General_TSO

Ladies and Gentlemen, we're down to 35 days until the 8th generation Corvette is revealed and Zora Arkus-Duntov's dream of a production mid-engine Corvette finally comes to life.

A countdown seemed like a fun idea, so we'll start with the 35th year of the Corvette and go down every five days with a new post. If you have any suggestions for improvement feel free to let me know. Or if I miss any fun information regarding the year/model in the post.

The 1988 35th Anniversary edition, also known as the "Triple White Corvette" is a white Corvette fastback coupe with white wheels and white interior (including seats & steering wheel). It also features a removable black top and came equipped with everything, including its own unique emblems. The 35th Anniversary car is the 2nd Serialized Corvette in the production history of the C4 Corvette, with each car receiving an engraved number plaque on the console. 2,050 cars were built and a quoted 180 of these were manual transmission cars, making this a rare and collectible model.

In 2009, the Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach auction house offered an original, first-owned Z01-optioned 35th Anniversary Corvette with only 682 miles (1,098 km). The 350/245 engine was coupled to a rare 4-speed manual transmission (MMF), an option chosen by only 19% of the owners. For 21 years, the car was stored in a climate controlled environment. The car was sold for a price of $41,250 including commission. This easily beats the high price for a 35th Anniversary edition of $32,100 at an RM Auction held in 1998 in Monterey.

Available Colors:Silver Metallic, Medium Blue Metallic, Dark Blue Metallic, Yellow, White, Black, Dark Red Metallic, Bright Red, Gray Metallic, Charcoal Metallic, White/Black

Engine: 350CI 240/245 Horsepower, Tuned-Port Fuel Injected L98 V8 Engine

VIN: 1G1YY2182J5100001 – 1G1YY2182J5122789

Transmission: 4-speed automatic (standard), 4+3 speed manual (optional)

Original Price: $29,489.00 (Coupe), $34,820.00 (Convertible)

Units Produced: 22,789










Honorable Mention : 1988 C4 ZR1 Prototype!




More info on the ZR1 Prototype - https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0118-31...zr1-prototype/

RapidC84B

I always thought the swirl/twist wheels were supposed to go the other way, but it seems the C4 liked it backward.

vetteLT193

They are actually functional to suck air into the brakes... there are 'vanes' built in to the back side of the wheel designed to suck air in and blow it out through the holes. It took Chevy a while to realize that just a simple 5 spoke wheel with more open air was more effective than actively trying to move the air.

RedMercy

Ugly

captain vette

Great idea General, i am in for a countdown the reveal of the C8 is too important we have to celebrate those last days before we turn the page of the incredible front engine Corvette journey! As for the 35th anniversary that white steering wheel look awful. Thank for posting.

RapidC84B

Best get to liking the retro 2-spoke wheel

MikeG37

With the new wheels of the '91 refresh they did turn the other (the right) direction.

RapidC84B

Well that explains my confusion... my aunt had a '94 on Sawblades and I always remember it that way. So made me thing the early cars had the wheels on backward.

captain vette

General i do not know how old you are, there have been 25th and 30th anniversary C3 Corvette that worth a look also.

General_TSO

In 5 days, you'll see the 30th Ann. Corvette (which actually doesn't exist) and in 10 days you'll see a post (in this thread) on the 25th.

MikeG37

I got that car back after its first tire change and they had put the new tires on the wrong wheels and then mounted them back up turning backwards. One of the guys said he had argued that they were wrong before I got there, they had to do the job all over again.

LB001

I had the spittin" image of one of the cars shown above. The color was called Bright Aqua Metallic. Compared to today's C7, the interior had the cheap plastic look.

jimmyb

They go the other way on the passenger side....

84 4+3

I always thought the late cars were backward because it actually mattered on the early ones. The wheels on mine are actually factory stamped as to where they should be on the car FR, RR, etc. Makes rotation fun because the fronts are 8.5 wide and the rears are 10 or 9.5 or whatever. I just don't bother with it...

MikeG37

No, back then when they designed a directional wheel they made them side specific. Them not doing that with the C7 drives me crazy.

Jinx

White interior. Directional wheels. Two things I'd like to be able to get in a new Corvette.

General_TSO

30 Days! The 1983 Corvette is potentially the most unique Corvette ever made - there is only one that still exists and it's housed at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. You can find their full write up on the vehicle in the following link - https://www.corvettemuseum.org/learn...orvette-specs/

Here are a few excerpts that I liked. Enjoy!

"The culmination of 30 years of evolutionary engineering was meant to be dedicated to perfecting the complete performance machine. The 1983 was meant to be strikingly new, taut, and thoroughly contemporary. Rather than just being a new Corvette, the 1983 model strove to be a better Corvette. “Or else why change?” Quotes the sales brochure from that year. The goal was a better Corvette from the ground up. Production of the C4 was actually pushed back, from the fall of 1982 to January of 1983, and as a result, the C4 was introduced as an early 1984 model-year car. Chevrolet built a number of prototypes and pilot cars in 1983 to test the fourth generation Corvette before it hit production. Of the 43 prototypes and pilot line cars, only one, a pilot-line car with VIN 1G1AY0783D5110023 remains. This literally one of a kind Corvette and piece of history is on permanent display at the National Corvette Museum."




"A most acute windshield rake for a production car: 64. 7 degrees. The ’83 features hidden headlights that tumble forward 158 degrees as they emerge, revealing a lean, aerodynamic shape, for an overall sleek look."





Before being restored to its original White, the only surviving 1983 Corvette was at some time in its past given a “red-white-and-blue” paint job.

ShagVette

Wil Cooksey is the taller guy, who's the shorter one?

RapidC84B

What Mike said... in the 80s and 90s car companies actually did proper directional wheels that were side-specific. My first car was a '95 Ford Probe GT and it had nice 5-spoke twist wheel that were side-specific. The fact that GM cheaps out now and makes the wheels go the wrong way on one side of the car is just silly. The special 5-spoke twist wheels that came on the Premier Edition C7 cars were awesome... on one side of the car! The new ZR1 wheels are awesome.... you guessed it... on one side of the car

jimmyb

Are you sure about that?
I just looked at a lot C4 pictures and the wheels did not look side specific