Today I borrowed...
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 6,326
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From: Ulaanbaatar
Today I borrowed...
This:
A very good mate of mine thought I needed cheering-up and has loaned me one of the toys in his fleet for a few weeks. My maudlin state is a result of my Old Dear having passed-away very recently, and also very suddenly and very unexpectedly. What better distraction than some petrol-head fun...
Anyhoo, the car is a MY2001 C5 Corvette. It's a UK market car, and having had only one or two owners from new and with only 30-odd thousand miles on the clock, it is almost box fresh. I have always had a soft-spot for 'Vettes (especially the C6) and so the chance to spend a few weeks behind the wheel of a C5 - which are themselves highly regarded - was not to be missed.
I picked-up the car today and did a 100-plus mile trip home in the pouring rain, so there was not much opportunity to give-it-some, but the initial impressions are quite good. It feels a heavy car and it is most definitely a 'GT' rather than a sports car (whatever that is); one could cover a big distance in this with ease. Seats are comfy and the space (I'm 6' 3" and have big frame) is a revelation compared to the confines of my old S.
With an auto' and the cruise set at 70 mph, the computer showed an indicated 25.8 mpg for my trip. Pretty impressive.
The interior - as noted by almost everyone who has tested one - is a vision of American low-rent plastics, but one has to remind oneself that when new, the price-point of this car compared to others with similar grunt, was actually pretty low.
Exterior-wise I can't recall a car which has attracted so much admiration and positive comments!
The specifications are quite good:
350 bhp
1472 kg
0 - 60 in 5 seconds
In one major respect, the C5 is very similar to the S; even with traction control it requires major respect in the wet.
I will post further observations as my time with car progresses.
A very good mate of mine thought I needed cheering-up and has loaned me one of the toys in his fleet for a few weeks. My maudlin state is a result of my Old Dear having passed-away very recently, and also very suddenly and very unexpectedly. What better distraction than some petrol-head fun...
Anyhoo, the car is a MY2001 C5 Corvette. It's a UK market car, and having had only one or two owners from new and with only 30-odd thousand miles on the clock, it is almost box fresh. I have always had a soft-spot for 'Vettes (especially the C6) and so the chance to spend a few weeks behind the wheel of a C5 - which are themselves highly regarded - was not to be missed.
I picked-up the car today and did a 100-plus mile trip home in the pouring rain, so there was not much opportunity to give-it-some, but the initial impressions are quite good. It feels a heavy car and it is most definitely a 'GT' rather than a sports car (whatever that is); one could cover a big distance in this with ease. Seats are comfy and the space (I'm 6' 3" and have big frame) is a revelation compared to the confines of my old S.
With an auto' and the cruise set at 70 mph, the computer showed an indicated 25.8 mpg for my trip. Pretty impressive.
The interior - as noted by almost everyone who has tested one - is a vision of American low-rent plastics, but one has to remind oneself that when new, the price-point of this car compared to others with similar grunt, was actually pretty low.
Exterior-wise I can't recall a car which has attracted so much admiration and positive comments!
The specifications are quite good:
350 bhp
1472 kg
0 - 60 in 5 seconds
In one major respect, the C5 is very similar to the S; even with traction control it requires major respect in the wet.
I will post further observations as my time with car progresses.
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Chicken Town
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 6,326
Likes: 1
From: Ulaanbaatar
Thanks guys; your words are much appreciated.
The sun is shining here today and it would have been silly not to make the most of it, so early this afternoon I pulled the Targa panel from the 'Vette and went for a serious drive.
This thing is quick. Whilst having only a 4 speed auto', the engine, which is quite happy to dawdle around at low rev's, is more than eager to go the red-line when demanded. And there's little hesitation in from the gearbox when a downshift (or two) is required.
The best adjective I can think of to describe the performance is 'brutal'. When the car changes down a gear or two with some serious amount of throttle applied, there's is real thump in the back. And it will hang-on to the gears right up to the red line (or one's sense of preservation).
The steering is of course light and pretty much dead, but it is remarkably quick.
The car has three ride settings; Touring, Sport and Performance. Touring is too soft for me (albeit suitable for the shite roads surfaces we have here) and little floaty, and I can't detect much difference between the latter two settings, so I have elected to leave it in Performance. The setting does not appear to affect the throttle response.
Handling-wise, it's pretty good. It corners flat and really hangs-on unless provoked, in which case the rear end steps out and the engine power is abruptly curtailed as the traction control intervenes. I don't have the cahunas to try the car with traction control switched-off...
Practicality-wise, there is masses of room in the car for me and a passenger and the boot is massive, with three smaller storage compartments under the boot floor. As for equipment, it has pretty much everything one can imagine; power seats, dual zone climate, memory seats, decent hi-fi, etc., etc.
The controls and interior plastics and leather are verging on the horrible and would not be out of place in Daewoo Matiz, but having said that, in this particular example they are 13 years old so they do possess some longevity.
The car is a real looker and if cruising is your bag, I suspect there is nothing else for the money that will attract more attention. I haven't received any adverse comments or gestures, which given it's bright red colour and in-yer-face persona is quite gratifying.
The only real niggle I have with the car is the Targa roof. A nice concept, but removing it and storing it is a faff and time consuming, and when in the boot really restricts the amount and type of luggage that could be accommodated. Also the buffeting with the roof panel removed and the windows up is dreadful at any speed over 50 mph and some careful adjustment of the side windows is required to make it comfortable.
In this respect, the convertible 'Vette would be better, but one would lose one of the defining styling elements of the a 'Vette up to the C6; the gorgeous compound curve and tapered rear window. I would have to live with the buffeting and the inconvenience of the Targa!
A friend has just returned from Lake Como and said he saw a C7 in white which he really rated. Alas I can't get away with it's Audi-esque styling, the three-piece rear glazing and the absence of quad round taillights.
The C6 is still my 'Vette rear-of-choice...
The sun is shining here today and it would have been silly not to make the most of it, so early this afternoon I pulled the Targa panel from the 'Vette and went for a serious drive.
This thing is quick. Whilst having only a 4 speed auto', the engine, which is quite happy to dawdle around at low rev's, is more than eager to go the red-line when demanded. And there's little hesitation in from the gearbox when a downshift (or two) is required.
The best adjective I can think of to describe the performance is 'brutal'. When the car changes down a gear or two with some serious amount of throttle applied, there's is real thump in the back. And it will hang-on to the gears right up to the red line (or one's sense of preservation).
The steering is of course light and pretty much dead, but it is remarkably quick.
The car has three ride settings; Touring, Sport and Performance. Touring is too soft for me (albeit suitable for the shite roads surfaces we have here) and little floaty, and I can't detect much difference between the latter two settings, so I have elected to leave it in Performance. The setting does not appear to affect the throttle response.
Handling-wise, it's pretty good. It corners flat and really hangs-on unless provoked, in which case the rear end steps out and the engine power is abruptly curtailed as the traction control intervenes. I don't have the cahunas to try the car with traction control switched-off...
Practicality-wise, there is masses of room in the car for me and a passenger and the boot is massive, with three smaller storage compartments under the boot floor. As for equipment, it has pretty much everything one can imagine; power seats, dual zone climate, memory seats, decent hi-fi, etc., etc.
The controls and interior plastics and leather are verging on the horrible and would not be out of place in Daewoo Matiz, but having said that, in this particular example they are 13 years old so they do possess some longevity.
The car is a real looker and if cruising is your bag, I suspect there is nothing else for the money that will attract more attention. I haven't received any adverse comments or gestures, which given it's bright red colour and in-yer-face persona is quite gratifying.
The only real niggle I have with the car is the Targa roof. A nice concept, but removing it and storing it is a faff and time consuming, and when in the boot really restricts the amount and type of luggage that could be accommodated. Also the buffeting with the roof panel removed and the windows up is dreadful at any speed over 50 mph and some careful adjustment of the side windows is required to make it comfortable.
In this respect, the convertible 'Vette would be better, but one would lose one of the defining styling elements of the a 'Vette up to the C6; the gorgeous compound curve and tapered rear window. I would have to live with the buffeting and the inconvenience of the Targa!
A friend has just returned from Lake Como and said he saw a C7 in white which he really rated. Alas I can't get away with it's Audi-esque styling, the three-piece rear glazing and the absence of quad round taillights.
The C6 is still my 'Vette rear-of-choice...
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From: Here and awake!
I really would love one of those, now this will sound silly but on the xBox in Forza4 you can 'drive' one around and what you have described above is exactly how it feels in the game, the torque is huge and too much power even on a straight and the tail will wag ... uncontrollably with too much left foot ... I can see myself in one of these one day, I really like them, brutal ... that is exactly what I hoped you would say .. and I think the C6 is the best of them too ... I just don't think I could afford one unfortunately.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 6,326
Likes: 1
From: Ulaanbaatar
As a caveat to my post above, a very good friend of mine - a Ferrari 360 owner, a kart racer of some considerable skill and a previous custodian of a road registered ex-Sterling Moss Lotus Elise (but that story is for another time...) had a drive of the 'Vette this morning. He considered that it felt as quick as his 360 but the power delivery was instant; no waiting for the rev's to enter the power band - and also very easily accessible. Simply prod the right foot to the floor and the rather good auto' instantly drops a gear or two and then it's into warp territory.
I omitted to mention in my first post that the purchase price of the car in late 2013 was £12,750; somewhat of a bargain...
I omitted to mention in my first post that the purchase price of the car in late 2013 was £12,750; somewhat of a bargain...
