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Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 94 - 1993 40th Anniversary Corvette
"Ruby Red"
When
the anemic '78 Corvette anniversary model came out, no one could have
imagined how good things would be for the Corvette's 40th anniversary.
When you consider the Corvette's low volume sales figures, it's amazing
that GM kept the car in the Chevrolet lineup. But the improvements to
the C4 during the '80s and early '90s were so impressive, Chevrolet
dished out a delicious, special edition for the 40th anniversary of
America's only true sports car.
To avoid the feeding frenzy of the '78 25th Anniversary Indy 500 Pace
Car, Corvette planners simply decided to make the 40th Anniversary
edition an option available on all three Corvette models--the coupe,
convertible, and ZR-1. Although a few collectors complained, it was a
good move for customers. A total of 6,749 40th Anniversary models were
built for 1993. Compare those figures to the '88 35th Anniversary
figures of 2,050, and to the 6,502 for the '78 25th Anniversary Indy
Pace Car replica. Many people bought the '78 Pace Cars and paid nearly
double the price, thinking their "collectible Corvette" would skyrocket
in value. Perhaps by '93, the public's attitude to collectible cars had
become more realistic.
The first thing you notice about the 40th Anniversary Corvette is its
stunning, metallic Ruby Red paint. This paint was only available with
the 40th Anniversary option. The rest of the details just sweetened the
package. Included were Ruby Red leather sport seats, a power driver's
seat, and the special wheel center trim caps, embroidered headrests and
wheel center trim using the 40th Anniversary logo. Convertible editions
got a Ruby Red-colored soft top.
There were several mechanical improvements for the '93 model. The
engine was quieter due to new heat shields, new polyester valve covers,
and a modified exhaust cam lobe. The front wheels were reduced in size
to 8.5x17 with P255/45ZR17 tires while the rear tires were increased to
P285/40ZR17.
The red-meat-performance news was with the nose-bleed-expensive ZR-1
option. With a few old fashioned hot rod tricks, the ZR-1's power was
bumped from 375 to 405 hp. The heads were ported and polished with a
new 4-degree valve overlap, for slightly less exhaust back pressure.
The block now had 4-bolt main bearing caps and a modified oil pan with
race car baffles, capable of controlling oil in 1.5g turns. The piston
assembly was lightened and the injectors were opened up. The ZR-1 now
used platinum-tipped spark plugs and Mobil 1 synthetic oil. It was a
lot of little "hot rodder" details that added up to an extra 30 hp,
allowing the ZR-1 to do 0-60 in 4.49 seconds, the quarter-mile in 13.03
at 112.2 mph, 0.95 on the skidpad, and a top speed of 179 mph!
All that for an extra $31,683 on top of the base price of $34,595. This
made the ZR-1 option '93 Corvette the most expensive Vette yet, at a
whopping $66,278. In '93, 448 ZR-1s were sold, of which 245 units were
equipped with RPO Z25, the 40th Anniversary option. With the adjustable
suspension option, cruise control, and the Bose stereo CD sound system,
the ZR-1 could be a race track screamer or a GT cruiser. A fully loaded
ZR-1 could cost over $72,000!
The '93 Corvette was the first car to use the new GM passive keyless
entry system. The system had many interesting functions, but was tricky
to operate, and replacement keys were very expensive. For club racers,
the $2,045 Z07 suspension option now included 9.5x17 wheels with
P275/40ZR17 tires on the front and rear. All this made the standard
Corvette look like a
performance bargain. The base price was up $90 to $34,595 for the coupe
and up $1,050 to $41,195 for the convertible. Sales were up slightly in
'93 by 1,111 units, for a total of 21,590. But, the accolades coming in
more than made up for the okay sales. Besides, the C5 model had just
been approved for development.
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