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From CNN:
50th Anniversary 'Vette a bust
Historic 2003 Corvette should have been a showstopper. What happened?
November 6, 2002: 3:52 PM EST
By Steven Cole Smith, Contributing Columnist
CHICAGO (Tribune Media Services) - General Motors, seldom a company to let a marketing opportunity go unexploited, flubbed the 50th anniversary of the Chevrolet Corvette. Don't get me wrong -- the Corvette is a superb vehicle, possibly the best, and certainly my favorite, American car.
How many vehicles get a 50th birthday? You can make an argument that the current Jeep Wrangler and Porsche 911 are similar enough to the vehicles built 50 years ago, but it's a stretch. I can't think of a car besides the Corvette that has kept the same name, configuration and mission for 50 continuous model years in the United States.
And though Chevrolet has plenty of grandiose plans for parties next year to celebrate, the biggest and best opportunity, a 50th Anniversary edition of the 2003 Corvette, seems done as an afterthought.
Paint some 2003 Corvettes a tepid cranberry called "50th Anniversary Red," tint the wheels gold, add some extra emblems and seat embroidery, and there you have it: The 50th Anniversary Corvette.
Yawn.
Not even the most powerful
What's the deal? Couldn't Chevrolet at least have made an anniversary Corvette from the 405-horsepower Z06 model, instead of the standard 350-horsepower model?
Couldn't Chevrolet have found a more appropriate color? (Gold, maybe?) Found better wheels? Different seats? Done a little bodywork on the front or the rear -- as plenty of aftermarket companies have done, and quite successfully -- to set the car apart? It would take a good shop about two days to turn a plain 2003 Corvette into a 50th Anniversary model, and that's just sad.
Thanks, Chevrolet, but no thanks, if this is the best you can do.
At least they didn't charge a whole lot more for it. The Anniversary package adds $5,000, and it gets you the otherwise optional Magnetic Selective Ride Control. The MSRC works by using fluid in the shock absorbers that has tiny metal particles in it.
By controlling the current to an electromagnetic coil inside the piston of the shock absorber's damper, the fluid's consistency can be changed. For performance, you want thick fluid. For a smooth ride, you want thin fluid. The system senses what is required -- one wheel at a time - -- adjusts the fluid accordingly, using magnetic impulses.
It works far better than you'd think. As an option on regular Corvettes, it's about $1,700, but as mentioned, it's part of the $5,000 Anniversary package.
Of course, none of my complaints about the marketing is the car's fault, and the test car was a nice one. I prefer its four-speed automatic transmission over the six-speed manual, though you can get the manual in the Anniversary edition.
Some very nice points
The convertible top works well, but for over $50,000, you'd expect it to be power-operated -- you must stop the car and get out to raise or lower it, but when it is lowered, at least it's protected beneath a hard cover. There isn't a lot of trunk space, but what there is can be accessed easily.
Inside, the leather-trimmed seats are very comfortable. The 1997-and-newer Corvettes don't require the gymnastics older models did to get in and out, but anyone taller than 6 feet can't do it gracefully.
On the road, the 2003 Corvette convertible is solid and virtually free of body flex. The 5.7-liter V-8 has plenty of punch, maximized by the responsive transmission. Fuel mileage is rated at 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, but if you're light on the accelerator, you can beat that. Of course, being light on the accelerator is something Corvette owners are typically not very good at.
As dismissive as it is, then, is the $5,000 Anniversary package worth it? If you're a collector, perhaps, but after all, every 2003 Corvette gets "50th anniversary" badges on the front and rear, and I'd rather save some money, and pick a different color. And I'd pay the extra $1,700 for that Magnetic Selective Ride Control.
There's nothing wrong with the special-edition 50th Anniversary Corvette, but it just isn't as special as it ought to be. What a shame.
50th Anniversary 'Vette a bust
Historic 2003 Corvette should have been a showstopper. What happened?
November 6, 2002: 3:52 PM EST
By Steven Cole Smith, Contributing Columnist
CHICAGO (Tribune Media Services) - General Motors, seldom a company to let a marketing opportunity go unexploited, flubbed the 50th anniversary of the Chevrolet Corvette. Don't get me wrong -- the Corvette is a superb vehicle, possibly the best, and certainly my favorite, American car.
How many vehicles get a 50th birthday? You can make an argument that the current Jeep Wrangler and Porsche 911 are similar enough to the vehicles built 50 years ago, but it's a stretch. I can't think of a car besides the Corvette that has kept the same name, configuration and mission for 50 continuous model years in the United States.
And though Chevrolet has plenty of grandiose plans for parties next year to celebrate, the biggest and best opportunity, a 50th Anniversary edition of the 2003 Corvette, seems done as an afterthought.
Paint some 2003 Corvettes a tepid cranberry called "50th Anniversary Red," tint the wheels gold, add some extra emblems and seat embroidery, and there you have it: The 50th Anniversary Corvette.
Yawn.
Not even the most powerful
What's the deal? Couldn't Chevrolet at least have made an anniversary Corvette from the 405-horsepower Z06 model, instead of the standard 350-horsepower model?
Couldn't Chevrolet have found a more appropriate color? (Gold, maybe?) Found better wheels? Different seats? Done a little bodywork on the front or the rear -- as plenty of aftermarket companies have done, and quite successfully -- to set the car apart? It would take a good shop about two days to turn a plain 2003 Corvette into a 50th Anniversary model, and that's just sad.
Thanks, Chevrolet, but no thanks, if this is the best you can do.
At least they didn't charge a whole lot more for it. The Anniversary package adds $5,000, and it gets you the otherwise optional Magnetic Selective Ride Control. The MSRC works by using fluid in the shock absorbers that has tiny metal particles in it.
By controlling the current to an electromagnetic coil inside the piston of the shock absorber's damper, the fluid's consistency can be changed. For performance, you want thick fluid. For a smooth ride, you want thin fluid. The system senses what is required -- one wheel at a time - -- adjusts the fluid accordingly, using magnetic impulses.
It works far better than you'd think. As an option on regular Corvettes, it's about $1,700, but as mentioned, it's part of the $5,000 Anniversary package.
Of course, none of my complaints about the marketing is the car's fault, and the test car was a nice one. I prefer its four-speed automatic transmission over the six-speed manual, though you can get the manual in the Anniversary edition.
Some very nice points
The convertible top works well, but for over $50,000, you'd expect it to be power-operated -- you must stop the car and get out to raise or lower it, but when it is lowered, at least it's protected beneath a hard cover. There isn't a lot of trunk space, but what there is can be accessed easily.
Inside, the leather-trimmed seats are very comfortable. The 1997-and-newer Corvettes don't require the gymnastics older models did to get in and out, but anyone taller than 6 feet can't do it gracefully.
On the road, the 2003 Corvette convertible is solid and virtually free of body flex. The 5.7-liter V-8 has plenty of punch, maximized by the responsive transmission. Fuel mileage is rated at 18 mpg city, 25 mpg highway, but if you're light on the accelerator, you can beat that. Of course, being light on the accelerator is something Corvette owners are typically not very good at.
As dismissive as it is, then, is the $5,000 Anniversary package worth it? If you're a collector, perhaps, but after all, every 2003 Corvette gets "50th anniversary" badges on the front and rear, and I'd rather save some money, and pick a different color. And I'd pay the extra $1,700 for that Magnetic Selective Ride Control.
There's nothing wrong with the special-edition 50th Anniversary Corvette, but it just isn't as special as it ought to be. What a shame.
and welcome to the Corvette Action Center!
