The celebration of the Corvette's 50th anniversary continued officially in 2004. Chevrolet wanted to make the most of the milestone and use it to generate interest and showroom traffic. Fans of the fiberglass sports car weren't complaining about making a "big deal" of a big deal. When you think of the fact that the Corvette barely made it past 1957, five decades is a long time.Chevrolet made efforts to keep the car fresh and give it a "cutting edge" image. Standard equipment included a 5.7-liter V-8, a four-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive adn a limited-slip rear axle. Up at the front 17 x 8.5 tires were mounted, with larger 18 x 9.5 models at the rear. Alloy wheel rims carried the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS Extended Mobility run-flat tires. Every 2004 Vette made also had four-wheel independent suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, front and rear ventilated disc ABS brakes, a passenger airbag de-activation switch, daytime running lights, dusk-sensing headlights, automatic-delay on/off headlights, front fog lights and variable intermittent wipers.
Inside the Corvette were a rear window defogger, two-passenger seating with leather bucket seats, a 6-way power height-adjustable driver's seat with adjustable lumbar support, remote power door locks, 1-touch power windows, heated power mirrors, and an AM/FM stereo cassette system with four Bose premium-brand radio speakers. An element antenna caught the radio waves.
High-tech luxury was provide in the Corvette with speed-proportional power steering, air conditioning, front reading lights, dual illuminating visor-vanity mirrors, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, front floor mats, a cargo area light, a tachometer, a trip computer, a clock and a low-fuel indicator. In addition to or in place of the above, convertible rear window, a remote trunk release and a luggage compartment light.
A 2004 Corvette convertible was selected to serve as the Official Pace Car at the 2004 Indianapolis 500. It was only lightly modified with a heavy-duty transmission, power steering coolers, a lower-restriction muffler system, four-point racing-type driver and passenger safety belts and a safety strobe light system. A two-tone white and blue Indy Pace Car Paint treatment incorporated Americana-themed graphics to tie into Chevrolet's new "An American Revolution" marketing theme. The theme highlighted innovation and success in motorsports.
All Z06 Corvettes featured revised chassis tuning for quicker, smoother response in challenging environments. Engineers refined the shock damping characteristics for improved handling. Refinement of the shock valves, in particular, resulted in more damping control and force, delivered more smoothly. The new tuning was aimed at diminishing the impact of yaw and roll on the car. These improvements resulted from testing at Germany's Nurburgring track.
The Corvette Z06 was one of a handful of cars to break the 8-minute barrier for lap times at the Nurburgring circuit. The Z06 Corvette also included a special V-8 engine, a unique six-speed manual gearbox, a Z06 specific F#4 high-performance suspension system, hydroformed frame rails, the Head-Up Display (HUD) system and high-performance front brake pads.
There was a special 2004 Corvette Commemorative Edition package intended to honor the success of the C5-R competition coupe in racing. It featured new Le Mans Blue paint with a Shale interior, special badges and polished wheels. On convertibles, a Shale top matched the interior. Commemorative Edition cars included special badges and seat embroidery and RPO QF5 high-polished, 5-spoke aluminum wheels with specific center caps.
For coupes and convertibles the Commemorative Edition package was included with (and only available with) the ISC package, a separate $3,700 option. A lightweight, race-inspired carbon fiber hood was used on Z06s with the Commemorative Edition option. It weighed 10.6 pounds less than the standard hood. The only visual cue that the hood is made from carbon fiber is a red border surrounding the silver graphic on the car, its weave hints at the material under it.
Corvettes for 2004 were numbered 1G1YY[1/2/3]2[G/S]345100001 to 1G1YY[1/2/3]2[G/S]345134064. The first symbol 1 indicated US. The second symbol G indicated GM. The third symbol 1 indicates Chevrolet vehicle. The fourth and fifth symbols are YY=Corvette coupe or convertible; YZ=Corvette Z06. The sixth symbol indicates body style: 1=Z06 hardtop, 2=two door coupe GM styles 27, 37, 47 or 57 and 3=two door convertible GM body style 67. The seventh symbol indicates restraint code: 2=Active manual belts with driver and front passenger inflatable restraint system. The eighth symbol indicates engine: G=RPO LS1 5.7-liter sequential multiport fuel injection (MFI) Chevrolet V-8. S=RPO LS6 5.7-liter sequential multiport fuel injection (MFI) Chevrolet V-8. The ninth symbol is a check digit that varies. the 10 symbol indicates model year 4=2004. The llth symbol indicates the Vette assembly plant: 5=Bowling Green, Kentucky. The last six symbols indicate the sequential production number.
Both engines offered for the year were 346-cid V-8s with bore and stroke dimensions of 3.90 x 3.62 in. The milder LS1 version developed 350hp at 5600rpm. The hotter LS6 made 405hp at 6000rpm. Original base retail prices varied by body style. The Fixed Roof Coupe sold for $44,535 and had a production run of 16,165 units. To get one of the 12,216 convertibles built you had to add another $7,000. Price tag on the Z06 coupe was $52,385 and 5,683 were made.
