The new direction continued in August with four big-block features and the new Callaway C12 Supercar. The new editor also opened his mouth and inserted both feet by dissing C5's after one experience. It took a little time to wise up and to appreciate just how good they are, to which he admitted in the October Driver's Seat. The September issue brought with it more features and more tech; Edit or Bob bought his now-infamous "(not so) Great White" '76 L-48 automatic, and Richard F. Newton, the recently-departed editor of Corvette Fever, came on board as a contributor. Cortney Williams was replaced by Mariciel Basallo as Art Director in October; Bill Moore's "Driven" series concluded; and we featured a top-secret, insider leak at what would be the 385hp 2001 Z06. Golly, we were right!
November was themed "Fuelies!" and included a '61 big tank, a red split-window, and a converted '59. It also included the stories of the last two Corvettes built in the 1900s: the last convertible-driven 1,100 miles home from Bowling Green to Georgia with the top down, and the last 1999 Corvette-period-that shall remain forever brand new in the collection of Mid America's Mike Yager. December specials included the return of "Big John" Mazmanian's '91 drag Vette, and the first-ever Holiday Gift Guide.
2000January 2000, Vol. 24, No. 1, begins a new series of tech articles on early C4s, as "The Peej" bought an '84 project car, aka the "Blubonic Plague," and VETTE covered the National Corvette Museum's 5th Anniversary celebration. In February, GM Performance Parts released their new Ram Jet 350 EFI crate motor, with styling reminiscent of the old Rochester mechanical-injected 283 or 327, and stunning performance capabilities. April 2000 got silly with an April Foolish section, and May brought about the return of VETTE's much-requested annual Price Guide. June paid tribute to the King of the Hill on the ZR-1's 10th Anniversary; July featured The Tonight Show host Jay Leno and his lightly-modified '99 C5 coupe; and the theme for August revolved around spectacular competition Corvettes. September's highlight was the introduction of the '01 Corvettes, especially the new Z06. The Z06 proves to be the ultimate sports car the '99 hardtop was meant to be-and more! In October, the spotlight was aimed at factory rarities. November's do-it-yourselfer's 700-R4 transmission swap in a '72 Stingray stirrred up a lot of interest, and December included an enlightening interview with Corvette Plant Manager Wil Cooksey.
2001What a year! The C5-R racing team got the last of the kinks ironed out of the factory racers, and after a series of close finishes in the American Le Mans Series, VETTE was able to announce "VICTORY!" on the January cover, after a C5-R beat the Vipers at Texas Motor Speedway. Team VETTE also took on the Lazarus Project in January, a mid-year reconstruction that will test the limits of what is worth saving and what can be done with it. February is all about the C5-Rs again: first we learned that the Dale and Dale Jr. (Earnhardt) show from NASCAR would be joining the Corvette regulars at the 24 Hours at Daytona, then we got to celebrate another C5-R victory at Road Atlanta. May brought the 2001 Guide to Corvette Prices. While Team VETTE continued to deliver resto and performance tech, event coverage, and a mix of fantastic plastic, we enjoyed ticking off win after win for the C5-Rs, including Daytona, a repeat performance at Texas, and the biggest race of all, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was sadly tempered by the tragic death of The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt, in a Winston Cup crash.