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Here's the story...
lllustrated Corvette Series No. 101 1996 Collector's Edition Corvette
"Going Out In Style" By
1996, car magazines were teasing readers with "spy photos" of the '97
Corvette. Meanwhile at Chevrolet dealer showrooms, there were two
delicious optional special edition Corvettes. The Grand Sport was a
salute to the 1963 Grand Sport racers. The Collector's Edition was just
plane gorgeous.
The 1984 model was a huge leap in technology for the Corvette. After
all, the '82 Corvette was riding around on a chassis and suspension
that was designed in the early '60s and introduced in 1963! While the
'84 Corvette only had a 30-horsepower power increase over the '82
model, it was only packing 230-horsepower under the hood. Fast forward
to '96 and the optional LT4 engine produced 330-horsepower! And
remember, that was "net" horsepower. In the golden days of "gross"
power ratings, the new LT4 engine would have been in the low
400-horsepower range. That means that a '96 LT4 Corvette was in the
performance range of the old 427/435 L71 big-block Corvette.
Actual performance figures prove this out with 0-to-60 times in the low
5-second range and quarter-miles numbers in the mid-13's! High
performance was back folks, and the car handled better and got better
gas mileage - it just wasn't as loud. And another thing is that the
1996 Corvette got double the gas milage of a '67 big-block Vette!
A '96 Corvette Collector's Edition could be ordered with the optional
LT4 engine and other performance options that made this one of the
sweetest package Corvettes made to that point. Performance was just a
tick off the stump puller ZR-1 and 2/3s the price. The Sebring Silver
paint and the ZR-1-styled allow wheels gave the car beauty to go along
with its new LT4 brawn.
The Z15 Collector's Edition package was very reasonably priced at
$1,250. Included was the special Sebring Silver paint, painted ZR-1
5-spoke alloy wheels, black brake calipers with polished raised
"Corvette" lettering, and embroidered seats. Available interior colors
were black, red, or gray. Convertible optioned cars all had black tops.
Since there were no production limits for the Collector's Edition, a
total of 5,412 units were sold, accounting for 25-percent of the total
'96 Corvette production run.
The C4's life cycle saw one revolutionary leap (the ZR-1) and
evolutionary growth every year and 1996 was no exception. The optional
330-horsepower LT4 engine was an intermediary step towards what would
be the standard engine in the '97 C5 model. The F45 Selective Real Time
Dampening system was a $1,695 option that provided Corvettes with a
mechanical-electronic active suspension. The Bosch ABS/ASR,
anti-locking and acceleration slip system was standard, as were
Goodyear run-flat tires, and a low tire pressure sensor. The
passive-keyless entry Pass-Key II was also standard. And remember,
these improvements were on top of 12 previous years of improvements.
Through the '80s and '90s car magazines kept announcing, "The Best
Vette Yet!" And each year it was true. A loaded '96 Collectors Edition
coupe cost slightly over $43,000 and a roadster close to $51,000. Still
twice as much as a regular Chevy, but 2/3s the cost of some of the
sacred cows from Europe. Plus, the Corvette did nearly everything
better and had a solid 43-year heritage!
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