Filed under: Sports/GTs, Chevrolet, RR of the Day
RR of the Day - 1985 Chevy Corvette
Yes folks, there's still another Z-car out in the pool, but it will live to see another day, because today we're featuring Lauren. That's not the reader's name, mind you, its the car's. Lauren is an '85 Corvette, and we think that she's a nice example of the C4. Reader j3studio picked up the car in 2004 and has been restoring her ever since. So far, the Vette's gotten some paint work, a new exhaust system, a new set of Bilstein shocks, fresh tires, and an assortment of other small fixes.
Lauren's been judged as being "Top Flight" by the National Corvette Restorer's Society (NCRS) and is driven at least once a week as long as there's no snow or salt on the road. She currently has around 57,000 miles on the odometer. J3studio is trying to keep this 'Vette as original as possible, and in her stock form she's loaded up with the Z51 suspension, performance axle, Delco-Bose stereo (which still works fine), and leather seating with power adjustments for the driver. Under the hood, she sports GM's 5.7L V8 with Tuned Port Injection (this was the first year of the TPI V8, according to the owner) , which makes 230 horsepower and was capable of bringing the car up to a top speed of 150 mph.
Sadly, j3studio didn't include an interior photo, as we'd have loved to include a shot of the car's full-digital dashboard for old times' sake. That part of the car is quintessentially 80s, and people apparently think the same of the its light metallic blue finish. They called it "very 80s" enough times that the owner turned that into a vanity plate to celebrate the car's 21'st birthday. It may be very 80s, but it's also very nice, and worthy of this week's final Reader Ride of the Day.
UPDATE - j3studio has forwarded us a shot of the dash, and we've added it after the jump!
Follow the jump for more pictures and instructions on how to submit your car.
How to submit to RR of the Day:
Create a Flickr account if you don't already have one. Search for and join the group called 'Autoblog RR of the Day'. Upload up to three photos of your ride to your own account at a size no larger than 450 pixels wide if possible and include as much information about it and yourself as possible. Even if your ride is sweet, it will not be chosen if there's not a lot of info accompanying it. Click on each photo and just above the picture it will say "Send to group". Click that and select the Autoblog group. You're done, that's it!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dreesemonkey 8:28AM (12/22/2006)
I never really liked the C4 vettes until I started going to a few autocrosses. If you haven't seen one run you'd never believe how those things carve through the cones. Absolutely amazing!
Nice, original car :)
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J3Studio 8:57AM (12/22/2006)
I'll get you an interior shot ASAP ...
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DriftPunch 9:02AM (12/22/2006)
I had an '88, which had the last iteration of the fully digital dash, and to be honest: I liked it! A nice green and amber glow. Keep in mind that the 85mph max spedo was still in effect but that was only for the bar graph. The numeric display was not hampered.
Mine was 10 years old when I got it and mechanically quite sound, but unfortunately, the interior was a disaster, and the rubber stripping was falling further apart every day.
Gotta love getting to the passenger side front spark plug!!!
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Michael Karesh 9:16AM (12/22/2006)
I gave car sales a shot in the summer of 1986, back when I was in college. I worked at a Chevrolet dealership. One thing I clearly remember was how large the improvement was from 1984 to 1985 to 1986 with the Corvette. They kept tweaking the suspension and tightening up the structure/interior. The 1984s were unbelievably rough, in every sense of the word. By 1986 they'd gotten the car pretty well sorted out, with the 1985 somewhere in between (but closer to the 1986 than the 1984).
230 horsepower doesn't sound like much now, but the car felt like a rocketship back then. Remember, this was back when your regular Honda Accord made do with 85 horsepower, while the high-zoot fuel-injected SE-i kicked out a heady 101.
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Dean 10:07AM (12/22/2006)
They kept improving - there were some major tweaks in 1988 to the suspension and chassis that really improved the car, plus they went to 17" wheels that year.
My parents are 2nd owners of an '85 that's pretty much in the same condition as Lauren. Theirs has 56,000 miles or so, driven a few times a year and has been really babied. The only change to the car from original was a set of later 17" ZR1 rims, and new paint from when some miscreant keyed it years ago. The original 16" wheels with Goodyear VR50's are stored away should they want to get it judged someday.
The '84 Corvette came out when I was 14, they were the coolest thing out there next to the Ferrari Testarossa that came out the same year. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for C4's.
It's nice to see another clean original one out there. Most of the early C4's have been hacked up pretty badly.
And no, 230 hp isn't a lot, but the L98 engines have a ton of low-end torque - these cars really move off the line.
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AutoFan 10:12AM (12/22/2006)
I would have given a nut for one of those when I was in high school. Nice car, man, and kudos for keeping it nice and clean. I'd still have to hit you with a 2x4 for giving it a human name, but understand that's just on principle, not anything personal. ;)
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Brandon Harper 10:58AM (12/22/2006)
My dad had an '87 in yellow when I was growing-up, and I loved the car. I too even liked the electronic dash. I think it partially influenced me to save up and get an 84 Z28 in High School for my first car (which I admittedly loved at the time too). Nice car!
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Slim 11:01AM (12/22/2006)
Very nice ride! I have a 1987 Corvette with 75k miles in all original condition. The car has been in the family for almost 18 years. Now my Dad has a 2003 Corvette. Both are red...
As mentioned, the horsepower number is nothing to brag about these days. But the torque (335) is strong!
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Andrew 12:15PM (12/22/2006)
This is what started my fascination with cars as a kid. I wanted a Corvette, an IROC-Z Camaro, and a Ferrari F40. Had posters of all of them on my bedroom walls. The imports, while I can appreciate them now, just were never on my radar back then.
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Erik 12:51PM (12/22/2006)
THAT is what I am talking about. Finally a decent ride!
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cowboy bob 1:20PM (12/22/2006)
1984 THRU 1997 were the least inspiring 'vetts ever. Styling, motor, interior, all left you cold. 1998 was a gift from 'vette angles, as at last they looked like something. Now, with the LS-7, my all time wanna goes from a three duce 427 '67 to the new ZO-6. It took 40 years!
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chuck goolsbee 1:24PM (12/22/2006)
The fastest I have ever driven up until very recently was behind the wheel of one of these back in 1985. My gawd was that car the bomb. Torque out the wazoo! A holy terror on wet pavement though ... oh my.
I was 21 years old when my father bought one for himself. I was living far away at the time, but visits home were worth the trip, if only for some wheel time with that 'vette. As such I've always had a soft spot for the C4s. Nice ride there J3studio! Thanks for sharing.
--chuck
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J3Studio 1:50PM (12/22/2006)
Cowboy Bob is (fully) entitled to his opinions, but should remember that the C5 came out in 1997, not 1998. I have one of those, too ...
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v8 2:00PM (12/22/2006)
No such thing as a bad 'vette. It's just that some are more beautiful than others.
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faheem 2:40PM (12/22/2006)
I too grew up around Corvettes, which ignited my passion for cars. My brother had an '84 with the Cross-Fire Fuel Injection and the 4+3 transmission. He also had upgraded the wheels to the ZR-1 wheels. He later upgraded to a '93 convertible (automatic) which I loved too, particularly the interior and the dash. Though the full-digital dash of the '84 was always hot. I always have had an affinity to the C4 Vette, moreso than any other car on the road. And I always do a double take when I see a clean one on the road.
Nice ride!!
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Kiiks 4:42PM (12/22/2006)
Bob, why are you complaining about the model year when it's part of the RR criteria this week? OH the new ZO6 is WAY BETTER why isn't it RRotD??? Maybe cuz its 70's and 80's coupe week. Jut maybe.
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J3Studio 4:50PM (12/22/2006)
A picture of the aforementioned digital dash:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/330363004_dbfe4c25e4.jpg?v=0
- and, yes, it all works! :)
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Phil 5:49PM (12/22/2006)
This was back when GM was the company doing all the innovation, and everyone else was shocked. They've got to get back to that status!
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Rap Sux 7:20PM (12/22/2006)
The C4 is definitely the least attractive of the Vettes, but this example looks nicely kept. Kudos to good ownership.
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bogus 9:24PM (12/22/2006)
Wow! Lauren is famouser than before! Way to go.
I am a friend of j3's, and have seen Lauren in person, the photo's don't do that car justice. It looks as good (if not marginally better) than when it left the Chevy dealer some 21 years ago.
BTW, I have a 1992 LT1 6sp Coupe. The 92 is light years ahead of the mid 80s, it's not even funny. So much tighter, so much smoother, so much faster. Amazing...
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