2003 Chevrolet Corvette

2003 Chevrolet Corvette 50th Anniversary AAT Conversion
Since its debut in 1953, the Chevrolet Corvette has been Americas favorite sports car. Offering reasonably priced performance and stunning design to the masses, it has become the epitome of an American Icon over its 70 years of nearly continuous production. 2003 represented a big milestone for the Corvette, as the model celebrated its 50th Anniversary- to celebrate, Chevrolet developed a special edition of the 5th generation car with numerous special options and a unique color scheme that were not available on other C5s. This was a nice tribute for the occasion, but Advanced Automotive Technologies (AAT) of Rochester Hills, MI wanted to take it a few steps further with their 50th anniversary celebration. As experts in car customization, AAT took C5 Corvettes, and developed an all new body for them that was shaped to look like the first Corvette to roll out of the factory in 1953.
This car is number 144 out of 200 produced and with this car they elected to do a special version for Anniversary. It is finished in the 50th Anniversary color scheme of Anniversary Red Metallic Over a Shale leather interior. Showing just 18,700 miles on the odometer, this car is in absolutely outstanding condition and looks like it could have rolled out of the AAT workshop yesterday. In addition to the upscale looking deep red metallic paint, the anniversary Corvettes were specified with subtle gold anodized wheels which are subdued and do a wonderful job of picking up the metallic flake in the paint.
Although this car rolled out of the Bowling Green factory as a C5 Corvette, once AAT got their hands on it, they set to work changing almost everything. Starting in front, the flat, angular nose of the standard C5 with its popup headlights is gone, and in its place, a pair of large, curved pontoon fenders with round headlights, inset behind gorgeous chrome rings. Sitting below that is the famous C1 Corvette grille-a wide chrome oval with chrome slats running vertically across the opening. To either side, a set of original style chrome bumperettes have been affixed to the front of the fenders and below that sits a pair of bullet style round turn signals. These changes alone are enough to transform the look of the car, but AAT didnt stop there. A long chrome trim piece runs from just behind the front wheels, down the door to the rear wheels like in the 1953 car and points towards the completely new rear end. The C5 was a car with many flat surfaces in its design and AAT has done away with most of those here- the decklid has now taken on a curved design to match the protruding fins on either side with the tail lights sitting atop. When you view the car as a whole, its an impressively well thought through design and does a wonderful job of paying homage to the original Corvette.
The interior of the car has not been changed from the C5 which is great. The simple layout of the gauges and center stack were very well thought through by Chevrolet at the time and mean that all of the convenience features you want like a great stereo, heads up display and ice cold air conditioning are still installed, making this a vehicle you can use all the time.
Under the hood sits a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 which produces 350 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque, which is then routed through a 4-speed automatic transmission. When you open the hood of this Corvette though, it doesnt look like any ordinary LS1. While in the hands of AAT, they didnt stop at refining the bodywork- numerous pieces of the engine bay have been painted to match the exterior, and specially engraved chrome plates on the power steering reservoir, intake plenum, fuse box and more, give the underside of the hood much more visual interest than stock. The final mechanical item to note is that as a 50th Anniversary edition car, this was the first vehicle to come out of Chevrolet with their now infamous Magneride system-an almost magical suspension system that allows for a smooth ride around town, and then at the push of a button, shocks that are set up to take to the track. These have become the norm on high performance Corvettes these days and the technology is considered the gold standard in suspensions today.
When you consider how beloved the Corvette is to car enthusiasts around the world, its great that somebody took the reins and built a truly fitting tribute to the marque for its 50th Anniversary celebration. When you see this car in person, you can truly appreciate how much effort AAT put into the creation of the car, and its clear that everyone working at that company loves the Corvette and was proud to produce these special cars. On top of that, this car has been kept in immaculate condition over the years and presents almost flawlessly with its deep red paint still looking fresh. If you are a fan of Corvettes and want a car in your garage that you will never see at another car show, it is impossible to beat this unique machine.
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Additional Information

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Original Books and Manuals

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