2005: Filing the C5 down to a tidier, lighter, 5.1-inch-shorter package on a longerwheelbase, the C6 is the first Corvette with headlights since 1962. It also gets a nicerinterior and seats, and finally powers up the convertible top. Plus the base price is$290 lower. Hill says it is more about perfecting rather than inventing. We think theysucceeded: Writes C/D‘s Larry Webster in our first test: “It’s the perfect everythingsports car: fast enough to keep you interested during a day of lapping and refined andcomfortable enough to make the slog home, or the daily commute, a relaxing experience.”

2006: A redesigned Z06 returns after a one-year absence. An aluminum frame, fixedmagnesium engine cradle, and carbon-fiber appointments all contribute to weightsavings. A new 7.0-liter small-block makes 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque in the Z06,and a six-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission is introduced.2007: The RonFellows Championship Edition is the first signed limited edition in Corvette history.

2008: A new LS3 6.2-liter V-8 appears as the base engine, increasing output from400 hp to 430 hp. And lest anyone in Speedway, Indiana, forget what the Corvettelooks like, an E85-fueled Z06 paces the 500 with Patrick Dempsey at the wheel.

2009: The new Corvette ZR1 debuts, roaring to a top speed of more than 200 mphthanks to the muscle of its supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V-8.

2010: The Grand Sport model returns, powered by the base LS3 V-8 and packing theelements of the discontinued Z51 performance option. Side airbags are now standardon all models.

2011: With seven available models, including the Z06 Carbon Limited Edition, thelineup and option availability is the greatest in Corvette history. Curiously, a Corvettedoesn’t pace the Indy 500. 2012 Chevrolet Centennial Edition Corvette Z06

2012: To celebrate the division’s 100th birthday, Chevrolet busts out a CentennialEdition package (available on all Corvettes), featuring Carbon Flash Metallic paint,satin-black graphics, satin-black wheels with red stripe, unique badges, a speciallytrimmed interior, and Magnetic Selective Ride Control. More important, the Corvettereturns to pace Indy with celebrity chef Guy Fieri at the wheel.

2013: With the C7 around the corner, Corvette news is limited to the 60th Anniversarypackage and the introduction of the one-year-only 427 convertible, which is as close