Nyheder
10. Februar - Daytona
sejer
It was only a matter of
time. One of the world's great sports cars taking part in the world's greatest
endurance race. On June 17, 2000, Corvette returned to take on the world at Le
Mans with the Corvette C5-R and surprised more than a few skeptics with an
impressive finish (third and fourth in the GTS class).
The
making of a world contender.
The Corvette gave us a lot to work with right out of the box. So when the
Corvette C5-R first attacked Le Mans' Mulsanne Corner, it did so with many of
the same parts found on the production car. And with its already aerodynamic
styling, rigid body structure and tremendous suspension geometry, the Corvette
was destined to be a race car.
Under the hood — 620
horsepower.
Our search for an engine led
us to our production car’s LS1 powerplant. Of course, modifications had to be
made. But luckily we were able to take the aluminum small block from the
production car and increase it from 350 to a whopping 620 horsepower. That says
a lot about the inherent goodness of the LS1.
Podium finish at Le
Mans.
This racing Vette turned a
lot of heads on the way to Le Mans. In January 1999, after 4,000 miles of
testing, the C5-R was entered in the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona. The C5-R not
only completed the race, but gave the rest of the pack a run for its money. By
its second season, the C5-R had made it to the podium several times. Then came
Le Mans 2000, the granddaddy of all endurance races. A GTS podium finish there
confirmed what we'd all suspected: the Corvette C5-R is one of the world's great
sports cars.
