While never offered
to the public, a total of 43 - 1983 model Corvettes
were built. There were so many quality problems with
them it was decided to halt production until they
could be corrected. By the time the problems were
corrected, it was so late into the model year that
the car was brought out as a 1984 model and was run
for a year and a half. The only verifiable 1983
Corvette still known to exist is on display in the
National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The 1984 Corvette had the steepest windshield rake
angle of any previous American production automobile
at 64 degrees.
A single transverse plastic front and rear spring
first made it's appearance on the 1984 Corvette.
The L98 engine made its debut in 1985 offering a
horsepower increase from 205 to 230 plus a gain in
fuel enconomy due in part to new Bosch fuel injection
with tuned runners.
With the CB craze dwindling, the last year a CB radio
was offered as a Corvette option was 1985. Only 16
Corvettes were so equipped.
All 1986 convertibles were Indianapolis Pace Car
replicas and came with a pace car decal package (to
be installed at the buyer's option), but none had
special paint or options. The actual Indy Pace Car
used at the 1986 race was yellow in color.
Twenty 1986 Corvettes were sent to Lotus in England
to be converted into LT5 powered prototypes for the
ZR1 project.
In 1986, Corvette offered the "Malcolm Konner
Commemorative Edition" with two transmissions. A
manual 4-speed and an automatic. Only 20 4-speed
manual transmissions were installed at the factory.
In 1987 you could buy a Corvette without an engine
installed by the factory.
RPO B2K made it's first appearance on the option list
in 1987, affording the opportunity for 184 lucky
buyers to place orders for a Callaway Twin-Turbo
Corvette through participating Chevrolet dealers at $19,995
each (plus $20,007 for the Coupe base price).
A total of 16 exterior colors were available for both
1982 and 1987 Corvettes, the highest number of
exterior color choices offered in Corvette history.
To mark its 35th anniversary, a 1988 special
anniversary edition was available with white paint,
wheels, leather interior and special emblems. All 2,050
35th Anniversary Editions were built as coupes.
A total of 56 street-legal but race prepared 1988
Corvettes were built for the SCCA Corvette Challenge
Series.
In 1988, Corvette started using a unidirectional 17"
wheel.
Approximately 80 ZR-1 cars were built in 1989, but
none were sold to the public. The last of these ZR1s
were shipped out of the factory on Dec. 22, 1988
The FX3 adjustable suspension option, permitting
shock valving changes via a rotary dial mounted on
the interior console between the seats, was first
introduced in 1989.
The long awaited, high performance ZR-1 option
package was finally publicly available in 1990. It
included special rear body panels and an all aluminum
small block designated the LT5, producing 375 hp.
All LT-5 engines for the production ZR-1 option were
built by Mercury Marine in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The last year for the Callaway twin turbo option was
1991, selling 62 units at $33,000 each. In comparison,
the ZR-1 option was a bargain at "only" $31,683.
1991 was the 10th anniversary of Corvette production
at the Bowling Green, KY plant.
July 2nd, 1992 marks the day when the one millionth
Corvette, a white convertible, rolled off the
assembly line.
1992 saw the rebirth of the legendary LT1 small block
engine as a 300 hp motor with reverse flow cooling
and two valves per cylinder.
A special 40th anniversary model was released for
1993 with one year only Ruby Red exterior and
interior colors.
The ZR-1 horsepower rating rose to 405 hp for 1993,
but the option cost was held to 1992's $31,683.
The end of the 4th generation Corvette was marked
with two special editions... a "Collector
Edition" in Sebring Silver trim and a "Grand
Sport" in Admiral Blue with Actic White racing
stripe. A total of 1,000 Grand Sports were built and
of these, only 190 were convertibles. Collector
Editions comprised 25% of total production with 5,412
units built.
For 1996, LT1 engines required automatic
transmissions. The ZF 6-speed was mandatory with the
330 HP LT4 engine option.
The 1996 LT4 exhaust system differs from the LT1
system in that it incorporates a balance tube
designed to reduce vibration and noise levels.
In early production 1996 Grand Sports models, there
is a small area behind the hatch roof and in front of
the panel that attaches to the rear window that is
taped, not painted. The tape is 1 inch long and about
18 inches wide whose purpose was to eliminate a
problem area in the paint booth during manufacturing.
The 1996 Grand Sport's stripe is not the same width
all the way back. It gets wider as it goes up the
hood, and the top is narrower, and then it gets
somewhat wider in the back end.