The All-New 1998 Chevrolet Corvette - Inside Report! - America

Patrons of the auto-performance religion hold Chevrolet's Corvette in high exaltation. During its glorious 42-year existence, the Corvette has become Supreme Pontiff of the sports-car sect. Every decade or so, whenever a new model is introduced, a rapture blankets the land, and all bow down in anticipation of the new Corvette's coronation ceremony.

The fact that another rejuvenation process has begun is common knowledge among the faithful, though exactly what the future will bring is shrouded by intrigue. Will the new Corvette eclipse the current model's muscular performance persona? Will computers govern its every move? Or will the next generation emulate brilliant past acts? This is where we come in. Thanks to fearless spy photographers and a net of well-placed confidants, we're updating our first scoop (April '94) and clarifying the new Corvette's details a couple of years early. Stand by for a graphic preview of coming attractions.

But before we leap into the '98 model year, consider this Corvette time capsule: GM's styling godfather Harley Earl created the original in 1953 as the fiberglass-reinforced repository for his fondest two-seat fantasies. In spite of troubled early years-due in part to the first Corvette's feeble Blue Flame inline-six and two-speed automatic transmission-the infant lived and eventually thrived. A second generation, dubbed Sting Ray, was minted for '63 under the aegis of the legendary Zora Arkus-Duntov. A short five years later, GM's design staff regained control of the Corvette by adorning the existing chassis with a more flamboyant body. The badge changed to Stingray in '69, the second year of the third-generation Corvette's run. A team headed by then chief engineer Dave McLellan introduced the current C4 (fourth-generation Corvette) for the '84 model year.

According to McLellan, "Planning for C5 started in earnest in 1989 as we were finishing the ZR-1 [the low-volume DOHC Corvette offered from '90-95]. We started too early for a normal new-product design cycle because very ambitious goals had been set: easier entry, more room for passengers, higher performance, and four times greater torsional stiffness in the convertible. These goals are mutually exclusive. There was no ready solution to the need for a means of delivering power from a front engine to the rear wheels, and [no solution for] conflicts between torsional stiffness, entry convenience, and a spacious passen- and low polar moments have long been debated. Low-polar-moment cars are supposedly more willing to turn, while high-polar-moment cars are usually deemed more stable and controllable. In the final analysis, it's impossible to pass judgment on this aspect of the C5's design because moment of inertia is just one of a thousand variables engineers face while polishing any new model's dynamic personality.

Except for the initial six-cylinder roadsters, Corvettes have always been lionhearted. That won't change for the next generation. To close out the C4 era with a bang, a new version of the venerable Chevrolet small-block V-8 may be unveiled during the '96 model year. In what's called the Gen3 (third generation) V-8, little is saved from the small-block engine that first saw the light of day in '55 except for a 4.4-inch bore-center dimension and a pushrod valve train.

Maintaining the original layout means the new engine can be machined with existing tools, saving millions of investment dollars. To trim weight, both the block and heads will be cast aluminum. Electronics will manage ignition, fuel delivery, emission controls, knock sensing, and more extensive diagnostic functions. It's also possible that the throttle plates may be opened electronically, a technology known as drive-by-wire.