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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?
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.
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.
I was able to pull the engine in my 73. When I put it back together, everything worked. I would not feel so confident with my 86. I am old school but love my 86.
So my question is when does a Vette become old school in your eyes?
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.
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.