Corvette Hardtop - Impressive

Most of us have probably read at least one Corvette road test lately in which an editor gushes on about how great the car is. Well, add me to that list. The fifth-generation Corvette is, in a word, impressive. I've owned some of the hottest muscle cars ever to come out of Detroit including a 1968 Dodge Charger (383-cu-in. Magnum engine, four-speed) and an Olds 442 of the same year. But the Vette simply outperforms those dinosaurs -- and every car I've driven since -- by a wide margin. The light pewter metallic paint finish had my neighbor, a fastidious antique car collector, drooling. He proceeded to shut the driver door a few times with ever increasing vigor, testing for fit. "Nice," he grinned. The doors take a good pull to close but do a great job sealing out wind and road noise. Once inside, a six-way power leather seat positions you comfortably in front of a well-designed instrument cluster. Unlike many cars, the steering wheel doesn't block the view of the panel and instead follows the upper dash contour. The analog gages are at-a-glance readable in all lighting conditions thanks to ultraviolet illumination. A large 200-mph speedometer and a tachometer with a red line just north of 5,500 rpm dominate the center of the dashboard. Buttons on the panel edge access diagnostics such as oil and tire pressure and temperature. These are shown on a bright blue digital readout at the speedometer base. A turn of the key lights the display, flashing the headline "1999 Corvette," followed quickly by rumbling from a 345-hp, 350-cu-in., all-aluminum V8 engine. Dual-wall stainless exhaust manifolds lower noise levels and are said to reduce cold-start emissions, as well. The exhaust note is noticeable but not annoying -- just right. Linked to the spirited powerplant is