Modest Improvements make the 2000 Corvette a well Received C5
Chevy rang in the new century with the 2000 Corvette that saw little in the way of restyling. Though the car was largely unchanged it did feature some welcomed improvements and was hailed as a success at the end of the year.
The biggest change that was made available for the 2000 Corvette was the addition of a new color that was special to the new millennium. The color was appropriately enough called millennium yellow and was optional at an extra $500 for the year. The color proved to be a popular one and almost 3,600 buyers opted to get the new special yellow for their Vettes.
The five-spoke aluminum wheels that had become the Corvette standard were revised a bit and made to be a bit thinner. Still the new design represented wheels that were fully forged and offered a better durability over the previous additions. Additionally, they were more affordable than that of their predecessor which helped keep the 2000 Corvette from having to go up too much in the base price as compared to the 1999 model
One of the chief complaints from the Corvette faithful had been the complexity of the proximity based keyless entry system and the GM engineers not only listed but made further revisions to accommodate the masses. The 2000 Corvette came with an easier and more traditional keyless entry system in the form of a simple key fob configuration. The 2000 Corvette also shed the lock assembly on the passenger door, making the driver’s side the only way to get into the Corvette using a key should the key fob battery go dead.
For added performance the buyers of the 2000 Corvette could opt for the Z51 package that gave an increased overall performance boost in the handling department. This was due to larger stabilizer bars in both the front and rear, and revised shock absorbers which gave a more stable ride without a harsh feel.
Other notable changes conducted to the 2000 Corvette included engineering improvements to the:
- Seat Belts
- Manual Transmission Shifter
- Selective Real Time Dampening Suspension
- Windshield Seals
- Seat Construction
- Dual Zone Climate Control
The engine was again a beefy 5.7 V-8 that put out a massive 345 horsepower with 350 foot pounds of torque. With the Z51 handling package it was tough to get a more capable car for the money no matter if the feat was attempted with a foreign or domestic name plate.
With a better overall ride and the same popular features from the previous year, the 2000 Corvette started out the new century on an up note. Sales for the year ended up slightly at 33,659 units and while not a huge gain it was still an uptick for the new decade and new century all at the same time. And with the Chevy Corvette racing team beginning to flex its muscle in the La Mans Series, there was no doubt that the Corvette had much to look forward to in the new century that lay ahead of it.
Tags: 2000 Corvette, Yellow, Z51
