The Corvette has enjoyed a legendary presence and colorful history since its debut in 1953. The current, fifth-generation Corvette, now seven years in production, remains the most complete and potent Corvette package offered--though its reign will come to an end as a new, more aggressive sixth-generation car appears in '05. The C5 exits in grand fashion, however, in the form of an optional Commemorative Edition that celebrates Corvette's back-to-back class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

• 2004 Commemorative Edition Corvette Wheels 2017
• 2004 Commemorative Edition Corvette Wheels Series
• 2004 Commemorative Edition Corvette Wheels Custom

2004 Commemorative Edition Corvette Wheels 2017

2004 Commemorative Edition Corvette Wheels Series

Le Mans Blue paint and polished wheels distinguish the 2004 Corvette Commemorative Edition models. Their interiors are Shale-colored, with a matching top on the convertible. The tradition continues into 2004, the final chapter of the C5 era, with the Commemorative Edition Corvette. This Corvette was produced to share all the Le Mans victories with Corvette enthusiasts. The 2004 Commemorative edition Z06 features a new carbon fiber hood and a graphic and color design that makes it look like the C5-R.

Buy 1997-2004 C5 Corvette Forgeline Wheels, CCW Wheels, Chrome Wheels, Tires and more from Zip Products for any 1997-2004 C5 Corvette from Zip Products. For 2004, Z06 gets two performance-enhancing upgrades – the lightweight, race-inspired carbon fiber hood for the Commemorative Edition, and revised chassis tuning for quicker, smoother response in the most challenging environments.

© Provided by MotorTrend The Z06 and C5-R both rely on highly tuned Small Block Chevys. The street car's 405-horsepower LS6 makes it the fastest factory Vette we've ever tested, running 0-60 in 4.2 seconds and the quarter mile in 12.40 seconds at 117 mph. The Le Mans-winning 7.0-liter race version cranks out 600-plus horses--and is a lot faster yet. Available in Coupe, Convertible, and Z06 models, the Commemorative Edition emphasizes visual punch rather than power upgrades. Most notable is a special Le Mans Blue paint, the same hue used on the two C5-R contenders that returned to Le Mans this year and narrowly missed a three-peat class win at the famed endurance race. The Commemorative package includes a special Shale-colored interior; the seats incorporate Corvette cross-flags embroidered into the headrests. Also part of the mix are exterior badges acknowledging Corvette's Le Mans success.

There's one bit of CE hardware-related news: The '04 Z06 gets a race-inspired option in the form of a lightweight carbon-fiber hood that weighs just 20.5 pounds--10.6 less than the standard unit. This hood is constructed of unique, single-direction fibers intended to eliminate waviness, a trait common on painted carbon fiber. Atop the paint are silver stripes with red edges, similar to the stripe package used as a Le Mans-only aesthetic on the C5-R race cars (GM won't run these stripes at the rest of the American Le Mans race series events). GM says this is the first time carbon fiber has been used for a major body panel in a mass-production vehicle. 'We definitely have technology transfer from [C5-R] racing to production with the example of putting carbon fiber into a series production street car that people can afford,' notes Corvette Chief Engineer Dave Hill.

© Provided by MotorTrend MotorTend Image Apart from the Commemorative package for '04, the Z06 receives specific chassis tuning upgrades intended to deliver increased performance and more vehicle control--all with a smoother ride around town. Considerable attention was paid to refinement of the Sachs' shock valving in order to diminish the impact of yaw and roll, particularly in a series of tight corners. Ride/Handling Chassis Engineer Michael Neal states, 'We reshaped the force-velocity curve to give more control, but not at the expense of ride. What the customer feels, particularly on a racetrack, is a more poised car. He doesn't have to wait for body roll to settle during transient maneuvers, so he can be aggressive hustling from one corner to another, particularly as they come in quicker succession.' Added to the handling mix are stiffer upper control-arm bushings teamed with slightly softer rear anti-roll bar bushings to deliver flatter handling and more stability going into the corner, thus minimizing oversteer on corner exit. 'If you want to fix oversteer at the back, you first need to fix it at the front of the corner,' says Neal. Specifically, deterring oversteer requires generating a smoother entry, which, in the case of the '04 Z06, is noticeably easier compared with the '03 model.

The chassis refinements and reduced vehicle weight have paid off, as the '04 Z06 recently joined the ranks of the select few volume-production vehicles to have broken the eight-minute barrier for lap times at the 170-turn, 14-mile-long Nuerburgring circuit in Germany, where Team Corvette performs development testing. This is a worthy accomplishment, considering that the exact same vehicle can then be driven cross-country in air-conditioned comfort, backed by a factory warranty.
Hill's goal for the '04 Z06 was 'to make it the quickest Corvette ever produced,' sending the C5 out with a bang. That it is, and that he has.

Corvette Showdown: C5-R versus Z06
At Michigan's GingerMan Raceway road course, we had the opportunity to have C5-R driver Ron Fellows (multiple world champion in Trans-Am, World Sports Car, and American Le Mans) compare hot laps in C5-R and Collector Edition Z06 Corvettes. First up was the new Pratt & Miller C5-R, undergoing final tuning for the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans. Familiar with the number 53 C5-R, Fellows blasted around the 1.88-mile road course in 1:15.07 seconds. With a Katech 7.0-liter V-8 pounding out over 600 horsepower (plus a six-speed sequential box, Goodyear slicks, and huge brakes), the C5-R delivered phenomenal, repeatable performance--just what you'd expect from a multimillion-dollar championship team entry.

© Provided by MotorTrend Corvette fans may wish to click on the above image to open a 1024x768-pixel-size photo that can be downloaded for use as wallpaper. Next were some hot laps in an '04 Z06. Although it had been a few years since Fellows aggressively hustled a street car around a racetrack, his extensive experience in showroom-stock racing quickly emerged. With 405 horsepower delivered from the 5.7-liter LS6 V-8, the Z06 has the torque to easily overpower the Goodyear street tires. So Fellows maintained a keen focus on cornering smoothness.

Program laporan keuangan sederhana indah di. 'I was surprised by the general balance,' notes Fellows. On his third lap, he turned in an impressive 1:33.9-second time, proving the fortitude of the street-legal Z06 package.

'To really get an appreciation of what this thing's capable of, you need a racing seat. I found myself being tossed around quite a bit--the cornering capabilities are that good.'--J.K.

(Performance comparison chart can be found on the next page.)

2004 Commemorative Edition Corvette Wheels Custom