The commemoration celebrated a sterling 2003 season for the racing C5-Rs, which notched a third straight manufacturer's title in the American LeMans Series after just missing a GTS-class three-peat at the LeMans 24 Hours. The Commemorative packages must have been good-luck charms, because C5-Rs won every race they entered in 2004, notching a fourth ALMS championship and a third double victory in France.
All the Commemorative Edition 2004s were finished in vivid LeMans Blue paint with wide red-edged silver stripes adorning the hood, roof, and rear deck. Special "LeMans 24-hours" crossed-flags emblems appeared on the nose and tail, and as embroidered logos on the headrests within a specific shale-colored interior. Polished alloy wheels completed the coupe and convertible ensembles, which cost $3,700 and included all features of the regular 1SB Preferred Equipment Group.
The Commemorative option for the Z06 cost $4,335, but included a unique (and costly) carbon-fiber hood that took a useful 10.6 pounds off the nose. Also featured were special clear-coat wheels with hubs reading "Commemorative 24:00 Heures du Mans." In addition, testing at Germany's famed Nürburgring track produced revised damping for the Sachs gas-pressure shock absorbers, stiffer bushings for the front upper-control arms, and softer bushings for the rear antiroll bar. Together, these tweaks aimed to "settle" the Z06 more quickly in fast transient maneuvers -- and they did.
As Frank Markus enthused in Car and Driver's September 2003 review: "[The Z06's] steering response is [now] so much quicker it's hard to believe the ratio is the same [as in other Corvettes]. Its weight is within 141 pounds of [other models], yet it feels like hundreds less. Its structure also feels twice as rigid. Yes, it filters out less road noise and harshness, but at least each bump is felt just once.... Grip is astonishing" -- Markus reported a leech-like 0.98g -- "but these wide paws tend to wander a bit along pavement ruts. This chassis is also exceptionally well tuned to the active handling system's competitive-driving mode.... The [Commemorative] Z06 is clearly the [Corvette] that best rewards expert driving."
2004 Corvette Z06 models with the Commemorative Edition package got the first
stock carbon-fiber hood offered in North America, as well as special chassis tuning.
Or just good ol' pedal-to-the-metal driving, for that matter. Motor Trend lauded the Commemorative Z06 as the fastest showroom Corvette it had ever tested, timing just 4.2 seconds 0-60 and a standing quarter mile of 12.4 seconds at 117 mph. All this, plus GM's usual three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty.
The one sour note to the tasty Commemorative confections was deliberately limited production: a mere 2,000 Z06s, perhaps twice that many coupes and convertibles. But whatever one may think about "factory collector cars," this was a fine sendoff for a highly successful Corvette generation.
Of course, success can be defined in many ways, but consider that nearly a quarter-million C5s were built over eight model years. That averages out to some 34,000 yearly sales, the best Corvette performance since the mid Eighties. What's more, the C5 added a slew of awards to the Corvette's bulging trophy case -- besides all those racing cups. An independent panel of automotive journalists named the 1998 Corvette the North American Car of the Year. The C5 was also Motor Trend's Car of the Year in 1998, Automobile magazine's "Automobile of the Year" in 2001, and on Car and Driver's annual 10 Best List in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2004. Last but not least, the C5 was a perennial Consumer Guide® "Best Buy" among sports cars.
2004 Corvette Specs
2004 Corvette Retail Prices
2004 Corvette Production Numbers by Model
2004 Corvette Production Numbers by Color
- Magnetic Red Metallic II
- 3,596
2004 Corvette Engines
Engine
HP/TQ
- 5.7L V-8 LS1
- 350 HP @ 5200 RPM
375 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM
- 5.7L V-8 LS6
- 404 HP @ 6000 RPM
400 lb-ft @ 4800 RPM
2004 Corvette VIN Decoder
Engine Codes
- ZCA
- 5.7L V-8 LS6 405 HP, 345.69ci (Manual M12 Transmission)
- ZCB
- 5.7L V-8 LS1 350 HP, 345.69ci (Automatic Transmission)
- ZCD
- 5.7L V-8 LS1 350 HP, 345.69ci (Manual Transmission)
Other
- G
- Manufacturer: General Motors
- YY
- Carline/Series: Corvette
- 1
- Body Style: 1=Hardtop, 2=Two door coupe, 3=Two door convertible
- 2
- Restraint Code: 2=Active
- G
- Engine Type: G=LS1 S=LS6
- 5
- Plant: 5=Bowling Green, Kentucky
- 134064
- Production Number: Between 100000-134064
Example : 1G1YY12G545134064
2004 Corvette Exterior Colors
Color
Code
- Millenium Yellow w/ Tint
- 79U
- Magnetic Red Metallic II
- 86U
- Medium Spiral Gray Metallic
- 88U
2004 Corvette Interior Trim Colors
Color
Code
- Black/Torch Red (Z06)
- 704
2004 Corvette Convertible Top Colors
Color
Code