The Box Car

"Goggles Pizzano" (gogglespizzano) 07/19/2019 at 11:15 • Filed to: Corvette, Box Car, Not a C8 Post

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If you were in the know and a Chevrolet approved race team in 1999 it was possible to purchase a new Corvette for a mere $20,000 (the equivalent of $30,000 today). But there was a catch.

You went to your local Chevrolet parts counter and ordered a single part number. After traveling to Flint Michigan to get your “part” you received a frame, suspension, steering wheel, engine, brakes, transmission, and rear end, all fully assembled. The rest of the car, including body panels, were shipped in boxes.

All of the chassis were assembled in the Bowling Green plant but pulled off the assembly line prior to what is known as serialization. In other words these twenty cars did not have the standard 17-digit VIN. Neither were they counted into the 1999 model year production numbers. All of the cars were given a serial number from GM Motorsports. They ran from 0000001 to 0000020.

Parts were delayed in 1999 and some body panels arrived damaged, so in 2001 no body panels were included and anti-lock brakes were added.

20 were sold in 1999, 10 in 2000, and 12 in 2001.

The sauces:

High-Performance C5 Corvette Builder’s Guide by Walt Thurn. Published 2007

cartechstuff.blogspot.com

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Goggles Pizzano 07/19/2019 at 11:31

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I’d  just want to put a seat in it and drive it as-is...

arl > Goggles Pizzano 07/19/2019 at 11:58

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Interesting!

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Goggles Pizzano 07/19/2019 at 12:21

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I wonder if this was qualified as a kit car, and therefore no registration or VIN would be needed.

Also MSRP of the Vette was about $40k in 1999, which means these were a fairly significant savings.   

Nauraushaun > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 07/19/2019 at 12:45

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Call it the vettekart ;) it's been done! With a c4

Goggles Pizzano > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 07/19/2019 at 12:59

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Interesting thought. I doubt you’d be able to take it down to the DMV and pass it off as a kit like a Lotus 7 was a kit.

But another angle..say you were to build, oh I don’t know...a Countach in your basement with a fabricated frame...

How does this differ from that hand built Countach? The only way I see, is that the Countach frame materials were bought from a metal yard, and the Corvette frame was bought from a company that also happens to build road cars.

pip bip - choose Corrour > Goggles Pizzano 07/20/2019 at 06:58

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buy a wreck and swap the vin over

dogisbadob > Goggles Pizzano 07/20/2019 at 19:40

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If the trunk of that C5 hardtop/Z06 was a little longer, it would actually be a great form factor for a midengine

Goggles Pizzano > dogisbadob 07/20/2019 at 19:45

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