Chevrolet Corvette C5

The C5 was the first Corvette on a hydroformed backbone frame with a rear-mounted transaxle, and the rigidity and weight distribution that followed made the car credible against European competition rather than just quick in a straight line. It introduced the LS1, the small-block architecture behind a whole generation of engine swaps into cars that never came with a V8. The Z06 arrived for 2001 with the LS6 and a fixed roof. C5s are now the cheap entry point into rear-drive V8 performance, which is why so many end up as track cars and LS donors.