CarBrandLogos archive · Chevrolet Corvette · 1983

Chevrolet CorvetteCorvette C4

A clean-sheet redesign that finally made the Corvette handle, dashboard and all.

Photo: MercurySable99 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Chevrolet Corvette history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Chevrolet Corvette Corvette C4, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

There was no 1983 Corvette. Development of the fourth generation ran late, and Chevrolet skipped a model year rather than sell a stopgap, launching the new car in March 1983 as a 1984 model. It was the first Corvette designed from scratch since 1963.

1987 Chevrolet C4 Corvette Convertible · Sicnag · CC BY 2.0

Design and engineering

The change was total. A new backbone-style structure with an integrated uniframe replaced the old separate perimeter frame, the entire front bodywork lifted forward as a single clamshell to expose the engine, and the suspension used forged aluminium arms with transverse fibreglass leaf springs at both ends. The result was a car with cornering grip that embarrassed European sports cars costing three times as much — achieved with a ride so harsh, in early Z51 form, that reviewers complained about it constantly. Inside, an all-digital instrument display with bar graphs and rolling numerals dated faster than any other part of the car.

1986 Corvette C4 interior · Wouter82 · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

Power took longer to arrive. The initial L83 was uninspiring, the L98 with tuned-port injection improved matters from 1985, and the LT1 in 1992 finally gave the C4 a competitive small-block. The transmission situation was worse: the 4+3 overdrive manual built by Doug Nash was widely disliked before a proper ZF six-speed replaced it.

18 Nos 45 - Chevrolet LT5 · Herranderssvensson · CC BY-SA 3.0

Legacy

The generation's high point was the ZR-1 of 1990, powered by the LT5 — an all-aluminium 32-valve V8 designed with Lotus, which General Motors then owned, and built by Mercury Marine. It cost nearly as much as the rest of the car and made the Corvette, briefly, a genuine rival to Porsche's 911 Turbo.

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Body

2-door targa top

Technical specification

The Corvette C4, in detail.

Production: January 3, 1983 – June 20, 1996
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door targa top; 2-door Convertible (car); convertible
Layout: Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Engine: 350 cuin Chevrolet small-block engine (first- and second-generation)#L83; L83 V8 ; 350 cuin Chevrolet small-block engine (first- and second-generation)#L98; L98 V8 ; 350 cuin Chevrolet small-block engine (first- and seco
Transmission: 4-speed 700R4 automatic transmission; automatic ; 4+3-speed Doug Nash (Overdrive (mechanics); overdrive) manual transmission; manual (1984–1988 only) ; 4-speed Hydramatic GM 4L60-E transmission; 4L60-E automatic (1
Designer: Jerry Palmer under Dave McLellan (1980) and Irv Rybicki
Assembly: United States: Bowling Green, Kentucky
Manufacturer: Chevrolet (General Motors)