This is the famous Chevrolet Corvette C5R driven by Scott Pruett, J O'Connell & Ron Fellows in Le Mans 2001. Team Corvette Racing, qualified with the 27th best time and finished in the 8th position after 278 laps, the winner did 321 laps (Audi R-8, Audi Sport TThe C5-R was a racecar built by Pratt & Miller for GM Racing. It was based on the C5 road car but had a longer wheelbase, wider track, an enlarged 7.0 L V8 and different bodywork with exposed headlamps. It is raced in the American LeMans Series in the GTS Class and has been to four Le Mans 24 Hours races. The car's remarkable 2001 racing season produced eight victories in ten races, including an overall win in the Daytona 24. In 2002 the C5-R repeated its one-two victory at Le Mans and also dominated the GTS class in the American Le Mans Series. A new transaxle unit replaced the previous year's separate transmission and differential. Corvette faced stiff competition from the new Prodrive Ferrari 550 which led a good number of laps but had problems late leaving the victory to Corvette. In 2003, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest placed additional restrictions on all 24 Hours of Le Mans competitors, reducing power by 10% in an attempt to slow the cars. At the 2003 season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring race, the C5-Rs remained in winning form, with one of them finishing first in class and eighth overall. Also in 2003 the yellow paint was dropped in favor of a special red, white, and blue color scheme to commemorate the Corvette's 50th anniversary. However, at Le Mans the Prodrive Ferraris spoiled the anniversary and hopes for a three-in-a-row victory in the GTS class. Corvette C5R came back in 2004 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in their class. The Prodrive Ferrari led most of the race, but with under 12 hours to go both the Prodrive cars had problems causing them to pit and lose laps. The Corvettes went on to finish 1-2. The number 64 car finished 16 laps ahead of the Ferrari. The Corvette C5R was not done being successful. In FIA GT, the new Corvette Europe team won races at Imola and Zhuhai. The Euro team also managed a number of podium finishes. In the ALMS the Pacific Coast Racing team achieved some podiums behind the factory C6-R. The C5-R returns to Le Mans ( France ) for the first time as a non-factory entry, run by Le Mans regular Luc Alphand. It finished 3rd in the GT1 class behind the C6R and Prodrive Aston Martin. Alphand's squad again ran the C5-R at the Le Mans 24 Hours, qualifying in 33rd position and finishing in 12th, in pairing with a C6R acquired from Corvette Racing.
The Chevrolet Corvette C5 is a sports car which started in 1997 and ended with the 2004 model year. It is the fifth generation of Chevrolet Corvettes built and marketed by Chevrolet.
The C5 was a radical change from the previous generation. Designed from the outset as a sturdy convertible (as opposed to a coupé that was subsequntly weakened by the removal of the roof structure in order to accommodate demand for a convertible model), the car now had a hydroformed box frame. The transmission was moved to the rear of the car to form an integrated, rear-mounted transaxle assembly which was connected to the all-new LS1 engine via a torque tube; this engine/transmission arrangement helped facilitate a desirable 50-50 (percentage, front-rear) weight distribution for the vehicle. The LS1 engine initially produced 345 hp, but that was increased slightly in 2001 to 350 hp. The 4L60E automatic transmission carried on from previous models, but the manual was replaced by a Borg-Warner T-56 6-speed. Gone were the squeaks and rattles of the C4, and in replacement was an incredibly strong frame that would last for at least two more generations. By all measures, the new C5 was better in every aspect than the C4 it replaced
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