Chevrolet CORVETTE C5-R 1999 for sale

One of the most high-performing GTS/GT1s in Endurance history, with victories in the American Le Mans Series Championships, the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans C5-R #002 provided GM and Pratt & Miller with their first podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Competing in the most prestigious Endurance races: 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona in 1999 and 2000, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2000. Preserved in the Pratt & Miller showroom and at the GM Heritage Center after Le Mans 2000: 100% original. Eligible for numerous historic races including Dubai GP Revival, Daytona Classic, Sebring Classic, Monterey, Masters Endurance Legends, Endurance Racing Legends, and the Le Mans Classic. The Corvette C5-R in competition and the birth of Corvette Racing. It was in 1996 that Corvette Racing was officially created by General Motors, to establish an official team dedicated to GT competition. Herb Fishel, then director of GM Racing, founded Corvette Racing under the direction of Doug Fehan. The latter, who until then was responsible for the Oldsmobile Aurora IMSA GTO program, took charge of the new team and approached Pratt & Miller. Gary Pratt and Jim Miller welcomed Doug Fehan, whose intent was clear: he wanted to race the Corvette C5 that was about to arrive in the lineup and relied on Pratt & Miller to check if the car could be competitive, test it through comprehensive testing, define a target championship, and then manage the competition program. GM requested total management, which would lead to an agreement lasting more than 20 years. The birth of Corvette Racing and the launch of the C5-R project marked a true turning point: GM had never been so involved in a competition project. When Corvettes had previously competed in races, they did so discreetly, almost as if the manufacturer was trying to distance itself from the efforts made… in case of failure! The saga of Zora Arkus-Duntov, who created the legendary SS 1957 and Grand Sport 1963, illustrates this. But with this new project, GM still made a nod to the past. The name C5-R is an extension of the names of models developed by Briggs Cunningham, who campaigned his creations in the 1950s, particularly the Cunningham C4-R, which won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1953. This time, GM's management gave the green light. The first tests – in 1997 and 1998 - were conducted in secret. A handful of engineers, mechanics, and technicians set out for American circuits to test a modified production C5. GM moved slowly and did not want to be noticed. The modified 1997 Corvette C5 to create an initial racing version covered more than 4,000 miles in the hands of test drivers, mainly Ron Fellows and Chris Kneifel. The first test model is the C5R-001. It is followed by chassis C5R-002 now for sale. Both were produced in 1998. The first two of the 11 Corvette C5-R built in total. The regulations of the time required developing the GT from a production chassis and the engine also had to be derived from a current production model. GM initially wanted to keep as many stock components as possible. Ensuring that the race car was as close as possible to the production car would help promote the model. Initially, even the suspension arms were stock pieces. "We knew that some parts were not suitable for racing, but gradually we developed components. Thanks to this, we were then able to transfer these improvements to the production car, so that they could be homologated on the race car," reads Dailysportscar. A true link between the two universes, which has become rare today. "When you start with a great production car, you get a great race car." This phrase was spoken by Doug Fehan, regarding the C5 of course. At the time when the GT1 derivatives appeared (with the 1998 Porsche 911 GT1, Mercedes CLK-GTR, and other Toyota GT-One that were disguised prototypes), Corvette Racing took the regulations literally in its philosophy, and transformed a true GT into a racing beast. A GTS according to the categorization of the time by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). In the end, after being developed by Pratt & Miller, the C5-R shares with production cars only the basic structural elements. The cockpit is closed behind the driver, with no rear window. A large diffuser and a wing have been added to the rear, while a splitter and openings find their place on the hood. The latter was modified during the 1999 season to replace the small ventilation holes with a g.