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Here's the story:
Illustrated Corvette Series No. 70 - 1986 Corvette Roadster
"Return of the Roadster" Harley
Earl didn't just design Buicks. The Corvette was his dream of an
American sports car to compete with Europe's best. And right from the
beginning, the Corvette was a roadster. Thirty years later, when Dave
McLellan and his design staff were designing the C4 Corvette, they had
in mind that the C4 would soon become a roadster again.
Since the basic C4 frame was designed with a future convertible in
mind, major changes to the structure were not required. All that was
needed was an x-brace on the frame, larger k-braces, thicker sections
on several connecting bars, and a few other minor additions. The
x-brace under the bottom of the main frame required that the ride
height be increased by 10mm. The American Sunroof Company was
contracted to work out the details of the top mechanism and everything
else was developed by the Corvette engineering team. Extra space was
needed for the convertible top, so the gas tank size was reduced from
20 gallons to 18 gallons.
There was a major change under the hood as well for '86 –
aluminum heads. What was exotic in the '60s was now stock. The new
cylinder heads shaved 40 pounds off the front end. Other engine changes
included triple catalytic converters and an increase in compression
from 9:1 to 9.5: 1. The net result was a 5 hp increase to 235 hp.
This was the first year for mandated third brake lights. Most cars had
tacked-on third break lights, but the roadster had a very nicely
integrated light at the top edge of the rear bumper cover.
The suspension setup on the roadster was stiffer than a stock Corvette,
but not as stiff as a Z51 optioned car. All roadsters got the wider Z51
wheels. ABS braking was standard on all Corvettes for '86. Journalists
loved the handling of the new roadster, but everyone had to get used to
the "thumper" ABS brake system.
The only changes in the interior were slightly angled instruments for
better day-time readability and an all-new electronic air- conditioning
system. A new cloth material was used for the stock seats.
Aside from the obvious visual difference of the convertible top, the
only other exterior change was several new colors and slightly revised
wheels. The new wheels now had a brushed finish on the center section.
All of the wonderful changes came at a very hefty price. The stock
Corvette was up $2,624 to $27,027. The roadster was a $5,005 option
that hiked the price to $32,032! Sales dropped from 39,729 the year
before, to 35,109 in '86, with 7,315 convertibles built. But it didn't
matter, the rave reviews and the sheer driving fun of the new roadster
was well worth it.
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