It all goes back to one man’s passion for racing. Zora Arkus-Duntov was the only executive at GM that ever raced a car at Le Mans, let alone have class wins in ‘54 and ’55.
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This 2004 Chevrolet Corvette Commemorative Edition convertible is a value-priced droptop that celebrates the model that added new life to the 'Vette tradition, and even recognized back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours at Le Mans. There is only one way to get a C5 in this beautiful code 19L Lemans Blue Metallic.
Duntov took his passion and experience and poured it into Chevrolet’s little beauty queen, the Corvette, taking the car to legendary status.Duntov had the kind of expertise that only comes from seat of the parts experience of putting it all on the line in a four-wheel drift. With each new development in the Corvette, he always had racing on his mind. Bill Mitchell called this quality, “having gasoline in your veins.” No sooner had Duntov stuffed the new 265 small-block into the ‘55 Vette, he started secretly working on his first Le Mans intended racer, the Corvette SS.Commemorative Edition ’04 Corvettes were available on the Coupe, Roadster, and Z06It’s hard to imagine how he managed to spend GM money without management realizing that he was building a race car. But after the Corvette SS came out in ‘57, management came down on him like an avalanche.
“GM does not make race cars. Period!” The project was shelved and fortunately not crushed. Two years later the running gear was used for Bill Mitchell’s Sting Ray racer and experienced moderate racing success.As much as Duntov wanted to build racing Vettes, he was relegated to making parts for independent racers. In ‘60, with back door help from Duntov, independent racer Briggs Cunningham built three Corvettes to race at Le Mans and won first in his class and 8th overall.All Commemorative Edition Corvettes wore this unique nose badge.Then in ’63 Duntov tried to sneak through his lightweight Grand Sport Corvettes and once again got slammed by GM’s management. Duntov spent the rest of his career improving the Vette and providing independent racers with a platform and parts for their racing efforts.
In ‘67 Dick Guldstrand and Bob Bobdurant took a L-88 Corvette to Le Mans, but dropped out with mechanical problems. But the car hit a top speed of 171 mph. Then in ’72 John Greenwood and Dick Smothers raced their B.F. Goodrich L-88 Corvette at Le Mans, but dropped out after 10 hours. Greenwood was back at Le Mans in ‘76 with his wild Batmobile wide-body Corvette, but was sidelined after 5 hours. There wasn’t another major Le Mans Corvette effort until ‘95 when Reeves Callaway had 2nd and 3rd place wins.
With the C5 waiting in the wings and a new attitude towards racing inside GM, Corvette fans saw the first factory supported Corvette racer in ’99 with the C5-R. After two years of sorting out the C5-R, Duntov’s dream of his Corvette winning at Le Mans came true. The C5-R went on to win at Le Mans in ‘02 and ’04.
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The ‘04 season was the best with 10 1st place wins in 10 races!To celebrate the success of the C5-R Corvettes, Chevrolet offered the Commemorative Edition option on all ’04 Corvettes – coupes, convertibles, and the Z06. The paint scheme and stripes were taken from the ‘04 C5-R cars and included every performance and luxury option available. This was a $3,700 option for the coupe and convertible, and a $4,335 option on the Z06. A total of 6,899 units were built, accounting for 20-percent of all ’04 Vettes.A total of 6899 Commemorative Edition were sold in ’04. While not the lowest number of cars for a special edition Corvete, it was a VERY sweet package.All Commemorative Edition cars had the special Le Mans blue paint, cross-flag embroidery on the headrests, polished Z06 wheels with unique wheel centers, and special emblems. The Z06 version had a carbon fiber hood that saved 10.6 pounds.
The coupe and convertible had two-tone shale interiors, while the Z06 cars had black interiors.Commemorative Edition Corvettes often are parked together at Corvette shows making for an impressive display. It may have taken 48 years to win at Le Mans, but it was worth the wait. We owe it all to one man’s vision, many years ago.
– KSTPS – 11×17 parchment paper prints and Laser-Etched prints of the 2004 Corvettes are available.or, just click any of the below images.Illustrated Corvette Series-II No. 119 2004 Commemorative Edition CorvetteLAser-Etched 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06 CorvetteIllustrated Corvette Series No. 119 2004 CorvetteSo, what’s your opinion? Best C5?Let us know in the “Leave a reply” box below.
Since its inception in 1997, the fifth-generation Chevrolet Corvette has created a remarkable string of performance achievements, on the road and on the racetrack. For 2004, the final chapter in the C5 era, this tradition continues with the Commemorative Edition Corvette, celebrating Corvette Racing’s historic Le Mans victories and delivering technology that once again improves the breed.‘The great racing success of the C5-R is more than just symbolic, it’s a real testament to the world-class technology and performance of the Corvette,’ says David Hill, vehicle line executive and Corvette chief engineer.
‘We’ve created the 2004 Commemorative Edition to share our racing achievements with Corvette enthusiasts, while bringing real performance and technology upgrades to the Z06.’The 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06 features a new hood using carbon fiber material, and exterior graphics and color designed in concert with the new-look C5-R that will go for a landmark third consecutive Le Mans GTS class championship. The carbon fiber hood represents the first time this advanced material has been used as original equipment for a painted exterior panel on a North American-produced vehicle. The unique Le Mans Blue paint with a silver and red center graphic will appear on the race car only at Le Mans 2003 and only on the road on a limited number of 2004 Commemorative Edition Z06s.Commemorative Edition Corvette Coupes and Convertibles will also be available for 2004. These will share an exclusive package of styling amenities, including Le Mans Blue paint and a Shale-colored interior, with a Commemorative Edition exterior badge noting Corvette’s Le Mans titles. Special embroidery on the headrests of each seat is also included. 2004 Z06The Z06 Corvette shook the foundations of the sports car world upon its 2001 debut, as the Corvette for the extreme performance enthusiast. Just a year later, horsepower moved from 385 to an awe-inspiring 405.
For 2004, Z06 gets two performance-enhancing upgrades – the lightweight, race-inspired carbon fiber hood for the Commemorative Edition, and revised chassis tuning for quicker, smoother response in the most challenging environments.The carbon fiber hood – only available on the Commemorative Edition version of the 2004 Z06 – weighs 20.5 pounds, 10.6 less than the standard hood, providing another measure of weight savings for a car that already enjoys a very potent power-to-weight ratio. Previously reserved for racing and exotic sports cars, carbon fiber combines extremely high strength and low weight. The inside hood panel is a hybrid of carbon fiber and Sheet Molded Compound (SMC).Specifically developed for the Corvette, the Commemorative Edition Z06 hood achieves a higher level of exterior finish quality than previous automotive applications of carbon fiber. On most carbon fiber parts, the woven pattern of the material is easily seen beneath the exterior finish. To diminish that effect and preserve the rich LeMans Blue paint finish, on the Commemorative Edition Z06 the carbon fibers are aligned in a single direction. The only visual cue that the hood is made from carbon fiber is in the red border surrounding the silver graphic on the car, which is arranged in a woven pattern signifying the material that lies underneath.
The overall result is a finish consistent with the rest of the car that gives just a slight hint at the carbon fiber construction. Inspired Chassis TuningAll 2004 Z06 Corvettes will benefit from the continual pursuit of performance enhancements that have characterized the C5 era. The enhancements for 2004 are subtle in terms of physical parts, but significant in terms of the car’s performance and feel.GM engineers have refined the Z06’s shock damping characteristics to provide improved handling in the most challenging conditions, while maintaining good ride control for the demands of daily driving.Continual analysis, development and refinement of the shock valves in particular resulted in more damping control and force, delivered more smoothly. This new tuning is aimed at diminishing the impact of yaw and roll on the car, particularly in quick, transient maneuvers such as ‘S-turns’ or a series of tight corners.These refinements are a result of extensive testing and development, including several high-speed test sessions at Germany’s famed Nurburgring circuit. Corvette Z06 is one of only a precious few cars to have broken the 8-minute barrier for lap times at Nurburgring. Corvette testing at Nurburgring isn’t just about raw speed, as the Z06 provides plenty of that. Engineers gathered important learning on tuning the chassis to enhance the poise, confidence and smoothness of response, attributes that are of great importance under the severe demands of a 14-mile course that has approximately 170 turns and virtually constant elevation changes.
Story by General Motors Corp.
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