Vehicle Description
I knew John Lingenfelter when the C5 was the hottest Chevy in
years, and despite a friendly rivalry, there was no question that
his hardware was first rate and always worked as advertised. This
1999 Corvette packs a supercharged LS1, and with endless reserves
of torque, it is nothing short of spectacular on the road.
The C5 fixed-roof coupe was the lightest, most powerful, and most
aggressive Corvette ever built, but that doesn't mean there wasn't
room for improvement. Dressed in handsome Light Pewter Metallic
attire, the coupe body style looks elegant and insanely potent,
although aside from the custom power dome hood (to make clearance
for the blower), it's totally stock. Obviously this one was always
a cherished toy and not a daily driver, and with just 28,231
original miles, this Corvette was a fair-weather machine that was
never subject to the rigors of a daily commute. As a result, there
are almost no marks on the nose, the rockers are in excellent
condition despite the sticky tires, and as is typical with the C5,
assembly quality is excellent. And despite his successes on the
track and in building fantastic machinery, this one doesn't wear so
much as a Lingenfelter badge, making it one heck of a sleeper.
John was also a big believer in keeping things simple, and if it
didn't make the car go faster, it didn't get installed. That's OK,
because the C5 had one of the best Corvette interiors to date. The
original black leather buckets still look awesome, and the
condition of the leather seems to defy both time and mileage. This
one is loaded with just about every available option, ranging from
dual-zone climate control to the stability control system that will
make you look like a hero on the track. It's also luxurious enough
to be comfortable for long hauls and the conversion does nothing to
diminish the C5's impeccable manners and surprising comfort. Key it
up and the gauges do a trick dance, and the supercharged LS1 barks
to life instantly, just like a stocker and everything works like it
should. Heck, there's even decent storage in the trunk, which looks
like it's never been used and includes a handy cargo net to keep
things in place during aggressive maneuvers.
But the real reason anyone would buy this C5 is the blown LS1 under
the hood. John did turbos and superchargers, so this 550 horsepower
wundermotor delivers spectacular performance without headaches or a
fussy nature, and if you keep your foot out of it, it acts just
like a stock 'Vette. The twin-screw supercharger takes the place of
the stock intake manifold, but the simple painted housing and
OEM-grade hardware makes it look like it was born there. Custom
fuel rails and injectors help keep the blown motor healthy, but
they do preclude the use of the Corvette's stock coil covers. With
a custom computer calibration, it starts easily and idles smoothly
and as you can see, service access is still excellent. The
supercharger requires no extra support parts, so you get stock
exhaust manifolds and a quiet exhaust system, making it an awesome
sleeper that's also comfortable and reliable, while still being
insanely fast. They even kept the original C5 alloy wheels,
although they wisely ditched the run-flat Goodyears and replaced
them with some stickier Nittos, which measure 255/45/17 up front
and 285/40/18 out back.
Beautifully preserved and shockingly subtle, this is an incredible
performer that's every bit a match for its contemporary siblings at
a fraction of the price. Call today!
