See the very latest in automotive technology for 1984 on display in this engineering review of the all-new C4 Corvette.
The car may seem a bit dated today, but when the fourth-generation 1984 Corvette was introduced, it was the Motor City’s state of the art. The materials were advanced and exotic: forged aluminum suspension members on all four corners, carbon fiber leaf springs, a uniframe chassis and passenger cage formed from special high-strength steels. Cutting-edge hardware included aluminum Girlock disc brakes and unidirectional wheel and tire assemblies with custom-designed Goodyear VR50 tires. The C4 was GM’s springboard to the highly advanced C5 through C7 Corvettes—world-class sports cars that apologize to no one.
Unfortunately, not all the C4 Corvette’s features were ready for prime time at introduction: the Cross-Fire throttle-body fuel-injection system, the sci-fi digital instrument display, the 4+3 manual/overdrive transmission. But all these issues were soon overcome, and over its 13-year production life the C4 evolved into a top-notch sports car—and a genuine bargain on the used performance car market today. And thanks to low prices and relatively high production volume, the C4 has also formed the basis for countless street rods and homebrew sports cars.
In this original GM promotional film, we get a detailed look at the advanced 1980s engineering that went into the C4 Corvette, the best that General Motors could muster. Video below.
I remember being blown away by this car when it came out. I still think the C4 an awesome looking car and to my eyes in many ways superior to its successors.
Although I draw sideways glances from Corvette people, I consider this the best looking of the series. It also marks the point where Chevy made their first serious attempt to turn Corvette into a true sportscar. I’ve considered buying one a few times, but prefer high-revving four and six cylinders. The only reason this and subsequent generations aren’t respected more is because they don’t cost more than they’re worth.
Love the wheels!
Having owned two, an 84 and a 86, I can truly say they were comfortable, fast, good driving cars. But the electronics, while state of the art at the times, suffered from the bean counters. The dash was junk, after it got some age on it you never knew if it was going to work when you turned the key or not. The fuel system was the same way, even after the TPI came out, you got a good one that gave no trouble, or you got one that stayed in the shop half the time. Values on them have suffered, you can pick up an 84 for nearly nothing, and 85 and later ones for not much more. I may get another one one of these days, but if I do I’ll go through it and do away with all the electronics and go back with a carb and manual dash gauges and return it to what sports cars should be, a little loud, a little crude, a whole lot fast.