Randall Collins The mako shark styling at its zenith enhanced by lovely green paint. The poor engine underneath the hood completely emasculated by the Naderites in gov't.
They looked cool, but any 3rd gen after '72 was a complete dog. Low compression, emission controls, tall gearing...... they were depressing Corvettes. 0-60 times got longer by the year, up to over 10 seconds by 1979. Hard to believe how the same car had an L88 option and then 6 years later had a decompressed 350 as the only engine available. Ugh
To me the original pre-facelift C4 Corvette is one of the sweetest looking Vettes, but man, that green C3 convertible at the beginning of the video, with its huge Eagle GT tires, is awesome!!
I own a C3 and I owned a C5 convertible in the past, and there's no question the C5 was the vastly better car. But in terms of looks, that C3 gets more stares and people talking to you than anything I've ever owned - and I've owned a ton of cool and unique cars. But I'm also anti-social and hate people bothering me, so it's a mixed bag.
@@Rocklyn1 I don’t understand why so many people complain about the TPI 350. It’s perfectly adequate power wise. I mean, it was the 80s. You would have basically needed to get a super car to go any faster. Plus, Iimagine it was faster than a lot of C3s, especially the later ones. I wonder what the TPI would have been rated at pre-net horsepower ratings? 300hp?
My 87 convertible (red) looks almost like that one! Mine has gray interior with a black top. Great car! IMO C4 vetts are what a corvette is! Flip up lights, long nose and tilt nose hood.
Great video quality. 1986..I turned 17 on May 9th got my first car and my first job. Next year I would meet my wife. We still look back at those great times with fond memories.
I have a '90 C4 Convertible with the 6 speed in the garage stripped down to the short block ready for some go-fast goodies from LPE. The car is very user serviceable with some patience since it's a low car and it has lots of fasteners. Parts are readily available at the Vette specialists and since it's a gen I SBC under there the local shops have most of the common parts in stock. The C4 is essentially like a C3 with some basic computer controls so it's still simple by today's standards. Looking at the C7 and it's complexity (like all new cars), it may be beyond the garage hobbyist's ability to support in 30 years economically. I hope I'm wrong.
C4's are finally getting their just due in recent yrs. They were much better and more forgiving cars than the C3 ever thought of being. The TPI engine was wonderful with low end power always on call, and general serviceability much better with that giant 1 piece front end. While it seemed 1 couldn't give them away in the late 90s/early 00's, they have now become a sought after car, with good untouched examples hard to find. That being said, lots of go faster goodies from everyone from Chevy to the aftermarket are readily available.
The biggest issue is the dated electronic dash boards. Dated by the fact that they never function, and then repairing them is just so much fun! :) I've done a ton of the early cars, C1, C2 and 1969 and 1970 C3 versions. We do a lot of NCRS top flight/duntov stuff so they're all bone stock. Of the C3 version, the 1980 I did a recommission on was the most driver friendly and way more comfortable than the 69-70's. They had it down by that point. The new versions are great cars, just really, really ugly.
@@floridaroadways ok? Did I ask? Every car now a days is fast just cause your shitty little camry is fast doesn't mean that a beast classic vette isn't.
Ahh the good old C4 Corvette, my favorite bodystyle. I'd take one of these over any newer generation of Corvette, let alone a C7(those are ugly!!!) The C5 Corvettes aren't that bad but the C4 will always be my favorite!
@@theeurobandit Well, it's only opinion . . . but I think the C4 is by far the ugliest Corvette ever made (although the C7 gives it a run for its money). The C1, C2, C5, C6 and C8 are the only ones that appeal to me.
Good! I'm not crazy and I can admit to loving this body style. I think it is actually my favorite of any generation. I remember when in my early teens when these were newly introduced, so I have a certain nostalgic fondness for the Eighties styling and features.
+xebek excellent point. People want to complain about stagnant wages and jobs going overseas, which is bad, but they don't seem to care or do anything about the federal reserve and the domestic policy that is causing it.
Even though the C4 doesn't get as much love as some of the other generations, I'd take a '95 ZR1 over pretty much every other model of Corvette ever made.
jo hn same here i would love to have a c4 zr1 but i willing to settle for thr 1996 grand sport, i just love the metalic blue color with the black rims and red racing stripes on the front fenders, the extra 30 hp is also very nice.....but to be honest i would settle for a 92 -96 corvette with the basic 300hp lt1.
@@fastdude2002 take my word for it, you want the 69. That 1 inch of interior width makes a huge difference inside. I had a 69 and as a big guy, the extra room over the 68 was evident. My C4's were even better but I do love that 69 body and chrome bumpers. Mine had factory installed Headers and side pipes. It was a 1/8 mile built car and could spin tires taking OFF in 4th gear. It had a kevlar clutch that required a lot of pressure to work but when I drove it, I knew it was a performance car. 13.5:1 compression and got max 8 mpg or as low as 6 when driven really hard. Pull the T Tops out, take out the rear window, it was heaven. I never should have sold it.
I'm a Mopar guy, tried and true, and yes, I know it's not a vette, but the IROC-Z convertibles from GM, still to this day, some of the slickest looking rides out there.
The C4 was a NICE LOOKING car and fairly quick however, it was really lacking in interior quality. The hard plastic pieces bolted to the steel pillars would rattle and squeak even when driving over the smallest tar strips. It drove me crazy,so I added thin sheets of foam rubber under the plastic. This made a noticeable improvement and I was able to maintain my sanity.
I bought an '86 convertible that looks just like this 3 weeks ago. May not perform like a Corvette made today but it still turns heads and it's a lot of fun!
My 85 Mustang GT ran a 14.8 bone stock when it was new. There was an 86 Vette at the same track that I ran that beat me with a 14.4. He said his car was bone stock also.
Man, that green '75 Corvette was beautiful. I still love the C3 models, with the C6 being my favorite. Put the C6 body on the C7 chassis and we have a winner.
You can’t go wrong with a RED ON RED Corvette convertible of any generation but theres just something about that combo in the C4 especially with the sport seats
The outside still looks good, but man, those 80's interiors! If you do the math, $32k back in '86 is about $70k today, or about what a new Stingray Convertible costs. The more things change.....
@@BoostedPastime Odd question to ask on a Corvette video (especially one from 1986, when the R32 GTR didn't come out until 1989), but I'll bite. Back in 1989, an R32 would've cost 4,500,000 yen. Using the average exchange rate at the time (137.982263), you get the equivalent of $32,613 USD. So, about the same as a Corvette at the time. Adjusted for inflation, that'd be about $67,000 in today's money.
What a price-increase from the 1984 model, though! 32K for this one, 26K for the ‘84. Of course, the convertible top makes it more expensive to be sure - but that’s still a pretty big bump there.
What i was surpised with was that this was a 1980s 2 seater sports car. So id expect it to be very light especially considering its fiberglass. The c4s are small with 80s tech. If a c4 was swapped with a ls engine and tranny, newer front and rear end, brakes, seats, wheels etc im sure you could shave off quite a few pounds.
My father has a 86 c4 targa stock auto Corvette with aftermarket c5 Corvette chrome wheels and atomic paint and aftermarket catback exhaust and stereo.
It's remarkable how cheap these cars are today, you can easily find a C4 convertible in good shape for under $10k, and generally way under $10k. They are still good drivers too. The main enemy of this car, and well all sports cars, are all the slobs on the road that drive SUVs - you can't see anything. If you're driving and SUV or Minivan or truck, do the world a favor and drive into a bridge embankment doing about 70mph - those in sports cars will thank you for your service.
Hi Vic. What years are your C4s? And how many miles on them? In December 1986, I bought a 1986 (Build Date Code 4/66) red-on-red convertible with many options including 4+3 Manual Transmission, Leather Sport Seats, Cruise Control, Engine Oil Cooler, Power Door Locks, Delco-Bose Stereo. Due to an overseas assignment, I put very few miles on the car in the first eight years. The Vette now has 777.7 miles! Everything is original including the tires! I replaced the Fuel Pump, Fuel Filter, and Power Antenna!! It's a great stablemate for my red 1993 Cadillac Allante (Also an Indy Car)!! Both have been garage-stabled their entire life, and both look and run like a dream!!! All the best, Bob.
The 86 C4 even though its power numbers dont sound great and it weighs more than you think. It still drives smoothly, accelerating and corner is quick and nimble and with little body roll the car feels very very light and more powerful then it actually is
They are plentiful and fairly inexpensive. I got a really nice 1993 coupe with 68k miles for $8000 last October. There were plenty of solid mechanically but not quite as nice physically ones as low as around $5000. Or shave a little off by going with an L98 rather than LT1, etc.
You know what they say about opinions... Everyone has 1.C4 particularly this 86 was 1 of my least favorite, but I still like it in a later yr.Not fast by any stretch but ya gotta remember the times.Until 87 w/ the GNC Buick nothing was fast.
If you like these Corvettes, then good for you. As someone who worked on these vehicles I can't even consider them even half-ass this year. The fit and workmanship sucked and mechanically, they weren't much better. Materials used to make these cars were sub-par and most all I see now are crumbling from the inside out. Yes, from the performance aspect it was a spark of performance lightning, but they were just assembled too cheaply.
The more-expensive competition was even worse. I'd argue that a Porsche or BMW from 1986 is actually worse. Highly disagree w/ the mechanics. The ZF6 + L89/LT1/LT4 was a damned good drive train. The DN 4+3 was OK....but don't prefer it. I've owned three of them and wrenched them myself....so I know. Bypassing the VATS and replacement of the Opti (92 up) eliminated MANY problems of this car. The skip-shift was annoying....but an easy fix. So, honestly, I have no clue what you're talking about. Other than the ill-fated dash, it was an excellent car. Far better than a shit-quality Fox body or Camaro. The Fox is shit in the purest form...other than it being light weight and a reasonably dependable OHV 5.0.
+Passthedutch we're not going to have an FVC debate here, but try taking a 7 hour trip in a Mark VIII, a Z28 and a 1986 Corvette, then compare comfort, fuel economy and overall satisfaction. The 350 has been around since when, JFK? The 4.6 was brand new that year and conservatively configured for its output and fuel economy and still a monster of a motor. You can compare data sheets all day, bottom line is Ford actually put their new brainchild in a car and sold it. The GM northstar V8 is only available in very bland feeling FWD configuration except for maybe the XLR. But why not just put it in the corvette or make a RWD Eldorado that isn't boring to look at instead of making an over-priced corvette that looks like an Eldorado?. The GM Northstar V12 is still sitting in a concept car in a warehouse somewhere when it should have found its way into the 'vette decades ago. Instead they're still try to re-invent the 350 and sell it like its new. Shame.
+vendediesel You are mad, huh? You know what a Lincoln is? a rebadged ford. You know how many mark vii are around? not many. why? they're junk. the suspension sag, gauges stop working, and they ALL overheat. tell me, the Camaro and Corvette still sell wheras Lincoln axed the Mark how long ago? They're pieces of shit. No they were not comfortable, they floated around like a boat. They couldn't perform nearly as well as competitors. Lincoln is literally junk. At least Cadillac broke a record At Nürburgring for the fastest 4 door sedan. Lincoln however, is still rebadging Fords and charging premium prices for plasticky shit. Ford sucks.
Where the hell are you shopping? I've just checked and two different 1986 C4 convertibles with under 90k miles and under $10k. Both look clean. Then went to Orlando CL and half dozen under $15K.
I have to laugh about the 0-60 time. My 2017 500 Abarth will come very close to that on a 45 degree day. With that said, the C-4 is a bargain right now. Late 70's choked C-3's are finally climbing in price. Grab 2 for 10 grand and put them in dry storage
It's 30 year old technology. Supercars of that era "suck" by today's standards too. We'll see how abarths compare to newer cars in 2047 (if they survive that long). 💁
***** You must be one of those that loses a race to a supposedly slower car and tell yourself, "I'm faster. The magazine said so in the specs they gave. The other guy cheated". Seen plenty of those happen with mythical 0-60 times given by "good science" car mags.
Hi sportsmansparadice42 I purchased my 1986 model year C4 Convertible Corvette new in December 1986!!! I still own it! 777.7 original miles! See my earlier entry above!
I owned an '86 Vette back in in 1986. It was the biggest POS I ever owned. Car was always in the shop, and rattled like crazy. My friends '86 Celica made my Vette feel like it was assembled by farmers.
Karmiangod Would you have been happier if there were no progress and current cars were no better or safer than they were 30 years ago? Come on man, use your head...that would have been the 70's
Tom Jones True, but an at-home port job on the L98 intake and air box will get you an additional 20hp rwhp....for Zero dollars Have seen a good amount of mid-80s Z51 Vettes dip into the high 13s with nothing invested. Those engines were absolutely starving for air.
How so? Motorweek ran a 15.4 at 89mph with a manual 2016 Miata. This is a THIRTY THREE year old convertible with an automatic trans, and they ran 14.7 at 94mph. I guess math isn't one of your strong suits... Being that Motorweek's acceleration numbers always suck, Motor Trend ran 14.4 in a 2019 Miata with a manual trans. Motorweek still ran 13.9 & 14.2 with auto and manual '85 Corvette coupes... So depending on drivers it only took them 30 years to catch up. Nice job!
@Flies2FLL Really? How so exactly? You must be referring to all those 928 convertibles they never made... Or is it the fact that in SCCA showroom stock GT racing Corvettes were wiping the floor so badly with Porsche and Lotus that they got together and BANNED Corvettes and forced to form their own series and race against themselves? If not that you must be referring to the multiple FIA World Land Speed Endurance records Corvettes set in 1990. You know, the 50 year old records they smashed that still stand TO THIS DAY for production cars... You must particularly love the other Motorweek video where the 928 gets it's ass handed to around a racetrack by a Camaro lol. Yeah go ahead and tell me about how nice the 928's interior is...
@@chickenjo23 I remember seeing several C4's in the rear view mirror of my '85 928S2 5 speed. It was amusing watching their headlights get closer and closer together as they fell behind.... With nothing but a Borla exhaust I ran a 13.86@105.6 at Bithlo speedway outside of Orlando. It was a 90 degree day. My car used to beat the hell out of C4's and could run right with C5's, which are really just plastic copies of the 928~
The C4 Vette is by far the ugliest Corvette ever made. It's just hideous in so many ways. And yet these days, I almost feel it growing on me. However, a C4 vert is something I will NEVER like. ASC did a great job with a lot of cars, and I'm sure they did a fine job with this car, but a convertible that wasn't designed from the ground up will never be as good of a car as it could be, and chopping the top off of it just makes the C4 look even worse.
+Adam Baldwin "The C4 Vette is by far the ugliest Corvette ever made. It's just hideous in so many ways." - That is a matter of opinion my good sir. I prefer the late C4's to the early C4's myself. (91-96 body, Admiral Blue (96' Grand sport color) with blacked out ZR1 wheels (96' Grand sport wheels) is a top choice for me) I will agree the C4 is the most "bland" Corvette ever but that's what some people like about it. Plenty of people seem to hate the C5 for having a "fat ass" or being too bubbly also. There is always somebody who hates something. At least the C4 can handle and get pretty good gas mileage doing it! You can't argue with that!
***** I don't think the C4 is bland, I think it's just kind of ugly. It's heavy on the 80's style, boxy and not curvy enough, but like I said, it's been growing on me. Personally, I think any of the other generations look better than the C4, but there have been a lot of very nice Corvettes, so that's not much of an insult. And I respect anyone who has a soft spot for the C4; I have a soft spot for pretty much anything with wheels and an engine. I'm just surprised by how much more I am liking the C4 these days than how I used to a decade ago. There is definitely something to its styling that has aged pretty well.
C P I love a bunch of boxy cars. I think part of the problem with the C4 is that if anything, it's not boxy enough. It's grown a lot on me, but still the ugliest Corvette ever made, by far.