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.