1996
This proved to be a milestone year for VETTE Magazine and the Corvette community as a whole, for better and for worse. The March issue, Vol. 20, No. 3, headlined the latest and greatest from Reeves Callaway-an astounding 783-horse, twin-turbo, DOHC LT5 that propelled a ZR-1 to 10-second quarter-miles. In April Doug Rippie Motorsports performed a coilover suspension conversion on a C4, and the Silver Anniversary of the '71 Corvette was saluted.
May 1996 was D. Randy Riggs last issue as Editor-in-Chief. After a total of 95 issues, 89 as Editor-in-Chief, D. Randy resigned to pursue other opportunities in photojournalism, and to write a Corvette book "completely unlike any you've ever seen." Richard Lentinello, who claimed in his first Driver's Seat that VETTE's new motto was "To be driven," replaced Riggs. June also introduced a new series called "Power Tuning," and featured a story on the legendary Gulf Oil road racing Corvettes.
In the July issue (Vol. 20, No. 7), the Corvette world mourned the loss of Zora Arkus-Duntov. If not for Zora, the Corvette would not have survived past 1955 nor developed its illustrious racing pedigree, and who knows where American sports cars as a whole would be today without him. D. Randy Riggs returned for a special Driver's Seat farewell, which opened with:
"The true friend of every man or woman who ever had a sparkle in their eye for a Corvette is gone. Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Corvette's Godfather, died of natural causes on Sunday, April 21, 1996. He was 86 years young and, to the end, boasted an energetic zest for life and living-as well as an innate mechanical curiosity and genius that propelled him from innovation to invention, time and time again."
Riggs, who considered Zora a personal friend, contributed a three-page article highlighting the life of the legend, as well. The crew at VETTE also offered a special edition tribute entitled Duntov: The Man Behind the Corvette. We're sure a copy of that tribute is now worth considerably more than its $3.99 cover price.
October 1996 included a tech piece on modifying a stock-appearing 327 for more power and endurance. We believe it was the first appearance of contributor Ron Ceridono, now the Technical Editor for Street Rodder, and he still owns the '63 featured in the how-to article. In the November issue, VETTE premiered the C5's new heartbeat: the 345hp, all-aluminum GEN-III LS1 small-block. As of the December issue, automotive journalists were still being kept in the dark about specifics on the upcoming, all-new C5, and would be for another two months.
1997
The modern era of Corvette performance was upon us, with computer-controlled motors fully integrated into the hobby. The cast and crew at VETTE kicked off the year with a special TPI issue that included a TPI Buyers' Guide, an explanation and evaluation of Tuned Port Injection systems and their components, and two L98-equipped vintage Vettes, including a '65 soft top and a high-tech '57. February looked backwards, remembering the No. 4 Corvette piloted by Dave Heinz/Bob Johnson in 1972-the first Corvette to ever finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was also the only Corvette to do so until the factory-backed C5-R effort in 2000. VETTE was also there for Corvette's induction into the Route 66 Rendezvous' "Cruisin' Hall of Fame," and Abraham Bergian wrote a short how-to on replacing the carburetor on a Chevy small-block with TPI. Through February 1997, Marty Schorr was listed as Founding Editor, but his name was dropped from the staff box beginning in March.
The highlight of March was the unveiling of the long-awaited C5. Twelve color pages detailed the completely re-engineered '97 Corvette, including drivetrain, chassis, and dimensional specifications, performance data, comparisons with the competition, and evaluations of the latest and greatest plasticar. With the creation of the C5, GM has indisputably made the Corvette into a world-class sports car.