Ken
Gone but not forgotten
From Marketwatch.com:
2005 Chevrolet Corvette convertible
Simply outstanding
By Ron Amadon, MarketWatch
Last Update: 7:15 AM ET June 4, 2005
POINT OF ROCKS, Md. (MarketWatch) -- Lost in all the talk about the blistering acceleration and flat cornering that's standard equipment on the Corvette is the fact that it's also a delight on a lazy drive on a beautiful warm day.
Burbling along the back roads that take you to this railroad junction town bordering the Potomac, the Corvette was just delightful. With the top down, an exciting baseball game on the XM radio and the seats adjusted juuust right, we could have driven for weeks.
The big V8 was all but silent during the drive with forward progress held down by trucks, farm tractors and an occasional relic of the roads. (Boy, those mid-60's Chryslers were BIG!)
Unlike some of the other exotic, high-speed sports cars out there, the Corvette is just as happy to amble along sweetly at moderate speeds. Of course, you can still elicit smiles when your right foot gives the big dogs under the hood some deep breathing exercises.
The 6.0-liter, 400-horsepower pushrod V8 really makes (as we have noted before) red, white and blue all-American sounds when pushed. Zero to sixty will show up in the blink or two of an eye, or in the lower four-second range. It sounds great, it blisters the pavement and God bless America, is it fun!
Handling was flat and secure in our test convertible, which had the optional Z51 Performance Package (priced at $1,695). We'd leave that option box unchecked, however. It makes the ride too hard: You'll notice bumps where your fanny has never noticed them before. We preferred the optional adjustable suspension on the earlier tested couple. But my heavens, this Z51 would handle!
Inside, the Corvette is generally wonderful. The seats were easy to adjust, the six-speed manual stick came right to hand even if it occasionally felt a bit heavy in shifting. With or without sunglasses, the instruments were easy to read, and that puts the 'Vette way ahead of too many cars we've tested of late.
We, along with many other testers, hated the button that opens the doors. The shifter has to be in reverse to get out and the driver's seat belt would lock up prematurely, which was a hassle when backing up. The rest of the interior was just fine, though, and we'd have no second thoughts about a quick cross-country trip in our test car. (Boss, can we leave tomorrow?)
To lower the power-retracted top, you turn a handle and hit a button to the left of the steering wheel. A well opens behind you and swallows it up quickly, leaving a nice smooth profile.
Peering down the hood from the driver's seat, we loved the raised fenders on either side -- as a wonderful retro touch resurrected from the Corvette's storied past.
With the Z51 package, a preferred equipment group ($2.995), and $1.995 for the power convertible top, our test car sold for $59,910. Is it worth it? That's for you and your banker to decide. But we count ourselves as only a good lottery ticket away from one -- a purchase we'd make in a heartbeat.
(Disclosure time: We've been a huge fan of Corvettes since we rode bicycles and "Route 66" was a neat primetime-TV show. And a week behind the wheel of this wonderful 2005-drop top did nothing to change that feeling.)
Comments? ramadon@markewatch.com
Ron Amadon is an auto writer and morning news anchor on the MarketWatch Radio Network
2005 Chevrolet Corvette convertible
Simply outstanding
By Ron Amadon, MarketWatch
Last Update: 7:15 AM ET June 4, 2005
POINT OF ROCKS, Md. (MarketWatch) -- Lost in all the talk about the blistering acceleration and flat cornering that's standard equipment on the Corvette is the fact that it's also a delight on a lazy drive on a beautiful warm day.
Burbling along the back roads that take you to this railroad junction town bordering the Potomac, the Corvette was just delightful. With the top down, an exciting baseball game on the XM radio and the seats adjusted juuust right, we could have driven for weeks.
The big V8 was all but silent during the drive with forward progress held down by trucks, farm tractors and an occasional relic of the roads. (Boy, those mid-60's Chryslers were BIG!)
Unlike some of the other exotic, high-speed sports cars out there, the Corvette is just as happy to amble along sweetly at moderate speeds. Of course, you can still elicit smiles when your right foot gives the big dogs under the hood some deep breathing exercises.
The 6.0-liter, 400-horsepower pushrod V8 really makes (as we have noted before) red, white and blue all-American sounds when pushed. Zero to sixty will show up in the blink or two of an eye, or in the lower four-second range. It sounds great, it blisters the pavement and God bless America, is it fun!
Handling was flat and secure in our test convertible, which had the optional Z51 Performance Package (priced at $1,695). We'd leave that option box unchecked, however. It makes the ride too hard: You'll notice bumps where your fanny has never noticed them before. We preferred the optional adjustable suspension on the earlier tested couple. But my heavens, this Z51 would handle!
Inside, the Corvette is generally wonderful. The seats were easy to adjust, the six-speed manual stick came right to hand even if it occasionally felt a bit heavy in shifting. With or without sunglasses, the instruments were easy to read, and that puts the 'Vette way ahead of too many cars we've tested of late.
We, along with many other testers, hated the button that opens the doors. The shifter has to be in reverse to get out and the driver's seat belt would lock up prematurely, which was a hassle when backing up. The rest of the interior was just fine, though, and we'd have no second thoughts about a quick cross-country trip in our test car. (Boss, can we leave tomorrow?)
To lower the power-retracted top, you turn a handle and hit a button to the left of the steering wheel. A well opens behind you and swallows it up quickly, leaving a nice smooth profile.
Peering down the hood from the driver's seat, we loved the raised fenders on either side -- as a wonderful retro touch resurrected from the Corvette's storied past.
With the Z51 package, a preferred equipment group ($2.995), and $1.995 for the power convertible top, our test car sold for $59,910. Is it worth it? That's for you and your banker to decide. But we count ourselves as only a good lottery ticket away from one -- a purchase we'd make in a heartbeat.
(Disclosure time: We've been a huge fan of Corvettes since we rode bicycles and "Route 66" was a neat primetime-TV show. And a week behind the wheel of this wonderful 2005-drop top did nothing to change that feeling.)
Comments? ramadon@markewatch.com
Ron Amadon is an auto writer and morning news anchor on the MarketWatch Radio Network
