Corvette To Celebrate Its Birthday With Style

Only one automobile has come to be known as “America’s Sports Car,” the Chevrolet Corvette.  The performance icon is scheduled to begin celebrating its 50th birthday when the 2003 model year 50th Anniversary Edition Corvette is unveiled in May as it serves official Pace Car duties during the running of the Indianapolis 500.

While Chevrolet and General Motors have been extremely tight-lipped about the details, a top-secret memorandum to dealers, combined with a series of spy photos capture what can be expected with the limited-production 50th Anniversary Edition Corvette.  The package will be available on coupe and convertible models only, and not the maximum-performance Z06. All limited-edition cars will sport a new exterior color, which insiders refer to as Burgundy Mist.  Convertibles will receive tan cloth tops, which remain manually operated. 

On the interior, the standard black panels fitted to all current Vettes are replaced with dark tan.  Light tan is used for lower interior panels and seats, which have colored 50th Anniversary emblems adorning the headrests.  In addition, the cars will receive gold-tone wheels similar in look to the discontinued Magnesium Wheel option from 1997-2001 Corvettes.

Enthusiasts hoping for a performance boost with the 50th Anniversary Edition Corvette will be somewhat disappointed, as the package is limited to mostly appearance modifications.  Early rumors had the car receiving the Z06’s fire-breathing 405 horsepower 400 foot-pounds torque LS6 power plant, but this is not the case.  The 50th Corvette will be available only with the LS1 engine, which delivers the standard 350 horsepower and 375 foot-pounds torque when mated to the 6-speed, and 360 foot-pounds torque with the automatic transmission. 

50th Anniversary editions will utilize an updated premium suspension called Magnetic Selective Ride Control, which should make the car quite comfortable while rocketing to 60mph in 4.6 seconds.  This suspension will be available as an option on other 2003 Corvette coupes and convertibles.

Regular 2003 Coupes, Convertibles and Z06 models without the special anniversary package will still wear the number 50 above the flags of the traditional fifth generation Corvette emblems.  These cars are scheduled to be available in August. 

The original Corvette debuted at the 1953 Motorama Auto Show.  Powered by the “Blue Flame Special” six cylinder engine, the Corvette was originally marketed as a “Personal Car.”   With sales lagging, Chevrolet strongly considered discontinuing the model, but instead added a potent V8 engine, which immediately established the model as a top-tier sports car, immediately increasing demand.  Releasing a new model every year, Corvette has missed only one model year, its 30th anniversary, when significant build-quality issues delayed the much-anticipated C4 generation until the 1984 model year.

Now in its fifth generation, the Corvette is among the fastest and best handling of all the supercars.

Pricing has not yet been announced, yet Chevrolet dealers have already started taking orders for the 50th Anniversary Edition Corvette. 

Sam Barer writes for Apex Auto News, a division of Apex Marketing Strategy.

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