With the February issue (Vol. 22, No. 2), things settled into place a little more neatly. The staff box now read McMullen Argus Publishing, Inc., and the bar code represents PRIMEDIA, the subsidiary of K-III that included McMullen Argus. All references to CSK were dropped and VETTE got a new logo-the one that is still being used today. Editorial content included an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the engineering process that brought us the C5, and a look at the 1998 Indy 500 Pace Car, the fourth one since 1978. March announced that Code Red, the project/giveaway '85 coupe was, after two years of tech articles, finished and won by Frank Suareo of Perry, Georgia.
In April, readers were introduced to the revolutionary new Active Handling System, RPO JL4, that became available midway through 1998 production. This sophisticated array of electronics and sensors greatly improved control in extreme handling situations by selectively applying individual brakes. May included the last consecutive annual Price Guide until 2000. The June cover car was a twin-turbocharged '64 coupe with an owner-designed custom EFI system, which also got a four-page spread inside. July marked the first edition of The Vette Files, a new two-page department dedicated to showcasing readers' rides, the first to do such regularly. September unveiled the '99 hardtop-the first fixed roof Corvette since 1967 and the latest to be hyped as the "Best Corvette Ever," a very popular term to throw around-and a glossy technical look at the LT1's Opti-Spark distributor that conveniently omitted any mention of the "Opti's" regular failures. October's highlight was an eight-page comparison of the attributes of all five generations. As of Vol. 22, No. 11 (Nov. '98), VETTE moved to the West Coast from the Jersey offices, and Bill Moore took over the reins, with his Associate Editor, Mike Blake. Lentinello stayed on temporarily as Editor-at-Large. The 26th Bloomington Gold returned to Bloomington after a five-year stint in Springfield. In December, Bill covered the UK's first-ever NCRS Flight judging.
1999The first half of 1999 continued in the same direction with Bill Moore at the rudder. C5's were the predominant topic, coverage of a wide variety of shows and events replaced most in-depth technical articles, and "Westways"-style touring articles ran rampant. Currents in the March issue (Vol. 23, No. 3) included the first mention of the factory-engineered C5-R racing effort, which was to compete in select endurance races beginning in the '99 season with the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. March also saw the first installment of Mr. Moore's multiple-part series, "Driven," a chronicle of his cross-country trek in a host of C5 Corvettes. In April, Richard Prince devoted 10 pages to an in-depth discussion of the new C5-R racing team, and was given six pages to rehash Callaway's construction of a Supernatural 490 ZR-1 from the first part of the decade. April even features a kit car '59 Corvette.
As of June 1999, Vol. 23, No. 6, Bob Wallace became the most recent editor in the driver's seat of VETTE. This marked the beginning of Team VETTE, consisting of Editorial Assistant John Nelson who came on board in May, Assistant Editor P.J. Rentie in July, and Art Director Cortney Williams since April. The new approach was summarized in the July Driver's Seat:
"Welcome to the 'new' VETTE Magazine. It will take a few issues for us at Team VETTE to get all of our proverbial ducks in a row, but I feel like we're off to a good start. I feel that this issue's cover is indicative of our new direction-Richard Prince's photo has some punch, there's some action and, for a change, there's a vintage Corvette. It reflects a little of what I want to bring back to VETTE-a wide variety of Corvettes, and some passion."