Millennium Custom Auto - Auto body, Collision Repair, Hot Rod Customs, Restorations, Custom Limousine Builders and Corvette Specialists in Deer Park, Long Island

Chevy introduced a C5 hardtop, casting the 1999 Corvette as the car for serious performance enthusiasts. Essentially a convertible with a fixed fiberglass roof, the hardtop's beefier structure made its body 12 percent more rigid than the coupe with the targa panels in place, and the car weighed some 92 pounds less. Plus, it retained the convertible's external trunk. 

While not exactly inexpensive, the hardtop did cost $394 less than the coupe. Yet it came with the 345-hp LS1 small-block V-8 under the hood and was fitted with the six-speed manual transmission (its only available gearbox) and the Z51 Performance Handling suspension, which otherwise added $1,165 to coupes and convertibles. Exterior colors were limited to blue, pewter, red, and white; and only the base black leather seats were offered -- without power adjustments. Several weight-increasing options were unavailable on the hardtop, such as the Real-Time Damping suspension. Likewise, a number of comfort-and-convenience items were restricted only to the coupe and convertible. 

One new feature offered for 1999 coupes and convertibles was borrowed from high-tech fighter-jets: The $375 RPO UV8 was a sophisticated "Head-Up Display" system that projected instrument readouts onto the windshield so the driver could keep his or her eyes fixed on the road. Appearing in the lower left-hand area of the windshield, the driver could customize the display to include the full complement of readings, or just the speed, rpm, and/or other selected information. A "check gauges" warning would indicate times the driver needed to pay attention to a dashboard gauge or warning not duplicated on the head-up array. 

Also added for 1999, and limited to coupes and convertibles at an extra cost of $350, was a power telescoping steering column that offered plus or minus 20mm of travel over the fixed-shaft version; the wheel's standard tilt function remained manually operated, however. Likewise, newly optional automatic-engaging "Twilight Sentinel" headlamps, priced at $60, were also excluded from hardtops. The $3,000 magnesium wheels returned to the options list and were also offered only on coupes and convertibles. 

All 1999 Corvettes benefited from modifications to the car's magnetically variable power-steering system, implemented to make steering more sensitive and with less of a tendency to "wander" at highway speeds. So-called "next generation" airbags were designed to deploy with less force than before to help reduce airbag-induced injuries sustained in collisions. 

This ’99 Corvette is a beautifully maintained convertible that is loaded with all the creature comforts. When our customer first came to us it was to have a few subtle accents installed on the vehicle. Stainless gratings were installed in the side vents along with the side spears. Then the GS red stripes on the drivers fender and the waving flags emblem under the hood. Then Angelo came to us with a request that we could really appreciate because of our connection with the Corvette Grand Sport replicas and Cobra replicas we have built. A Cobra LeMans gas cap was to be installed where the factory gas door is located. Angelo supplied us with the parts and also instructions on how to install it. After several minutes of laughter the project began and after some fabricating and metal forming the LeMans gas cap was finally installed. After several months of pondering his thoughts Angelo decided to take the plunge and have us install Lamborghini style doors on his pride and joy. Well, needless to say I think he may still be in his garage opening and closing them like a little kid at Christmas with a brand new toy!!!