Introduced for the 1997 model year and discontinued in 2004, the fifth generation of the Corvette debuted the LS family of small-block V8 engines. The 5.7-liter powerplant in this particular ‘Vette, however, is a little more special thanks to Lingenfelter's Stage I twin-turbo package.
From the factory, the LS1 is good for 345 horsepower and 350 pound-feet (475 Nm) of torque. A pair of turbochargers bring that output to 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet (678 Nm) at the crankshaft, which is a big improvement for the stock internals and only 5 pounds of boost.
Stage 1 serial number 22 is a one-owner car with only 28,900 miles (46,510 kilometers) on the odometer, which goes to show that it’s been cared for throughout its existence. The condition of the vehicle is also top-notch for a modern classic, but as it’s often the case with the Corvette from this era, the trim on the door sills and leather on the seats exhibit a little bit of wear.
Listed on Cars & Bids with five days to go and a high bid of $13,000 at the time of writing, the twin-turbo ‘Vette is joined by the original window sticker. Sold by Jack Cauley Chevrolet in Michigan for $51,739 two decades ago, the soft-top sports car received a further $32,408.20 worth of modifications from Lingenfelter Performance Engineering a few months after the purchase.
Other than the engine, additional upgrades include the HRE five-spoke wheels, grippier rubber, a heavy-duty aluminum radiator, and a CAGS bypass skip shift eliminator. This brings us to a grand total of $84,147.20 in 2000 dollars, translating to $127,164.42 after adjusting for inflation.
The owner has subsequently improved his open-top pride and joy with a Corsa Performance exhaust system with four center-exit pipes and a B&M short shifter for the six-speed manual transmission. Chassis number 1G1YY32GXY5117776 also comes with a clean Michigan title, a clean history, and a scrape on the front air dam that can be very easily repaired.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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