The 2003 Anniversary Corvette Pace Car

  On april 10th at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chevrolet unveiled the much anticipated 50th Year Corvette. Also shown for the first time were the 2003 models and the Corvette that will serve as Pace Car in this year's Indy 500 race.

  Officially called the "50th Anniversary Special Edition," the commemorative car is available as either a coupe or convertible, but not as a Z06 hardtop. There is no compelling logistical reason why it could not be built as a hardtop but Corvette's keepers at Chevy are determined to maintain Z06's stand alone status.

  Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the 50th Anniversary Edition is its special Anniversary Red exterior paint. Sort of a cross between Torch Red and Magnetic Red Metallic, with a distinct resemblance to the color applied to 40th anniversary Corvettes, it is another hue in the family of what Chevrolet calls Premium tint coat colors.

  Like the other Premium tint coat colors Millennium Yellow and Magnetic Red Metallic, Anniversary Red has a luminescent quality that makes it "pop" when light hits its surface. Complimenting the unique paint, which is not available on any other GM products and will not be offered on anything else in the future, are special 50th anniversary emblems. Appropriately, the emblems will be standard fare on all 2003 Corvettes, not just Anniversary Special Editions.

  A final exterior item that sets Anniversary Special Editions apart from other Corvettes is wheel color. For this model only standard cast aluminum wheels are painted a champagne color to celebrate Corvette's "golden" anniversary.

  All Anniversary Special Editions come with a Shale color interior and a Shale top on convertibles. In response to consumer complaints, and portending what will be seen in the next generation Corvette, the entire interior, including the instrument pod and dash, is uniform in color. C5 instrument pods and related dash trim has always been black regardless of what color the remainder of the interior was.

  Other interior features unique to Anniversary Special Editions include padded door armrests and padded door pull grips. Again, these foreshadow what we will see in the next generation Corvette noticeably increased attention to higher quality, better looking, and more user friendly interiors.

  Many enthusiasts had hoped that the 50th anniversary model would offer enhanced performance in addition to special appearance features but unfortunately that is not the case. Like all 2003 coupes and convertibles, it will be powered by a 350-horsepower LS1 coupled to either a 4L60E four speed automatic or six speed manual transmission.

  It would have been relatively easy to offer Anniversary Special Editions with LS6 engines and various other performance upgrades, and Chevy did consider doing this. But in the end, there was a consensus that Z06 specific components need to be offered exclusively in Z06s.

  The only noticeable performance difference for 2003 coupes and convertibles, including 50th Anniversary Special Editions, comes from a new ride control system. Called Magnetic Selective Ride Control, it uses a revolutionary damper design to give dramatically improved handling and ride quality over rough roads.

  The system uses something called Magneto Rheological fluid in the shocks. MR fluid contains tiny iron particles encapsulated in plastic and kept in suspension. By controlling current to an electromagnetic coil inside the piston of each damper, the fluid's consistency can be altered from a very liquid state to a very viscous state. Changing the viscosity of the fluid changes the damping characteristics of each shock. Sensors evaluate wheel movement and other parameters and feed this information into a computer, which then instantly determines the optimum damping force at each wheel.

  The new Magnetic Selective Ride Control system is fully integrated with traction control and ABS. This means that rather than working to the mutual exclusion of one another, or detracting from each other's performance, they work together to optimize handling by delivering a quieter, flatter, more responsive, and more precise ride.

  The driver adds his input to the new real time ride control system with a cockpit switch that tells the computer whether he prefers "sport" or "touring" calibrations. The system is standard with the 50th Anniversary model and optional on regular coupes and convertibles.

  In addition to the new ride control system, other news for 2003 coupes and convertibles includes substitution of a new paint color Medium Spiral Gray Metallic replaces Light Pewter Metallic, and the addition of fog lamps, sport seats, power passenger seat, and dual zone auto HVAC as standard equipment. Also, all cars will have CRAS child seat hooks on the passenger seat to ease connection of child seats, and coupes will all be fitted with a parcel net and luggage shade as standard fare.

  The final noteworthy news for 2003 is that a 50th Anniversary Special Edition Corvette will pace this year's Indianapolis 500 race on may 26th. This is the fifth time a Corvette will serve in that distinguished role, and is a fitting way to help celebrate half a century of leadership among the world's sports cars.