March 29, 2000
High HP does not a Sports Car make.....what does makes it, is all the components added together to achieve a single goal.  That goal becomes a complete package of High Performance.  All the HP in the world doesn't matter if you can't control it on the pavement.  The "RUMORED ONE" is a integrated package which will make use of every ounce of HP the engine delivers by turning it into Performance.  It appears the old adage "don't believe everything you read", applies to the recent GM Press Release regarding the Features & Benefits 5.7L V8 (LS6) Car Engine "Corvette" Model Year 2001 located on the GM Power train and Camaro-SS/LS6data web sites.

Our email and telephone has been overwhelmed with membership comments of,  "Is that all the HP we're going to get?".  Well, as the Registry has been saying, the "RUMORED ONE" is a COMPLETE PACKAGE and every COMPONENT works to benefit each other to create a BAD TO THE BONE upcoming C5 Corvette.  Items of interest includes a completely re-designed GYMKHANA Performance Handling Suspension Package.  This suspension is so completely modified that it has been assigned its own RPO Code.  A VERY HEAVY DUTY 6-Speed Transmission (again with its own special RPO code) has been specifically designed for use in this C5.  We have not even begun to touch on all the other improvements and performance enhancements which will be included in this package.  But in order to keep your hopes high, we are advising you, our members, that the HP is HIGHER than has been posted by other web sites noted above.  In an effort to be ready to advise C5 Registry Members first, we are announcing on July 1st, at 12:01AM we will post a complete web page dedicated to the RUMORED ONE.  With all the OFFICIAL GM specs and information, as well as pictures for our members.  Stay tuned for future developments! 

March 26, 2000
WHO IS THE C5 CUSTOMER??? According to the Vette Gazette, Bowling Green's Corvette plant newsletter, the people most likely to buy Corvettes are 48 years old, 80% male, 79% married and has a household income of $125,000.

March 25, 2000
DEMAND FOR THE C5 HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER.... Beginning Monday, April 10th the Adult Toy Workshop increases the hourly shifts by 3 additional hours per week which equates to 40 additional C5 toys. This great news means that from this point until the end of the 2000 production year (June), 360 units have been added to Corvette's production schedule due to the continuing demand of the C5 in the marketplace.

March 24, 2000
 For all C5 owners who have always wanted a factory installed CD Changer - - We have music to your ears! We have just been notified by Registry Dealer Bruce Glueck (Bruce Glueck Chevrolet VC001) of the upcoming release of a FACTORY OEM CD INSTALLATION KIT Part # 12496743 (available mid-April). Bruce said he would order for C5 Registry members for the price of $89.00 including UPS shipping to any of the continuous 48 states. The factory 12 DISC CD PLAYER Part # 25685332 is also available to C5 Registry members for the price of $549.00 including shipping to the above mentioned areas. Of course Florida residents will have to pay the state. Please contact Ken Bassett, Parts Director, Bruce Glueck Chevrolet at 1-904-792-1111 to place your order.

March 16, 2000
Features & Benefits 5.7L V8 (LS6) Car Engine "Corvette" Model Year 2001 The information is announced on the internet......click here for more info  http://www.camaro-ss.com/ls6data.html  Thanks to Scott Payne for brining it to the attention of the C5 Net and the Registry....And thanks to the CSSOA and Rick Mast for posting this info ....It sure looks 2001 is going to get EXCITING......"

March 11, 2000
The C5 Registry is going to Le Mans, France for the famous 24hrs of Le Mans June 11-21,2000. It will be a 10 day trip and we will be shipping our C5s to Europe with us. We will be leading the famous Le Mans Parade on Friday June 16th,2000. CLICK HERE for more info. We only have room for 20 C5s so get back to the Registry if plan on attending.

All of our European Members are invited to join us at Le Mans, where we will have a parking corral for Corvettes only. For our European members please invite any Corvettes (no matter what the year) to join us. We need to get the word out through out Europe that there will be a gathering of Corvettes at Le Mans and all European Corvette owner are invited to attend.

February 29, 2000
The 1999 Nassau Blue C5 Registry show car has been sold. We are waiting the delivery of our new 2000 Millennium Yellow - Courtesy of Steve Moore Chevrolet.

February 28, 2000
One can find "HOT NEWS" in the strangest places! The just released Year "2001 GM Product Preview Fleet and Commercial" Vehicle Guide lists the following: There will be two new colors for Corvette in model year 2001 - a new (REGISTRY we can hope ! ) WHITE(40U) and QUICKSILVER  Metallic (13U).Neither of these colors are premium paint, but they come at the expense of three deletes, (10U) Arctic White, (12U) Sebring Silver and (23U) Nassau Blue. BUT the BIG NEWS is the NEW and IMPROVED LS1 for 2001.  GM has rated the horsepower at 350 at 5,600 rpm with no change to torque listed. This was accomplished with a NEW CAM and INTAKE Manifold. Not to be left out the F-Body SS & WS6 LS1 will also benefit from the new CHANGES as they will be rated at 345 hp. Under the Guides heading "MAJOR CHANGES for 2001" they list a "New Generation ABS/TCS/AH Systems" and "NEW CHROME EXHAUST TIPS".  Active Handling (JL4) will become a standard "Safety Feature", for all models (adding an est. $325.00 to the base MSRP for 2001). It appears 2001 is starting to look "VERY INTERESTING" !! 

February 21, 2000
There have been several discussions on the C5Net regarding adjusting the steering effort. There has even been a posting on the internet advising that this is available through the use of a Tech2 diagnostic tool. The 1999 and 2000 model year service manuals even have a reference advising that this is possible. We have done some research into this and it is NOT possible to adjust the steering effort on a Corvette. The service manuals are incorrect and a bulletin will be published advising dealers and technicians of this fact. Chevrolet would like to get this information out to as many C5 owners as possible so that any confusion regarding this can be avoided.

February 18, 2000
On February 3, 2000 The plant began installing a passenger side air bag switch on all new 2000 C5s. The switch is located in the glove compartment and is operated with the ignition key. The indicator lamp is located on the center console near the active handling switch and the F45 selector switch (if equipped) .....Because of the addition of the switch in the glove compartment Corvette has changed the pouch for the owners manual from a zippered pouch to a non zippered pouch which closes with Velcro. They also had to change the owners manual (2nd edition) because of this air bag change (See pages 1-24 of the new owners manual) .......Thanks to member Ross Kuala C5R# X2260 for this information.

 February 16, 2000
We've just received a call from Lisa Stanick, Assistant Brand Manager-Corvette, she stated: "The Bowling Green Assembly Plant will be CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC from Monday March 6th through Friday March 17th due to product build tryouts.  We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused."  Translation:  this means that that they will be running a large number of 2001 prototype C5 Corvettes. Lisa requested the C5 Registry get this information out to the public in case you are planning a trip.

It is our speculation that these 01's will be Press Corvettes used in the advanced press introduction scheduled for mid-May 2000. At this event all of the car magazine editors and their staff have the opportunity to test drive the upcoming model year Corvette. Of course, they will be under a strict embargo agreement until July 1, 2000 (they cannot publish or say anything about what they see, hear, or touch). We speculate that Chevy will have all types of C5's there including.....the most RUMORED one.

So if you're planning a plant trip in March because you wanted to see your C5 being built, you will not be able to get in between March 6th and the 17th.

But Dan's Say's, if you still want to go, bring your camera and a zillion rolls of film and start shooting everything that comes out the door !!

February 11, 2000
The Cadillac Evoq will be on display at the Bowling Green Corvette Plant on February 14 & 15 so that employees can get a close-up look at what may possibly be built in the BG plant.   Not only will plant employees get a chance to see the car, but they will get a chance to ask questions to Dave Leone, Evoq chief engineer; and Renee Conneally, assistant brand manager, who will be accompanying the Evoq.  They will distribute Evoq flyers and show a video that explains the features of the car.

In May, GM's Strategy Board will decide if and when the Evoq will be built.  Bowling Green was one of the plant's given the opportunity to propose a business case for the Evoq.  This includes the structural, manufacturing, labor and planning costs associated with the production.  The goal being to present the lowest cost business case that works best. 

February 6, 2000 - The Corvette proved to be a tremendous challenge to the Viper!
The C5 Registry congratulates Corvette Racing on a tremendous and exciting race. There were 20 Sports Racers entered in the 80-car field. None of them escaped without some sort of mechanical problem. The best of them, the Dyson Racing’s No. 20 Riley & Scott/Ford which won here in 1997 and ‘99, was leading until there were two hours left in the race. However, their new 5.5-liter Lozano Brothers Lincoln V8 gradually lost power, leaving them helpless to defend against the onslaught of a furious GTO class battle between the three Team Oreca Vipers and two Chevrolet Corvette C5-Rs. The Vipers and Corvettes put on a show that will not soon be forgotten by those who witnessed it. One of each make fell by the wayside near the end, but it was a chase to the finish, as Ron Fellows pushed the Number 3 Corvette hard in pursuit of the Viper, but came up   30.879 seconds short, a very-very small amount after 24 hours of hard racing. The closest finish in 24 Hours of Daytona history! The C5 Registry has never been more proud to be associated with Corvette, and the Corvette Racing effort! Corvette Racing has a tremendous team this year. Drivers for the 2000 C5-R's are:

Top 5 Finishers Overall:
1. Olivier Beretta/Karl Wendlinger/Dominique Dupuy,
No. 91 GTO Viper Team Oreca Dodge Viper GTS-R, 723 laps/107.207mph

2. Justin Bell/Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel,
No. 3 GTO Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C5-R, -30.879sec

3. David Donohue/Jean-Philippe Belloc/Ni Amorin,
No. 93 GTO Viper Team Oreca Dodge Viper GTS-R, -4 laps

4. James Weaver/Rob Dyson/Max Papis/Elliott Forbes-Robinson,
No. 20 SR Dyson Racing R&S/Ford, -6 laps

5. Tommy Archer/Marc Duez/Vincent Vosse/Jean-Philippe Belloc,
 No. 92 GTO Viper Team Oreca Dodge Viper GTS-R, -32 laps

February 4, 2000
Dave Hill Comments C5 Registry Dinner – 24 Hours At Rolex 24 Hours of Datona:

"Thrill to be with you – celebrate partnership with Jim Campbell. Recognize Henry Iovino – unsung hero in creation of C5 Corvette. Human Factors Development Engineer. Pledged to take the C5 to the best human factors. Responsible for the long lasting relationship we have with these cars.

One year ago that we initiated C5 Factory racing. What we have accomplished in the past 12 months is amazing. Corvette won Mid Ohio SCCA runoffs. John Heinricy, the World Challenge Winner. Motorola Cup - Corvette won today and there will be more C5s competing and likely successful.

We are proud – car is doing extremely well with inaugural year. Chances for tomorrow are better than expected and quite good. Competing on equal footing with Viper. 1200 kg – both running at. Outlook for this weekend is very good – a "delicious" day in the history of racing for Corvette.

Fundamentals of the car that make it a streetcar also make it a great racecar. Looking forward to introducing 2001 to the press in early May. Worked 2002 early Beta vehicles through winter test program and preparing to build prototype test vehicles. Our 50^th anniversary is starting to crystallize. C6 intensely involved in the planning of the C6. Daunting challenge to come up with a Corvette better than the one we have now. Going to CA to test some ideas on potential customers. The 2005 model year preparing experimental mules. Simultaneous preparations continue on all model years 2001 – 2005. We want to understand the customer as an enthusiast and a friend. Lots of wonderful things coming from Team Corvette. Thanks for a great turn out! "

Questions:
Question: How soon will be see an engine that smokes the LS1?
Dave Hill: "We have some good stuff coming in the 2001 model year. Speculation is incorrect that all Corvettes will not be improved next year. All of the Corvettes performance and acceleration will be improved in the 2001 year."

Question: Can the new 8100 Engine that was mentioned in recent Magazine articles, be put in the upcoming Model Corvette?

Dave Hill: "We think that it is right to keep the existing excellent mass efficiency and mass distribution. We will continue to make the engine we have better and faster. No, we will not change the engine configuration in a big way, it is not in the plans. It would take away from the car and its great attributes. Ordering information will be in dealerships the first of July. Come to the Birthday Bash!!"

February 3, 2000
Is our C5 gaining weight? And losing fuel capacity? In reviewing some recent technical bulletins, it came to our attention that the stated weight for a C5 Coupe from 1997 to 1999 was 3245 lbs. In 2000, the C5 Coupe weighs in at 3246 lbs. Along the same lines, the 2000 Convertible has increased from 3246 lbs. to 3248 lbs. The 2000 FRC (supposedly the light-weight of the bunch) went up 21 pounds from 3152 in 1999 to 3173 in 2000!!! And besides this,. . . don't plan on going as far on fill ups! The stated gas tank size has dropped from 19.1 gallons (1997-1999) to 18.5 gallons in all 2000 C5s. Again, this is just published materials and there is always room for error. We are going to ask some of the experts at the C5 Registry Dinner (February 4) in Daytona at the 24 Hours of Rolex. Look for another update soon!

January 31, 2000
Corvette Gets New Base Wheel! Chevrolet Sales Information Bulletin Y-00-1 provides all the latest details on the wheel change. Here is the bulletin in it's entirety: 

"The Corvette Brand Team is pleased to announce that starting with the January 24th production week, a new 5-spoke aluminum wheel has been made standard on all 2000 models. This wheel, identified with the RPO code of QG1, has painted surfaces and comes in the following sizes: 17" x 8.5" for the front and 18" x 9.5" for the rear. The QG1 wheel replaces the previously standard 5-spoke wheel (QD4). This new wheel will be produced by a different supplier. By making this change, we are enabling the previous supplier to concentrate their efforts on providing us with greater quantities of the QF5 high-polished wheel. As this new wheel will be standard, there will be no change in price. The high-polished aluminum wheel (QF5) and the magnesium wheel (N73) remain unchanged and are available on all models at an additional cost. No action is required on your part as future generated orders will reflect this change."

Click on the wheels at the left for a larger  view of the new wheel styles.

January 30, 2000
There has been quite a bit of discussion floating around on the C5 Net about a Base QD4 Painted Wheel change. As some have already heard and brought to our attention, it is true that a new and improved Base QG1 Wheel has gone into production (effective 1/24). As mentioned on the C5 Net, the wheel is coming from a new supplier. Initial feedback from those who have seen it is that the paint job on the new wheel is a lot slicker! And the design is the same basic look at the Magnesium (N73) wheel. But in painted aluminum instead of magnesium. As a point of information, the RPO Code QD4 will refer to the Base Wheel for model year 2000 produced in 1999 and the RPO Code QG1 will refer to the Base Wheel for model Year 2000 produced in the second half (after 1/24/00) of the production year. You guys are good! . . . as questions have risen regarding forged vs. non-forged . . . we are still investigating that information. We believe each change made to the C5 is designed to make the C5 even better and lighter and are sure this decision fits with that same philosophy!

January 26, 2000
The Registry has learned that Active Handling (RPO JL4) will become a standard item on the 2001 Model Year. We expect the base price of the Corvette to raise accordingly. We know that Active Handling is a great safety related feature and we applaud GM's Corvette management for this decision. The information on the 2001 is starting to trickle in, so you may want to start a 2001 file for all the information.

January 24, 2000
According to some recent magazine articles, there is an opinion that Arctic White (RPO 10U) may be discontinued as well in favor for the "new" Pearlized White rumored to debut in the 2001 model year. This Pearlized White will be a striking color if it lives up to the color they have used on the Cadillac line. The paint, very heavily inlaid with silver metallic, has a brilliant hue. This will be a premium color option, with an additional cost. As the end of the model year approaches, we will know more.

January 22, 2000
The word is out that Nassau Blue (RPO 23U), which has fallen to a total production of 2% (562 total C5s through January 24, 2000) IS GOING AWAY! For those of you who have Nassau Blue in the order banks, you should be in good shape. For those of you who have been thinking about ordering one, NOW IS THE TIME! Nassau Blue MAY be discontinued before the end of the 2000 model year.

January 19, 2000
There has been some C5 Net discussion on the headlamp on/off operation. We have recently learned from one of our Corporate Member Dealers that the head lamp assembly opening and closing mechanism has been modified. The old assembly was exclusive only to the C5 Corvette and consisted of several parts that were metal. In an effort to "streamline" parts acquisition, they "modified" the parts from the F-Body (Firebird) vehicles to fit in the C5. One noticeable change is that most of the entire assembly is plastic (ie: Corvette is always looking for ways to save weight), as opposed to the previous metal assembly. This may help explain why some C5 owners have not been able to locate parts for the original head lamp assembly. We believe that GM is working on a Parts package to replace any old metal assemblies with the newest design.
UPDATE: Chevrolet just last week identified the root cause of this concern. It is a problem with the motor shaft being to long, this allows the linkage to miss the down "stop" when the headlamp door closes. Engineers are currently working to develop and publish a fix for this condition. Replacing the electronic module will not correct the condition.

January 18, 2000
Just In! Want to know how many 2000 C5's there are like yours? We now have the Mid-Year production numbers for the 2000 Model Year Corvette listed by RPO. Click Here to view the chart.

January 15, 2000
There have been a lot of "COMMENTS" regarding the RARE Millennium Yellow C5s with Torch Red interior. I know all of you are asking "How RARE are they?" As of December 15, 1999, there were only 30 built: 23 coupes and 7 convertibles. The only details that we can share at this time are: 13 of the 23 coupes have automatic transmission and 10 are 6-speeds and 3 of the convertibles are automatics and the remaining 4 are 6-speeds.

January 12, 2000
There has been a lot of misinformation circulating about a recent Administrative Message pertaining to Brake Rotor Pulsation. We have received the most recent Administrative Bulletin (#VSG19990282)"Click Here" which clarifies the appropriate GM vehicles involved. The original Administrative Message did not include the list of vehicles. Corvette is NOT one of the affected vehicles.

January 9, 2000
We hear there is the possibility of two new "premium tint coat" colors being considered for 2001 production. It is not clear if both colors will both be available but certainly one of the two will. Dave Hill, Corvette's chief engineer, made mention while in Las Vegas "There will be an additional tint coat in the future" -Note: Many C5 Registry members are looking for a new "silver" - rumored to be called "sterling silver. "Special colors are more expensive in part due to a shorter shelf life and a more time consuming paint process."

January 2, 2000
C5Net MEMBERS! ... The time has come and today is the day, if all goes well. I'll be moving all of you over to the new server for the C5Net. I ask that you don't post any messages to the net until the conversion is over as the mail will not transfer that is already there. Once you're all added to the new server, I'll turn off your ability to post to the old server. The new address to post to the C5Net is C5NET@LISTSRV.PALMNET.NET  Make SURE you change this in your address books in your e-mail program. Once the server conversion is complete, and the existing archives are downloaded, the old server will be history.