C4 Corvette - 1984-1996
Although the production run began in 1983, and the first recall was in 1983 (14,000 cars to fix problems with the power steering and battery cable, and 6,000 cars to replace defective brake components.) The 1984 Corvette was a complete redesign in almost every aspect. Handling considerations were the main concern, and the result was praised by the automotive press as the world's best cornering automobile. Design criteria specified that the 1984 Corvette have more ground clearance and more interior room, but less overall height. In order to achieve this, the exhaust system was routed through a center tunnel. The 1984 was designed without fiberglass seams on exposed panels to eliminate factory finishing. The exterior seams were under the rub strip extending around the entire body.
In 1991, the outstanding Z07 suspension was offered. In 1992, we got the Gen2 300hp, LT1 Small-Block which, from an engineering standpoint, was nearly the masterpiece the LT5 was. The ZR-1 went to 405hp in 1993 and that may very well have been the high-water-mark for a medium-displacement engine in a Corvette. The introduction of Goodyear GS-C EMTs in 1994 marked the first use of a run-flat tire on any production car. The last great C4 milestone came this year in the form of the LT4 engine.
It's no surprise that the best option of 1996 was the LT4 Small-Block V8. It came only with the ZF S6-40 six-speed manual transmission and was available on any '96. LT4 owes its existence to the C5's LS1 Gen3 V8. The early Gen3 was yet another iteration of the veteran Small-block; however, it eventually became apparent that no Small-Block could meet the C5's powertrain goals and, some time in 1992, Gen3 became an all new engine and existing work was finessed into the LT4.
