As the fifth generation of Corvette came to a close in 2004, Chevrolet decided to send all C5 models out with a bang, but most especially the Z06.
Customers could celebrate the occasion by ordering the Le Mans 24 Hour Commemorative Edition that year, recognizing Corvette Racing’s C5-R success on the track, notably at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Rick Baldick, Corvette marketing director at the time, noted that racing is part of the Corvette’s DNA. “The 2004 Commemorative Edition provides us the opportunity to connect our customers even more closely with this unprecedented era of Corvette Racing,” he said then.
One of the 2,025 CE Z06s built that year is being offered on Craigslist out of Grants Pass, Oregon with an asking price of $32,000.
The seller says he is paring down his collection and describes his 41,000-mile Z06 as a “show winner” that is “all stock” with no modifications or accidents.
This car – #495 – includes a six-speed manual transmission and 405-horsepower LS6 V8 engine easily identifiable thanks to its exclusive red engine dress compared to the black fuel rail covers on the standard coupes and convertibles.
The CE package added $4,335 to the $56,720 starting price of the Z06, featuring Le Mans Blue paint and a special stripe scheme with silver graphics edged by red striping on the hood. Unlike the standard coupe and convertible CEs that had a special Shale interior, the CE Z06 interior was Ebony with the C5 logo embroidered on the headrests. Polished aluminum Z06 wheels with Commemorative Edition center caps were included with special “24 Heures Du Mans 2 GTS Wins” badges.
The CEs came with the 1SC equipment group and included Head-Up Display, power-telescopic steering column, auto dimming mirrors, memory package, and twilight sentinel.
One unique aspect of the 2004 Corvette Z06 was the first-time use of carbon fiber on the production sports car, an example of technology transferring from the racing program to the street cars. Thanks to the use of this strong and lightweight material, the Z06 hood weighed just 20.5 pounds, some 10.6 pounds lighter than the usual panel. In a special production process, the carbon fibers of the hood were aligned in a single direction, allowing the exterior to be painted, the first use of this material for a painted exterior panel on a vehicle produced in North America.
Extensive testing of the Z06 on the Nurburgring in Germany resulted in chassis upgrades that increased vehicle control and reduced the time it took for the Z06 to settle in on transient maneuvers, allowing the car to feel more poised. Corvette product manager Harlan Charles described it as “more tied down, more glued to the road.” Suspension changes included revising the dampings in the Sachs gas-pressure shocks and adding stiffer bushings to the upper control arms and softer bushings to the rear anti-roll bar.
The 2004 Z06 was one of the few production vehicles then to break the 8-minute barrier for lap times at the 170-turn, 12.9-mile Nurburgring track. It was the first Corvette to make the modern-day benchmarking list with a lap time of 7:56 – starting from a dead stop, unlike the flying laps done today.
Source:
Craigslist.org
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This needs a broader reach than Craigslist…
The very best C5 Corvette.
I’m still mystifyied as to why people put cars of particular interest, like this Z06, on Craigslist, when there are well known, dedicated venues for online sale of unique vehicles. Bring a Trailer, Cars and Bids, and Hemmings come to mind. These venues target the exclusive audience who understands what these cars are and their proper valuation. Craigslist is where you sell a used washer and dryer, or a 300k mile late 90s Oldsmobile. It’s also filled with scammers and crooks.
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