This One-Owner 1984 Corvette Is As Good As Gold
In the fourteen years of the C3 Corvette’s life span, there was a change in the mission. What began as a hunkered-down, bulging, take-no-prisoners monster that was ready to do battle at a moment’s notice with any challenger found the path that befell many a nameplate during the 1970s: the power vaporized in the newfound catalytic converters, the horses that ran wild somehow ran free and weren’t found, and the sporting interior became tuned more towards the driver who wanted the look like a racer but maybe didn’t care all that much about the glory days of thunderous L-88s and banshee-screaming 327s.
This One-Owner 1984 Corvette Is As Good As Gold
And there was one other issue: “Familarity breeds contempt”. When reviewing the brand-new 1984 Corvette, Brock Yates referred to the C3 Corvette with the kind of highly derogatory descriptions in Car and Driver that good taste prevents us from printing here. Safe to say, the C3 Corvette had worn out its welcome and the public was ready for the next chapter of Chevrolet’s sports car.
The arrival of the 1984 Corvette (all 1983 model-year Corvettes were retained as factory prototypes and only one remains intact to this day) had gearheads foaming at the mouth. Years of spy photography and concept-car sketch artistry had worked up the buying public, and all that one-year delay did was fan the flame.
When the new cars did finally arrive, Chevrolet was more than ready to lay the gauntlet down, especially against the Porsche 928. Cornering grip? Over 0.90 g, and that was before the Girlock four-wheel disc brakes, or the trick Doug Nash 4+3 transmission (the combination of a Super T-10 four-speed manual and an electronically operated three-speed auxiliary overdrive on the tailshaft), or the improved and composed handling characteristics.
In fact, a lack of horsepower was the only real complaint to be had, but for 1984, 205 horsepower was what you could expect from America’s fiberglass wonder and was competitive with its peers. Buyers didn’t seem to mind, as 54,547 examples were moved off the dealership lots, the second-highest production rate in Corvette history.
With a little over 34,000 miles on the odometer and only one owner since delivery, this first-year C4 is in fantastic condition. Ordered in 1983, this example had a unique journey: Chevrolet noticed that the buyer had ordered every option that they wanted to display at the 1984 Detroit Auto Show, including the AQ9 cloth sport seats, so they reached out to the buyer and worked out an agreement. For allowing Chevrolet to display the car, the customer’s delivery time was reduced substantially.
Additionally, the amount of documentation that comes with this Corvette is substantial. In addition to the factory literature and documentation, the sticker that noted the C4 Corvette as the 1984 Motor Trend “Car of the Year” award. Since the car had already been sold, the sticker was mailed to the owner by GM.
What draws you in to a fourth-generation Corvette? Is it the clean, sleek, design that became a hallmark of the 1980s culture? Is it the fully digital dash, or the racing pedigree that effectively ended Porsche’s monopoly in SCCA Showroom Stock GT racing so badly that the SCCA banned them? Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: if you are looking for a cared-for example with provenance, look no further.
