1999 Corvette Research

Everything You Want to Know About the 1999 Corvette, All in One Place.

From its inception in 1953, the Chevy Corvette has always been recognized as a vehicle that was a “step above the common car. Beginning with its earliest Motorama concept, to its first production models and beyond, the Corvette quickly became recognized and universally accepted as “America’s sports car” and, over time, became increasingly synonymous with the American dream – a dream in which every American could aspire to own a house, have 2.5 kids, and afford a sporty, two-seat, convertible coupe.

Even as it evolved thru the 1960’s and 1970’s, Corvette had remained an obtainable dream for many, though, as technology evolved and the cars became more sophisticated, more powerful, and, well, more sporty, so too did the price tag for the cars increase. Over time, the Corvette became a luxury item that fewer and fewer enthusiasts could readily afford to purchase. While this helped add an aura of exclusivity to the car, it also caused some within the General Motors corporation to question whether the Corvette franchise was headed down a path where increasing exclusivity might actually bring about an even greater decline in sales.

It was from this concern that actions were put into motion during the early planning phases of the C5 Corvette. Chevrolet had begun exploring the idea of creating a less-expensive, somewhat-stripped-down variant of the C5 coupe that could be marketed as a “budget-conscious” Corvette. This lower-cost “stripped” model would feature fewer amenities than its coupe and convertible counterparts. Early considerations included offering manual windows, cloth seats (versus the standard leather available on the other variants of the car), and even smaller wheels and tires.

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