The 5-Link Suspension kept the C-3 Corvette in the racing game.

The 5-Link Suspension upgrade kept the Corvette in the racing game.

It was the mid-70s.  The Corvette C3 was getting “long in the tooth”.   Corvette performance was cooling down just as IMSA and Trans Am competition was heating up.  Blame tougher smog regulations, an oil embargo and higher insurance rates.  Despite an economic recession, Corvette sales reached record highs.  GM did not need to support Corvette racing.  

Corvette racers always looked to superior horsepower from their big engines.  Now they were challenged by more nimble marques (read Porsche for one) that supplied factory assistance.  The stage was set for outsiders to supply set-ups for better handling.  Various kits for the so called “5-link Suspension” originated from designs by engineering genius Bob Riley who was employed by Ford at the time.  Innovators like John Greenwood, Dick Guldstrand and others adapted these designs.  They manufactured parts and sold them to leading Corvette racers who installed the systems.  There were also street applications.  Follow along with photos and Wayne Ellwood’s account.

Click here for the photo gallery of five-link details, cars and drivers that made Corvette history. 

Click here for the story about the evolution of the five link suspension for C3 Corvettes.

How well did the 5-Link work?  John Greenwood and Greg Pickett won a fair number of races.  Eppie Wietzes was the 1981 Trans Am champion.  Others had some good results.  Join the discussion on our RCRC Facebook Group.