2001 Chevrolet Corvette C5R

Description 2001 Chevrolet Corvette C5-R s/n 005 Eng. No. GMK 1348 Yellow/Black Factory Racing Livery After decades of arm’s-length involvement racing Corvettes, Chevrolet created its own race team in 1998 to showcase the new C5. Built by Pratt & Miller Engineering, after a season of program development in 1999, the C5-R was from the start a purpose-built race car utilizing the most advanced technologies and materials available. The C5-R initially used a 366 CI V-8 engine based on the production car’s LS1. This was replaced later in the 1999 season with a 327 CI engine built by Katech Engine Development. Developing a reliable 600+ horsepower, the Katech 427 became the standard engine in the C5-R. Hewland’s most advanced sequential 6-speed transaxle was used to redistribute the weight of the driveline from front to rear, new rules in the international endurance community allowed for carbon on carbon brakes, and bodies were fabricated from carbon/Kevlar materials. In short, Pratt Miller’s C5Rs were, when new, among the most advanced big bore GT machines on the planet, and with generous financial backing from the factory, proved to be a dominating force in the American Le Mans Series. During their core years of success, only the Prodrive Ferrari 575 Maranellos were able to log victories against the C5-Rs. In total, Corvette Racing’s C5-Rs earned 31 class victories in the American Le Mans Series including set of victories in the 12 hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Three class wins at the 24 hours of Le Mans, and an overall victory in America’s premier endurance racing prize, the 24 Hours of Daytona, were also garnered. Four consecutive American Le Mans series championships were achieved, with this particular car, s/n 005, being the primary contributor during the 2002 and early 2003 seasons for the driver’s, team, and constructor’s championships. s/n 005 was initially track tested by Pratt & Miller in November of 2001, and first raced at Infineon Raceway in May of 2002. This car’s winning ways started immediately with Ron Fellows and Kelly Collins capturing a win at this first event. Four additional wins (Mid-Ohio, Washington DC, Mosport, Petit Le Mans) were achieved during the 2002 ALMS series, followed by a triumph at the 12 Hours of Sebring in early 2003. Corvette went on to dominate in the American Le Mans Series with a clean sweep of ten racing during the 2004 season, coupled with a third class win at Le Mans. At that time, s/n 005 was used as GM promotional vehicle, displayed throughout North America as the poster child for their continuing dominate against all other manufactures. By 2006 s/n 005 had become the first Pratt & Miller built C5-Rs to be released to privateer hands- sold to Belgium’s Selleslagh Racing Team for competition in Europe. Selleslagh proved that dominance for s/n 005 was not limited to American shores, achieving podiums in nearly every outing of the2006 Belcar GT series, driven by David Hart and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, as well as an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Zolder with Hart/Duez/Soulet/Cloet. Selleslagh Racing Team, cognizant of s/n 005’s important period racing achievements, preserved the historical provenance of this by setting aside the factory GM bodywork in original livery while racing the car in Europe, running their own paint scheme with secondary body panels. The car was returned to its original livery, and sold to the current owner, a collector of Corvette racing cars, in early 2008. Today the car wears its original factory bodywork, is in beautiful condition, and is equipped as run in period with a Katech developed 427c.i. engine producing 800hp (in unrestricted form), Hewland 6-speed sequential transaxle, and carbon/carbon brakes. Just six hours of run time has been logged on the power plant installed. The total curb weight is just 2,500lbs, and given the new owner has enough enthusiasm, this car remains capable of 200+ mph! The car comes with a sizable spares package including a second engine with headers, two sets of wheels, full set of carbon brakes, radiator, refueling and starting equipment, alignment bars, and several other odds and ends that will prove helpful when running the car in vintage venues. The car is also accompanied by considerable documentation including confidential setup data, supplier lists, FIA homologation paperwork, correspondence with Pratt & Miller, and start up procedures. As a historically significant article of American road racing history, this C5-R is likely to be a regular invite to motorsports gathering around the globe, such as the Goodwood Festival of Speed. HSR, and other vintage racing groups are offering an expanding number of venues where this C5-R can be raced against other similar era GT and prototype cars, very much recreating the competition scenario where this car succeeded when new. Even if only held as the star of a prominent collection of American racecars, the purchase of C5-R s/n 005 can be further rationalize as an investment alternative to standard money market products, as its rarity and achievement are certainly gold standard.