2003 Chevrolet Corvette C5R

Chevrolet had been involved with the Corvette racing endeavors for many decades but at an arm's-length. In 1998, they created their own race team showcasing the new C5. Built by Pratt & Miller Engineering of Michigan after a season of program development in 1999, the C5-R was a purpose-built race car. Power was initially from a 366 cubic-inch V8 engine based on the production car's LS1. In 1999, the engine was replaced with a 427 CID engine built by Katech Engine Development. With an excess of 600 horsepower, the Katech 427 became the standard C5-R engine.

The race chassis shared only basic structural elements with the road-going versions. The firewall was positioned behind the driver's seat, eliminating any rear visibility inside the cockpit. A wing and larger diffuser were placed on the rear, while vents and a splitter on the hood were added to the front. Instead of the road-going car's pop-up headlights in the front, the race cars had protruding permanent units.

Over the six years of racing, the C5-Rs received numerous modifications including to the bodywork, a new air conditioning system for the driver, and a rearview camera on the bumper with a monitor in the cockpit for the driver.

Between 1998 and 2004, Pratt & Miller built 11 examples of the C5-R Corvette, with ten being used by Corvette Racing and one being used for privateer use. A twelfth-car C5-R frame was built as a test mule for the C6.R.

During the Corvette C5-R racing career, it would earn 31 class victories in the American Le Mans Series, three class wins at Le Mans, and one overall victory at Daytona.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2020