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Video: 1999 C5 Corvette Coupe Runs 9.70 Without Power Adders

[1]Add a supercharger, turbo or nitrous to a Corvette or any V-8 equipped muscle car and it should be pretty dang fast. However, getting into the single digits at the drag strip usually requires the use of a power adder with a modern car, but without giggle gas or forced induction it seems like a pipe dream. It can be done without a doubt, but using a power adder is considerably cheaper and less demanding than going the naturally aspirated route. Watching a C5 Corvette run a 9.72 at 146 MPH should not seem out of the ordinary – doing it all-motor is what makes it impressive.

During a recent trip to Atco Raceway this pewter C5 (perhaps a distant relative or evil cousin of PowerTV’s Project Y2k [2]) made a few blistering passes down the track. During the first pass of the video, the Corvette went through the lights resulting in a 9.96 at 147 MPH due to traction issues. A second run with a much better 60-foot time brought the C5 a time slip that read 9.72 at 146 MPH. With the desire to improve on the ET the driver completed the third pass of video netting him a 9.70. According to information gathered from a Corvette Forum member profile that shares a name with the Corvette owner, the 1999 C5 is using a 6-speed transmission and a C6 Z06 rear differential. Running a 9.70 with ’99 C5 that is naturally aspirated and retains the IRS and a 6-speed has to be respected.