C4 = old school?
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,324
Likes: 153
From: Antioch Ca
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Unmodified
C4 = old school?
So I was having my wife's Lexus washed at a car wash when a C5 Vette pulls in. I start talking to the owner and I tell him about an upcoming Corvette Caravan run to the coast. He asks me if I have a vette and I tell him I have an 86. He replies, "cool, an old school Vette."
A couple of years ago I went on a run with about 30 vettes. All were C5 and C6s except me with the 86. While parked on the coast a father and son walked by and the father asked his son, "which do you like, those Vettes or that old school Vette" pointing to mine at the end of the row.
So my question is when does a Vette become old school in your eyes? I know the C4 ushered the Corvette into the modern age according to the books I have read, but isn't the cutoff for old school Vettes the C3? Just wondering! Or is it the older the Vette becomes, it eventually becomes old school? What are your opnions?
A couple of years ago I went on a run with about 30 vettes. All were C5 and C6s except me with the 86. While parked on the coast a father and son walked by and the father asked his son, "which do you like, those Vettes or that old school Vette" pointing to mine at the end of the row.
So my question is when does a Vette become old school in your eyes? I know the C4 ushered the Corvette into the modern age according to the books I have read, but isn't the cutoff for old school Vettes the C3? Just wondering! Or is it the older the Vette becomes, it eventually becomes old school? What are your opnions?
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,223
Likes: 446
From: Overland Park Kansas
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C4 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
Could go either way. But, the SBC gen 1 motor is in your car. It's still a direct descendant (sibling) of the original 350 motor. If that's their yardstick, then it's still oldschool.
If rock-bottom price is the yardstick, probably still oldschool.
skid pad and aero-dynamics. Not old school.
If rock-bottom price is the yardstick, probably still oldschool.
skid pad and aero-dynamics. Not old school.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,768
Likes: 33
From: Van Steel Corvettes
St. Jude Donor '12-'13
Well, the latest model C4 is 17 years old...so most are old enough to vote, many old enough to consume alcohol (with proper mods). Officially old school! Embrace the coolness of the first modern old school car.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette & Porsche 911: How Two Icons Conquered the Last 25 Years
Joe Kucinski
2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
To me, that happens when the platform shares basically nothing with "current" versions, in a philosophical way, and in character. I wouldn't call the C4 "old skool", since the architecture is very similar to todays car, design objectives were about the same, and methods for achieving the objectives were about the same.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 34,988
Likes: 515
From: Riverside County Southern California
Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
2018 Corvette of Year Finalist
2017 C4 of Year
2016 C7 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '20
These ones are old school.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 34,988
Likes: 515
From: Riverside County Southern California
Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
2018 Corvette of Year Finalist
2017 C4 of Year
2016 C7 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '20
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
From: New Hampshire There's nothing like a 'Vette
It's all a question of perspective, but in the end...does it really matter? When the C4 was introduced, it was truly a radical leap forward from that which came before it; both in the nuts and bolts, as well as the styling. The nuts and bolts have certainly moved ahead radically since then...but style never goes out of style. The C4's lines still look modern to me, and just as sexy as they did new. 
