World Class

The C5 was Chevrolet's first full redesign in 14 years — and the first Corvette engineered from the ground up around a rear-mounted transaxle. The result was near-50/50 weight distribution and the kind of balance Corvettes had never had before.

The all-aluminum LS1 V8 made 345 horsepower; the 2001 Z06 took that to 385 and then 405 hp, with a fixed-roof coupe body, titanium exhaust and 17/18-inch wheels.

Eight model years later the C5 had completely modernized the Corvette — and made the Z06 a giant-killer at half the price.