|
The past several years of the C3 Corvette has brought about rumors of a
complete overhaul to the look of the now fabled Corvette. Enthusiasts and
the world alike waited eagerly for the release of the all new 1983 Corvette.
All of which were soon alerted that they would have to wait one more year,
because due to the complete change, the Corvette factory could not change
quickly enough to produce the 1983 model, so of the forty three
pre-production 1983 Corvettes, not a single one was sold to the public, and
only one is known to exist today. But in 1984, the world got exactly what
they had been waiting for over the previous year and a half. The all new
Corvette was stunning, with its appearance was fundamentally similar to the
C3, but appeared to have simply been flattened and stretched for greater
aerodynamics and a wider stance. It was no longer a T top coupe, but the
area where the T tops had previously been had been molded into one solid
piece, yet it was still removable. The L83 engine was still there, but the
reintroduction of a manual transmission, coupled with the still-abbreviated
205 horsepower and the new design, the C4 offered the driver a smooth
comfortable ride on the drag strip or on the open road, all for just under
twenty two thousand dollars. In 1985 the Corvette got a new induction
system, and with it, twenty five extra ponies. This new engine setup was
named the L98 and was controlled again by an electronic fuel injection
system. The Tuned Port Injection system allowed for greater performance and
better fuel economy, my means of the injection system itself, and the new
air induction system which was fed by an induction opening in front of the
radiator. The braking system and manual transmission were both beefed up in
accordance with the newly found horsepower from the new system. There were
no physical changes to the exterior, with the one piece removable front roof
section coming standard and with the other standard C4 options, a driver
could get into the 1985 Corvette for around the same price as the previous
year, which marked the first time in thirty years where the new Corvette did
not come equipped with a beefed up price. But that, like the roof line,
would change in 1986. That year brought the triumphant return of the
Corvette convertible. The brief time away for the drop top caused high
demand, and with it, a high price; roughly thirty two thousand dollars for
the convertible, and twenty seven thousand for the coupe; although there was
no change in performance numbers. 1987 on the other hand did bring
performance increases. This ten horsepower gain came thanks to the new
valve lifter system, which reduced internal engine friction. The 1987 Vette
sold for twenty eight thousand dollars for the coupe, and about thirty three
thousand for the soft top model. However, for those who wanted 345
horsepower, you could order the Callaway B2K package, which could be
equipped for just a small addition of about twenty thousand dollars. 1989
brought about another small gain thanks for some high flow exhaust, which
freed up an extra 5 horsepower, bringing the yearly total to 245. Also in
1989, a selectable ride setting was offered to electronically stiffen the
ride depending on the varying desires of the driver.
1990's
1990 brought about the eagerly awaited release of the newest in the line of the Corvette since the
L88; the ZR-1. While the base model received no added power, lingering at
about 245 horsepower, the ZR-1 offered the driver an available 375
horsepower and 370 lb/ft of torque and a six speed manual transmission,
along with some minor physical changes to stand the ZR-1 apart from the
baseline Corvettes. Marketed as the fastest production car ever, it carried
a price that one would imagine to be tacked onto the fastest production car
ever; and about fifty nine thousand dollars, the ZR-1 was a price hike of
about twenty seven thousand over the base model Corvette coupe from that
year. In 1991 the ZR-1 was still available, but the price was increased to
sixty four thousand dollars, and the base model was increased to roughly
thirty two and a half thousand dollars for the coupe, with the ragtop
setting a buyer back an extra six grand. All of the base model Vette's
received an increase of 5 horsepower, and also a facelift to more closely
resemble the styling of the ZR-1. This was also the last year for the Twin
Turbo feature from Callaway, with an added price of thirty three thousand
dollars, boosting the power to 450 horsepower in the "speedster" model.
1992 brought the return of the LT-1 engine, this time with 300 horsepower in
the base models. The ZR-1 was still available, but the Callaway Twin Turbo
models had been done away with due to lack of sales and interest in the
twenty to thirty thousand dollar upgrade. 1992 was also the year that
brought the world the one millionth Corvette, and like the first, it was
white, with bright red interior. 1993 brought about an increase in power
for the ZR-1, to 405 horsepower, and an increase in price to sixty six
thousand dollars. The base models still came with the LT-1 standard,
building 300 horsepower, and like the years before, no physical changes were
made in 1993. 1994 marked one of the first years where there was no
mentionable difference between the new Corvette and the prior, other than
another price hike. Performance numbers were the same, as was the styling,
with only some minor changes to the interior and the addition of a side
mounted airbag for this model year. 1995 again had no performance increase
to brag about, but it did have one minor physical change with the addition
of "gills" to the rear of the front wheels. This was, however, the
announced last year for the ZR-1, and at about sixty eight thousand dollars,
all 448 units made were sold, and delivered; presumably to very happy
customers as the ZR-1s still carry a hefty price tag for collectors today.
In 1996 the ZR-1 was not available, but instead the return of the fabled
Grand Sport which had a standard look of Admiral Blue Metallic Paint, a
white stripe, red hash marks on the left front fender and black five-spoke
aluminum wheels. It also offered a 30 horsepower gain over the base model
300 ponies, and was available on either the coupe or convertible. It also
offered better suspension components for better handling in racing
situations. However, if someone opted to not go with the Grand Sport
option, the 330 horsepower engine could be ordered in the base line
Corvette, and all of the 330 hp LT-4s were equipped with a six speed manual
transmission at no charge.
|
