body kit Corvette owners could purchase.
Concept to Kit
There have been many Corvette prototypes and concepts built over the years, some more famous than others. One of the more obscure concepts produced by GM is the 2001 Corvette Tiger Shark, which was a collaboration between the automaker's Special Vehicles department and the Detroit-based prototype shop dubbed "Wheel to Wheel." The purpose of the Tiger Shark was to preview a series of future proposed design changes via a special body kit that was later available for existing Corvette owners to purchase.
Photos: Chevrolet
Exterior Changes
The Tiger Shark concept actually began life as a 1997 Corvette, though its body was heavily massaged. Exterior changes began with custom front fascia and grille, an L88-style carbon fiber domed hood with a large air vent, enlarged bodyside coves with custom covers, and a new rear fascia with an integrated spoiler, black taillights surround and relocated license plate.
Photos: Chevrolet
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Interior Changes
Finished in PPG's Tiger Yellow paint, the Tiger Shark also featured extensive changes inside its cabin. There, the car was fitted with custom black leather seats with gray bolsters, aluminum pedals, and a host of yellow accents and stitching to tie it all together with the exterior.
Photos: Chevrolet
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Performance Upgrade
Most interestingly, the Tiger Shark wasn't just some sort of show car with a stock powertrain. Instead, it was powered by an LS1 punched out to 427 cubic inches and fitted with ported heads, a ported throttle body, roller hydraulic cam, headers, and a Vortech supercharger. Total output came in at 742 horsepower and 690 pound-feet of torque, which flows to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
Photos: Chevrolet
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Suspension Mods
To help the Tiger Shark put that power to the ground, GM fitted the car with Hotchkis Performance coilovers and stabilizer bars, as well as big Brembo brakes custom 18-inch Kinesis Motorsport K58 forged wheels, and Goodyear F1 Fiorano tires.
Photos: Chevrolet
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Fading Away
The Tiger Shark made its debut at a GM Special Vehicles Media Event at Milan Dragway in 2001, after which it was on display at that year's SEMA Show. The automaker was clear from the start that the Tiger Shark would never be a production vehicle, but rather, C5 owners could purchase the body kit and fit it to their own cars. Few were ever sold, however, and the concept itself later sold for a whopping $112,200 at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction back in 2009.
Photos: Chevrolet
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