No Corvette in the world deserves the fate of this C4 from 1984, just like no car on Planet Piston should end its driving days in a Texas junkyard. Or any other junkyard, but we brought up Texas because our sad hero rots away somewhere in the Lone Star State.
Classic Ride Society YouTube channel discovered this moribund Chevrolet icon in this poor state. However, the car has all the parts in one assembly: the wheels (saw blades) are attached to the vehicle, the engine is under the hood, and doors, glass, roof, and interior are all there.
But just because everything is amassed in the shape of a car doesn’t mean it still is a car. The right rear quarter panel is about to press criminal charges against a plastic-eating monster that tore it in half. Not a lot of rust on the body because it’s plastic. Alright, ‘Vette voters, take it easy: your beloved C4 is not a plastic sportscar. The correct nomenclature is SMC (Sheet Molding Composite), a glass-fiber reinforced polyester.
This car was the brainchild of a new design team from GM; thus, the C4 came with standard-shattering lines and profiles. A fresh chassis, a glass hatchback – a first-ever for the Corvette – and an electronic dashboard with its LCD instruments. The engine wasn't imposing in terms of performance so Chevrolet emphasized handling. Redesigned suspensions and brakes would have to convince the buyers that Corvette was still America's sportscar.
The suspension bid a farewell to the coil-over-shock solution and introduced the fiber-reinforced plastic mono-leaf spring on aluminum control arms (see them in the video). The brakes also got aluminum calipers to decrease weight and increase performance. 3,239 lb (1,469 kg) was lightweight 40 years ago. However, the L83 V8 only squeezed 205 hp (208 PS) and 290 lb-ft of torque (393 Nm). Coupled with the four-speed automatic, the 1984 C4 Corvette was not impressive, with some seven seconds reaching 60 mph (97 kph).
Still, the 1984 model year was the best-seller in the 12-year production run of the C4, with over 51,000 vehicles assembled. This battered example is one of them, even if the pitiful condition could make people turn the cold shoulder rather than their heads upon this derelict sight.
After nearly two decades in news television, Răzvan turned to a different medium. He’s been a field journalist, a TV producer, and a seafarer but found that he feels right at home among petrolheads. Full profile
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