When the C5 Corvette was under development, there was speculation that Chevy would offer a cheaper, stripped-down version in an effort to boost struggling sales of the C4.
This so-called “Bubba” version was proposed to have a smaller 4.8- or 5.2-liter engine, cloth seats, roll-up windows, smaller wheels and tires, and an automatic transmission only.
Fortunately, the C5 turned out to be a sales success, easily surpassing management’s mandated 25,000 annual sales, so the decision was made instead to turn the Fixed Roof Coupe in 1999 into a lightweight performance model available only with a six-speed manual transmission. The fixed roof ended up making the whole car more sturdy, as an unexpected bonus.
Sales proved to be respectable, with customers buying 4,031 Fixed Roof Coupes in 1999 (12 percent of 1999 sales) and 2,090 in 2000 (6.2 percent of 2000 sales).
At that point, Chevy decided to go all out performance-wise, changing the FRC into the more powerful – and more expensive – Z06 for 2001.
On the market now on Craigslist in the Marietta, Georgia area is this white over black 1999 FRC that is still living up to its reputation as a bargain Corvette.
In fact, it’s being offered at the asking price of just $12,900.
For that money, of course, there are drawbacks, not the least of which is the odometer reading of 164,000 miles.
On the bright side, however, the leather interior appears to have held up rather nicely, at least in the photos provided by the seller. Likewise, the body seems to be in decent enough shape, with no obvious damage to the paint or panels.
Only 311 FRC Corvettes were offered in Arctic White for 1999 making this one of the rarer color/model combinations for the year.
The seller claims the car has “no issues,” having passed the 2022 Georgia emissions test, and says he’s even installed a new AC compressor.
This could be a good opportunity for someone who wants to break into the Corvette hobby on a limited budget. What do you think about this trail-blazing bargain Corvette that actually paved the way for the Z06?
Source:
Craigslist
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 being sold on Craigslist for $12,900 looks pretty clean despite the 164K miles on the odometer.){kind=link}
I would drive it.
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