A C5 Pro Cold intake system allows the hopped-up Gen III to take advantage of its improved breathing ability, though, of course, the really big breaths are taken when this red rocket gets a 100-115 horsepower shot of laughing gas from an NOS nitrous system. The stock coil-on-plus ignition system lights the fires, while the spent gasses are evacuated via TPIS 1-3/4-inch long-tube headers, an LG Motorsports crossover pipe, and a Borla cat-back.
To handle the anticipated pavement-shredding power, LG beefed up the stock T56 transaxle and added a B&M shifter. The beast also needed new computer programming to take full advantage of the modifications. The C5's brain was sent off to GM's Racing Lab in Detroit, and a few weeks later Ross and Gigliotti received a new unit back, complete with new and better instructions for the extra-muscular LS1.
In this case, Ross got more than he bargained for. His red Vette did make 600 horsepower; at this level, however, the car tried to "rip the rearend off." And though we're sure Ron hated to give back any of that power, some slight detuning was in order. Smaller jets in the nitrous system brought things down to a slightly more reasonable level (if you can call 440 normally aspirated horsepower with a jump to 540 while on the bottle "reasonable").
"It's got huge traction," Ross says, and all that grip comes courtesy of LG's G2 Coilover System. To make sure all that power gets to the road, and that Ross' C5 can be adjusted for any conditions (read, set up for racing), LG replaced the stock Corvette suspenders with Bilstein shocks sporting Eibach coil springs at all four corners. The results are impressive. In Ross' words, Gigliotti "made it a racing car. It handles unbelievably...you can take corners at ungodly speeds. It just revs and goes."
And given the fact that Ross has timed his red racer (with a stopwatch) at 2.9-3.0 seconds from 0-60, the Vette's stopping power was also upgraded. Brembo brakes with 14-inch rotors were mounted up front, and the stock Corvette front binders were moved to the rear of the car. "It stops on a dime," Ross reports. The new front brakes necessitated a set of custom wheels to fit over them, and Forgeline filled the bill with a set of three-piece WC3 wheels: 18x9.5-inch up front, 18x11-inch out back, and shod with Michelin MX3 rubber, including monster 325/30-18s on the aft end.
Befitting this red Corvette's new nastier attitude, LG also performed a cosmetic makeover, adding their G2 raised hood, front and rear spoilers, and enough stickers to let other drivers know what they're messing with. The Vette was also fitted with a G2 rollbar and Simpson harnesses. All of this, of course, begs the question, "Just what are you going to do with this thing?"
"It's a toy," Ron tells us. "I was gonna race it (Ross has attended several driving schools, including a NASCAR course and a sports car course at Road Atlanta). I had a suite at Texas Motor Speedway and could've run it there. I still might do it, but I start doing other things. I'd like to do it at least once, though." And then, no doubt considering what his creation could do on the track, Ron declares that, "I have more money than brains." We won't comment on whether or not that's true; in fact we prefer to think of Ron Ross and his red '97 as well-prepared-for just about anything.