1988 Corvettes

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The 1988 Corvette looked nearly identical to the previous years C4 Corvettes, but under the surface there were three very exciting options to choose from. Not since the late 1960s had there been so many choices for Corvette buyers.

The only visual difference on the '88 Corvette was the the restyled wheels which were only offered that year. The order sheet showed three distinctive options: An improved Z51 Performance Handling Package, the 35th Anniversary Edition, and the amazing Callaway Twin Turbo.

The base price of the '88 Vette was up $1,490 from the previous year, to $29,489. The car had minor but significant improvements in its engine, suspension, brakes, and interior. Items such as power door locks, cruise control, and stereo cassette were now standard.

For performance buffs, the $1,295 Z51 option was the hot setup and only 1,309 were ordered. The "new" Z51 package included huge P275/40ZR15 Z-rated tires on restyled 17-inch wheels, a heavy-duty suspension, fast-ratio steering, larger front rotors and calipers, a radiator boost fan, a finned power-steering cooler, Delco-Bilstein shocks, an engine oil cooler, and higher rate springs.

The 35th Anniversary Package was a $4,795 option and featured a special all-white body with badges on the front fenders, black B-pillars and roof bar, tinted roof panels, and white 17-inch wheels from the Z51 package. The running gear was stock, but the interior came with embroidered leather seats and trim, a special anniversary plaque, and every creature-comfort option available. Only 2,050 were built.

The big gun for 1988 was the optional $25,895 Callaway Twin-Turbo. This was the most aggressive out-sourced specialty Corvette ever made. The Twin Turbo L98 350 engine packed 382 net-horsepower with 562 lb-ft of torque. Even more impressive was the fact that the engine met EPA emissions standards while providing owners with a car that had a top speed of over 190 mph! An automatic version was available that used a modified truck Turbo- Hydramatic and cost an additional $6,000!

And to keep the racing crowd stoked, Chevrolet built 51 street-legal Corvettes for the SCCA Corvette Challenge Series. These cars had matched power output engines and full rollcages.

It was almost like the old days, plus a lot more cash, and minus the booming sidepipes.

Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 76 - 1988 Running Indy Corvette
"The Running Prototype"

After seeing the full-size Corvette Indy clay model, GM brass approved the construction of a running prototype of the bold new design. Clay models are always a little over the top and need to be pulled back, but the running Corvette Indy still sizzled.

The second-stage Corvette Indy was a three part project. The overall design shape and hardware specifications came from the Corvette design team. Since GM had recently purchased Lotus, it was decided to use Lotus' suspension engineering skills to develop a prototype active suspension system. And finally, Cecomp of Italy was contracted to assemble the finished running vehicle. This was to be an interim car while the CERV III engineering study was being built.

Dream cars can be very exciting, but are often not road worthy as production cars. So the original design had to be more realistic. The front end was shortened and the A- and B-pillars were a little more realistic. Also, extra ground clearance and wheel travel in the wheel openings was added. But the shape, flavor, style, and attitude remained.

Running gear was as cutting edge as could be. An early version of the 5.7 LT5 (ZR-1) engine was used. Placement was not only mid-engine (something that Duntov wanted for decades), but was also transverse mounted. The backbone chassis was made of carbon fiber rather than the Kevlar tub of the first version. The Lotus team got to show off their latest active suspension hardware that had just about everything you could imagine. Micro processors and hydraulics replaced the entire standard suspension. The car had full-time four- wheel-drive, four-wheel steering, ABS brakes and traction control. The active suspension allowed for smaller wheel houses, fewer parts, and more interior room.

Weighing only 3,300 pounds and packing 380 hp, the Corvette Indy had enough grunt to carry the Corvette flame. The next stage would be the production-like CERV III. As a prototype, the running Corvette Indy was a success! 

Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 77 - 1988-89 Corvette Challenge Racers
"Too Fast... Too Good"

For decades General Motors had a strange attitude towards racing. Obviously, many people raced Corvettes, but GM would never officially stand behind their efforts. All that changed in 1988 with the beginning of the "Corvette Challenge Series."

It was a banner year for the Corvette. There was the 35th Anniversary Special, the high-output Callaway option, an awesome GTO body kit, and the production of 56 specially prepared, street-legal Corvette race cars. The series was an outgrowth of the Corvette's total dominance of the Showroom Stock series from 1985 to '87. Since Corvettes were banned from the series for 1988, a Corvette-only race was created.

Toronto racing promoter John Powel pitched the idea to Chevrolet with a plan to sign on sponsors to create a million dollar, 10 race series with equally prepared, performance Corvettes. Chevrolet agreed and began building cars that used every performance part available for the car. A total of 56 cars were built and retrofitted with a full rollcage and other safety items. The engine and running gear of each car was balanced, blueprinted, and sealed by the factory. Special non-tamperable green paint was applied to hold-down bolts and assured things wouldn't be tweaked.

The races were supporting events for CART and IMSA , but had full and extensive coverage on ESPN with on-screen information from real-time telemetry from the cars. The Vettes were equalized to the point where every car raced using gas from the same tanker. The "racing" all came down to the driver's skill behind the wheel.

The series was very popular with the fans and most of the drivers enjoyed the experience as well. When the '89 season began, the country was in a recession and sponsorship money became a problem. Chevrolet ended up financing the series for the million dollar purse. But they also gained R&D information from 50 Corvettes racing ten races in '88 and twelve races in '89. Nearly all of the adjustments and parts improvements went directly into production Corvettes.

The cars could do over 160mph, but speed has never been cheap. A Corvette Challenge car cost over $35,000 and was officially "street-legal."

The series concluded at the end of '89. What started out as a zero-cost deal for Chevrolet ended up costing quite a lot, but they did get their money's worth in field testing. Also, SCCA reported that other manufacturers were ready to take on the Corvettes again in '90. But this time, Corvettes were packing the awesome ZR-1.

Here's the story:
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 78 - 1988 Geneve Corvette
"A Well Received Study"

People have always wanted the Corvette to be something different. Inside Chevrolet you had the full range of ideas from quasi-racers to four-seater Corvettes. In the aftermarket world there has been a steady stream of custom Corvettes. Most were kooky, many were very good, and a few looked even like production cars.

ASC of South Gate, Michigan, specializes in sunroof and convertible conversions for the big-three car makers. ASC began a Corvette convertible development program in 1984 that eventually arrived on the showroom as the '86 Corvette convertible. As an R&D developer for Chevrolet, the ASC team was aware of the Corvette Indy project. Armed with this knowledge, ASC did their own styling analysis of what a Corvette Indy-inspired C4 Corvette might look like. The concept drawings were blessed by Design VP Chuck Jordan and Sr. Designer John Cafaro, and ASC had the green light to build a prototype.

Concept cars are always "far-out." Prototype and show cars are much closer to real cars. When a new model is finally released, it has hints that came from the original concept. ASC looked at the Corvette Indy and asked, "what would this look like on an existing Corvette?" The Corvette Indy had wild proportions and applying those styling cues to an existing Corvette would be quite a challenge.

ASC began the Geneve project early in 1987 with a stock, 230hp Corvette that would serve as an armature for the new body parts. The Corvette Indy could be characterized as "smooth and sleek." The ASC team set out to emulate that aspect of the Corvette Indy.

The front auxiliary lights were mounted under the bumper and integrated with the new front spoiler. The hood dome was simplified with a single bulge instead of the stock design. Front and rear wheel openings were reshaped to incorporate new side sills that flared out and were integrated with the rest of the body. The rear end design had a low top deck spoiler that jutted out, as well as a lower spoiler. Taillight lenses were flush mounted, and the side marker lights were long and narrow. With the blood red paint and new 17-inch wheels, the car looked fantastic.

At the 1988 Geneva Car Show, Jordan and Cafaro were very impressed and ordered new exterior, interior, and power top styling studies. The ASC Geneve was a hit. Before the car went to Geneva, a spy photo showed up in the magazines as the "The Next Corvette!" The automotive press has always been hungry for Corvette appetizers, and the Geneve Corvette show car was a very tasty treat.