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Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 98 1995 Corvette -
"'Small Improvements = A Better Corvette"
It's
funny how the mind remembers things. When you mention muscle cars, we
usually think of Hemi 'Cudas, GTOs, 396 Camaros, or Boss 429 Mustangs.
A 1995 Corvette certainly doesn't come to mind. But the fact is that
Dave Hill and his team slowly and carefully honed the Corvette into
what would have been hailed as one of the baddest of pavement burners
of the muscle car era.
When you consider the dark days of 1981 when Chevrolet actually dropped
a 307 passenger car engine into the Corvette, the base model 1995
Corvette is nothing less than amazing. In the good old days, '67 to '70
big-block 427 and 454 Corvettes were at the top of the feeding chain.
Quarter-mile times in the low 14's and high 13's made enthusiast's
head's spin. The '95 base model Corvette ran 0-to-60 in just 5.1
seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 103 mph! Remember,
that's with a 350 cubic-inch small-block engine. And lets not forget
the 161 mph top speed! Of course the icing on the Corvette cake was the
EPA gas mileage of 17 mpg in the city, and 27 mpg on the highway.
The C4 Corvette was a example of how factory participation in racing
can dramatically improve a performance car. Through the '80s we saw
spectacular factory-supported cars such as the Showroom Stock Series
Corvettes, the Corvette Challenge racers, the GTP Lola chassis -
Chevrolet-powered racers, and the jewel-like, racing inspired ZR-1.
Lessons learned from those efforts were gradually integrated into
street-driven Corvettes.
1995 was a significant year for two other reasons. It was the last year
for the ZR-1 and it was the third time the Corvette was chosen to pace
the Indy 500. Although the ZR-1 was not a sales success, it was a
record setting, high-speed performance machine. The Indy 500 Pace Car
Replica was by far the rarest of the three Corvette pace cars with only
527 units built and sold.
Although the '95 Corvette was essentially a carry over car, there were
several improvements made on the car. The only visual change for the
'95 model was the redesign of the front fender vents and new windshield
wipers that eliminated chatter and floating at high speeds. Dark purple
metallic paint was the only new color for the '95 model.
The power rating of the LT1 engine was unchanged, however new
powdered-metal connecting rods were used for increased strength and
uniformity of weight. At the top end of the LT1, the fuel injectors
were improved to better cope with alcohol-blended fuels and to
eliminate fuel dripping after the engine was shut off. A quieter fan
was installed for overall noise improvement
A new shifter for the 6-speed manual transmission replaced the
reverse-lock with a high detent design for easier operation. Automatic
transmission equipped cars had improved clutch controls and a lighter
torque converter.
Suspension improvements included softer springs for better ride quality
and cars with the optional adjustable suspension were equipped with the
13-inch brakes from the ZR-1.
Small interior improvements included a transmission temperature readout
on the dash, velcro straps to reduce rattling, improved stitching on
the optional sport seats, and improved weather stripping to reduce
water intrusion.
Overall, the '95 Corvette was a stunning car, making the number one
spot on reader's poll. The end of the C4 lineage was fast approaching
and the "Grand Sport" was about to make another appearance.
Here's the story...
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 97 1995 ZR1 Corvette
"End of the Line for the ZR1"
All
good things come to an end, right? The ZR-1 was arguably the most
aggressive engineering effort ever put into production in the entire
history of street Corvettes. It's a miracle and a mystery that the
Corvette is even alive in General Motors. When you hold the stodgy,
bean-counting nature of GM up against the $31,258 ZR-1 option, it's
even more amazing. Remember, this is a company that has put the
Corvette on the chopping block many times since 1953. It just goes to
show you what affection, passion, and love of a high performance
automobile can do to even the most conservative corporate decision
makers. The late '70s and early '80 was like a bad dream.
Despite the basic nature of GM, there were enough performance hounds
working at top levels that saw the value of buying Lotus Engineering in
the '80s. Thanks to Lotus' expertise in building and developing exotic
all-aluminum engines, the Corvette team had the resource to design a
state-of-the-art, world class, exotic American V8 engine. In sports car
circles, Corvettes had always carried the stigma of its "basic" pushrod
Chevy engine. The ZR-1 absolutely put an end to all that nonsense.
When
the ZR-1 was being planned and developed, the Chevrolet Marketing
Departments optimistically projected at least 5,000 units per year.
Since the entire run of ZR-1 cars from 1990 to 1995 amounted to only
6,939 units, from a business viewpoint, the ZR-1 was a dismal failure.
But from a performance and status perspective, the ZR-1 was a stunning
success.
In the late '80s the "collectibility" craze was in full-swing. The ZR1
was supposed to be an '89 model option, but was delayed due to minor
certification problems with the engine. All this did was stoke the
magazines and the collectors. When the ZR-1 finally arrived as a '90
model, some dealers sold the cars with steep markups. Five years later,
they were selling ZR-1s at steep discounts. Chevrolet marketing guru Ed
Cole said, "The problem with sports cars is you have to sell all of
them the first day"
Aside
from the new front fender gills and a few other details in the base
Corvette, the '95 ZR-1 was a carryover. To sweeten the ZR-1 package,
the Z07 Selective Ride Control and the low tire pressure tire warning
system options were now included. The most noticeable visual change in
the '95 ZR-1 was the 17-inch, 5-spoke alloy wheels. Mercury Marine, the
manufacturer of the ZR-1 engine, had completed production of ZR-1
engines in November 2003, so the '95 model still had 405 horsepower.
And remember, that is "net" horsepower, not like the olden days of
unrealistic "gross" horsepower ratings. The gross power rating for the
ZR-1 was at least over 500. This shows up in the ZR-1's 111 mph speed
after a 13.1-second quarter-mile blast.
So
why didn't the ZR-1 become the "to die for" Corvette of the early '90s?
It boiled down to aesthetics, price, and the increasingly high standard
of the base Corvette. The ZR-1 had dedicated rear body parts to cover
the huge 11-inch wide rear wheels. Except for the restyled rear fascia
and a slight curve on the front of the rear wheel openings, the ZR-1
looked like a regular Corvette. Then in '91, all Corvettes had similar
styled tail lights. So except for minor details, the ZR-1 looked like a
regular Corvette.
Then
there was the price issue. While no one could argue about the ZR-1
engine, a single option costing almost as much as the car was more than
most buyers would accept. Yes, the ZR-1 could run with Europe's big
dogs, but it didn't look exotic, it looked like a regular Corvette. And
finally, as the base car got quicker and faster, the performance gap
got to the point where the price wasn't worth the performance gain. But
it sure looked good with the hood open.
The ZR-1 provided valuable know-how that showed up in the '97 LS1
engine for the new C5. Also, let's not forget the Morrison Motorsports
1991 record-smashing, 171.885mph ZR-1 Corvette. The ZR-1 helped put to
rest that tired, old rant from the European crowd that the Corvette was
nothing more than a pretty Chevy.
Here's the story...
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 99 1995 Pace Car Corvette
"The Rarest of the Indy 500 Pacer Corvettes"
1995
was an unusual year for the Corvette. It was the final year for one of
the most exotic and expensive production Corvettes ever made, the ZR-1.
It was also the third time a Corvette was used as the pace car for the
"greatest spectacle in motor racing" - the Indianapolis 500. A Corvette
paced the Indy 500 in '78 and in '86. Pace Car replicas have been the
subject of some wild collectibility speculation, especially in 1978.
But the 1995 Pace car Special would prove to be the all-time most
desirable Pace Car Corvette.
The 1978 Pace Car Special came along during the darkest days of
Corvette performance history. After decades of tire-burning performance
in the '50s, '60s, and early '70s, the Corvette had become a shadow of
its former high-performance persona. But at least it survived the
muscle car meltdown of the early '70s. So when the '78 Pace Car Special
was announced, collectors and speculators went a little crazy thinking
that the car would become one of the most desirable Corvettes of
all-time. What was supposed to be a limited-production run of 300 cars,
turned out to be 6,501 cars. And there was a serious issue over quality
control, or lack there of. It ended up that many buyers paid way too
much for their car and the collector value never was there.
The Corvette was reborn in 1984 and there was no looking back. The
roadster returned in 1986 and the Corvette was given the opportunity to
pace the Indy 500 once again. To avoid the big collector crunch,
Chevrolet decided that every Corvette Roadster would be a "Pace Car
Special." This time Chevrolet produced 7,315 pace car replicas. There
was also a big price increase from the '78 Pace Car replica. In '78 the
185-horsepower Pace Car option made the car cost $13,653 - a lot of
money back then. The 230-horsepower '86 Pace Car cost $32,032. 1995 was
like a different world. The Pace Car Special now cost $46,481, had
300-horsepower under the hood, was lighter, and much more refined. And
with only 527 units built, it was a true collectible.
The $2,816 Indy 500 Pace Car Replica option was arguably the nicest
Corvette pace car package to date and was very distinctive. The paint
scheme was dark purple metallic over arctic white and a white
convertible top. The new style, 5-spoke ZR-1 allow wheels wore
275/40x17 Goodyear GSC tires. The interior had a black and purple
leather seats with 1995 event logo embroidery on the seat headrests.
All of the '95 Pace car Special Corvettes were built in March and April
of 1995 and the first 50 cars built had all black interiors. As we
mentioned in a previous installment of this series, there was no
horsepower increase for 1995, but there were many subtle improvements
made to the car. The only options that were not available were the
lift-out roof panels, the adjustable suspension package, and the ZR-1.
A fully loaded 1995 Corvette Pace Car Special could cost over $51,500.
The base price of a '95 Corvette was "only" $36,785.
Chevrolet built three cars to pace the Indy 500 in 1995. Two of the
cars built had the standard 4-speed automatic transmission and the
third car had a manual 6-speed gearbox. The only things added to the
actual pace cars were 360-degree strobe lights, a roll bar, five-point
driver and passenger harnesses, and an on-board fire suppression
system. Everything else on the cars was stock! With 300-horsepower,
there was no need for any power enhancements or special performance
engines. The stock '95 Corvette was more than up for the job.
Chevrolet only allotted one '95 Pace Car Special to each of the top
Corvette retail dealers from 1994. Since the production numbers were so
low, the current value of the '95 Pace Car Special is still high,
fetching between $24,900 and $36,500.
Chevrolet General Manager, Jim Perkins paced the 1995 Indy 500 with the
only stick version of the pace car Corvette. .
Here's the story...
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 96 1995 GS90 Corvette
"The Curse of the Grand Sport Continues"
Dick
Guldstrand is a member of a very unique club. He is one of a dozen or
so men who actually worked on and raced one of the original 1963 Grand
Sport Corvettes. Designed to compete with the Shelby Cobra, only five
Grand Sports were secretly built by Zora Arkus-Duntov before the
big-wigs at GM caught wind of the plan to build and sell race cars. The
axe fell on the light weight racer and all five cars were sold to
privateers making the Grand Sport the ultimate "could-have-been"
Corvette. Many were touched by the Grand Sport, some more than others.
Dick Guldstrand never got over his Grand Sport experience.
"Goldie" went on to race many other Corvettes and eventually started a
business tuning competition Corvettes. As one of Chevrolet's back door
consultants, Guldstrand was very involved suspension development in the
early days of the C4. By the late '80s Guldstrand was offering an
enhanced version of the Corvette called the "GS80." The only problem in
Dick's mind was that the car just looked like a Corvette with
aftermarket wheels and tires. It was "Chevy's car" and he wanted
"Dick's car." When the ZR-1 was released, Goldie saw an opportunity to
bring back the Grand Sport...
Dick Guldstrand-style.
Called the "GS90", Dick's car would prove to be the most elaborate and
expensive specialty Corvette ever built. Guldstrand pitched the concept
of a radically restyled, hopped-up ZR-1 to his pals at Chevrolet. Dick
asked for 15 ZR-1s and a few million dollars. He got one car and a
blessing.
The GS90 is essentially a reskinned ZR-1 Corvette with a 475 horsepower
ZR-1 from D.K. Motorsports and a Guldstrand- modified suspension.
Styling of the car was a throwback to the 1963 Ferrari GTO and the only
stock Corvette body parts are the windshield and side windows.
The lines are bold and muscular with a few cues from the C2 Corvette.
Goldie threw every trick he knew into the GS90 from thicker anti-roll
bars to coil-over shocks replacing the stock mono-leaf sprint. Then he
capped it all off with 18-inch aluminum wheels from OZ in Italy and a
Nassau blue paint job with a single bold white racing stripe.
Performance was stunning with 0-to-60 in the low 4-second range and a
top speed of over 175mph.
The only problem was the price. The GS90 cost $134,500 over the price
of a $72,208 ZR-1, for a total of $206,208! As a result, only six GS90s
were built and sold.
Guldstrand was planning roadster, speedster, and lightweight versions
of the GS90 to be sold through Chevy dealers. But the Grand Sport
"curse" returned when the big-wigs at GM killed the deal. In the end,
Guldstrand made one more of "Dick's car" than the original five Grand
Sports.
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