Me too. I was a senior in high school in '85. My dream car was the new (at the time) vette. Settled 3 years later for a brand new '88 IROC-Z Camaro with the tpi 5.7 litre 350ci. Poor man's Corvette, lol! Loved that car too!
A 1980s car touching the 13s from the factory was quite an accomplishment, especially considering the restrictions placed by early emissions control. Chunk that stuff, while opening the intake and exhaust, and these cars liven up a bit more. They're still fun to drive, 30 years later.
The Heretic I drove a LT1 6 speed for many years and both my mom and grandma had auto LT1 Z28 and Trans Am respectively. So I am very much use to those engines with different transmissions and rear gears. I drove a 5.7 tpi 88 or so irocz auto. I thought it felt nearly identical to the lt1 other than it shifted about 5200 rpm. Prob would have dropped off if it was any higher rpm but it get just like if not a little more torque than Lt1 automatic. I was surprised.
I have an 85 z51 auto. it's still a blast after 25 years. ear to ear smile every time i get on an on-ramp and gun it. I still take it for long road trips without hesitation. not many 30 year old cars out there that come close.
V G3 I just bought me a 84 Corvette and love the heck out of it had a poster of it in my room at 15 and a build sheet made for it it's production number 866 such a blast to drive excited to be the owner of one
I bought a 1 yr. old 85 from a lawyer in LA back in 86 It had the GM/DELCO/BOSE audio and 4-speed manual with OD switch. Great car. He sold it because he was buying an airplane. It even had custom-fit car cover.
people need to understand that as a 12 year old kid when the all new 84 vette came out it was the most futuristic car and I couldn't believe this was an American car! It was so far ahead of its time in design that having one was a really big deal!! it was the first time in years that an American car was faster better looking and just gorgeous to look at then anything else on the road..
The "Doug Nash 4+3" gearbox is actually a Borg Warner Super T-10 4-speed, with attached overdrive unit. T-10s were used in many American performance cars from the 1960s. GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC all used variants of it in many different cars. Sometimes, it was called something other than "T-10". The GM Muncie M-20, M-21, and heavy-duty / close-ratio "Rock Crusher" M-22 boxes were all essentially copies of the T-10, for example. Chrysler did something similar as well. It was an extremely stout unit that could handle the torque of even the 'big-block' engines of the era. By the time Chevy designed the new 1984 C4 Corvette, Doug Nash Engineering owned the rights to produce this gearbox. In 1974, it had also been upgraded in some ways and became the "Super T-10", which was used in C3 manual Corvettes. Chevy needed a 5-speed gearbox for the C4, but GM did not have one that could handle the torque of the Corvette's engine and, apparently, neither did anyone else. They were in a bit of a pickle, until Doug Nash proposed an old trick: placing an electronically triggered overdrive unit behind the Super T-10, like many British sports cars had done in the past. Chevy reluctantly agreed, and an overdrive unit that could also handle the torque was developed by Doug Nash Engineering. There were some problems with the early units, and further development to solve them took place in 1985-86. Once the bugs were worked out, it was fine. However, the Super T-10 was still an old-school 'single-cone synchronizer' design. Compared to the latest 'dual-cone' type gearboxes, which provided quicker and lighter-feeling gear changes, its shift action was relatively slow and heavy. So this was a stop-gap measure taken out of necessity. Soon, the German ZF 6-speed was in development, and that first appeared in the Corvette for the 1989 model year. Therefore, oddly enough, there has never been a 5-speed manual Corvette.
My dad has a 1985 two tone silver like the one in this video. It has the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission and the Z51 package. The rims have been switched to 255/50/17's off of a ZR1. And it has BF Goodrich tires. Only gets about 12-15 miles per gallon. My dad and I are almost certain it has bigger cams or has been suped up. I'm actually sitting in it right now at the car wash.
I just recently purchased an 86 C4. W/ Standard shift. One owner, 32,000 miles. Overall very nice condition with minimal work needed. Ive never been a fan of this style till now. Probably the greatest bargain to be had into the Corvette arena.
C4s are wonderful cars. 5 link independent rear suspension (right off the racetrack), reverse clambshell hood is the stuff of exotics, incredible handling. C4s are climbing very fast in values now.
Broke my 94 C4 out last week for Spring. It touched 106mph cruising down a straight away. The car hunkers down above 80, stable and confidence inspiring
The 85 Corvette still looks sensational, as do many of the models before and after. The entire run are just about design masterpieces, from the 60s sharks and beautiful, curvy later Stingrays, to these A-Team era cars and beyond.
Joe Moorman I saw a red C4 on the highway yesterday, looked just like this one in the video. I met a guy last year who bought a 1994 C4 in great condition for only about 12k, I believe.
Thank you so much for these uploads. I love seeing all my favorite 80's and 90's sport car reviews how they were seen, New, the year they came out. I watch every one with a smile on my face.
Although i love all Corvettes the C4 was my least favourite, but now i see it as a classic with the lines and digital instrumentation panels as very retro and 1980's styling that i now like. So yes i think the C4 are really cool!!!!
In my opinion, the early C4's were the best. They had proper round taillights instead of the ugly square look and fat butt that debuted sometime around 1990 and awesome wheels. Gorgeous cars.
A guy we knew got a brand new blue 84 Corvette from his father. I'll never forget him driving it up to our hangout at the mall. Had the targa top off, and was amazed at the digital dash. Was happy for him, but yes. A little jealous. He was 19 then.
I love these old videos , my dad used to wear one of those blue jackets all the time , funny how you remember things like that after someone dies. Corvettes sure have came along way , I’ve owned a c5 and now I daily a c7. The c7 is a nice balance of performance , looks and comfort. Untill you take all the driver assistance off, then it’s a whole different beast
Bought a 1985 corvette in 1989 paid 15,000. Black with silver leather interior automatic. Drove it hard like your supposed to. Blew the transmission, power headlight motor went out, power antena motor went out, mufflers, tires,brakes,horns,all wore out or broke. Still had more fun than any other car I ever owned. I was 24 years old. Thinking about getting a 2005 Corvette Convertible Red with a black top and black interior.
I got a say I always loved this gen design... nevermind the tractor alike suspension. This is a budget supercar and it was great for what it cost. It is a good base model for a modern mechanical conversion with '80 looks.
That car might be 31 yrs old but, I really doubt average driver could handle it as far as its performance. Gearheads are another story. You gotta think power to weight ratio. Back in 89 i drove an 87 convertible. Plenty of power to get anyone in trouble. Lots of fun.
This is my favorite generation of Corvettes during my lifetime. My coworker bought a used C4, not sure which year, sometime in the 1990s. She had a lot of problems with it. But I used to have fun by switching the electronic gauges to the metric system while she was driving. It took her a while to figure out what happened.
Noticing a difference between these retro reviews and modern reviews on youtube: Retro reviews - informative, they actually test the car out and report them straight to you Modern reviews - AWESOME!! INCREDIBLE!! SPECIAL!! BEST CAR!! ****insert mandatory manic laugh when accelerating**** BUY IT NOW!! Too much pressure from manufacturers and fanboys these days?
The 1985-1991 Corvette are the last of the collector car bargains left from that era. These cars are going to be worth a lot more in 10 years than you can imagine.
I owned a '86 Corvette with the 5.7L TPI V8 with the four speed automatic. Loved that car!!! And she ran exactly what these car ran in the quarter mile. Although I was able to get it up to an indicated 160 mph! Those were the days. I have a 400hp C6 convertible now. Night and day difference.
I absolutely love my 86 Automatic Z51... I RECENTLY PUT ABOUT 5 GRAND INTO IT AN IT DRIVES AN HANDLES JUST LIKE NEW... IT HAS 73 THOUSAND MILES ON IT SINCE NEW ... CLEAN AS A WHISTLE IN AN OUT..OF COURSE ITS RED... I TINTED THE WINDOWS AN IT MAKES THE RED POP...
Are you serious? A 2015 Corvette has 460hp and does 0-60 in 3,7 seconds, performance that was unheard of in 1985. A 2015 Corvette also comes with loads of more standard kit than it did in 1985. So, not only in some ways, but today you get much more car in all ways. A base Hyundai Genesis Coupe will run rings around this 85 Vette, and that at under half it's adjusted for inflation price. So there is no doubt that you get much more for your money today.
+DonCarpenterRadio In some ways implies that exactly that, which is just not correct. In every way possible, you get more refinement, more standard equipment, bigger, faster, better handling, more comfortable cars for you money today vs 1985. Cars are simpler better and cheaper today, which was what my original comment was about.
13 low 14 second 1/4 is still acceptable today - right up there with entry level performance focused cars (86, GTI, Civic Si etc), equates to a 5.8-6.2 or so second 0-60 with a lighter rwd car. Just enough to have fun on backroads. Must have been real fun in the 80s.
the reason for the slight difference in performance between the two 'vette's is because of it's IRS..the auto will launch better with it then will the manuel..CAR & DRIVER back then had gotten a 14.1 for the auto and a 14.4 for the manuel...this red 'vette ran great, much better then i thought, since back in late '85 the grand national as a '86 model was tested by CARS ILLUSTRATED and ran a 13.8 on a cool day..mustang 5.0 lx notch back ran a 13.9, but it was stripped to hell, even without a heater..IROC-Z 350 ran a 14.2 and was also a stripper...GNX and '89 TURBO TRANS AM both ran in the low to mid 13's...so much for people thinking the 80's didn't have much power, certain models did however.
I know the dual cat IROC from 1990 ran that time, but I think the '87 through '89 5.7 cars were slower (mid to high 14's in the quarter). Also the '85 TPI motors in both the Vette and F-Body cars had a higher rating than the '86 and ups for some reason. Some say it was a bigger cam.
I know a guy who had a 91 305 5spd that he said was def faster than his 90 stang gt 5spd. I looked into it and I think it was 87 and 88 for the best cam in a mustang but maybe 88 and 89 and 91 305 5spd had the better tpi cam. the problem with a lot of the tpi engines is that setting base timing was a dealer prep job and a lot of techs didn't set the base timing resulting in like 0-2 degreese advanced when it is supposed to be like 6 or 8 deg advanced. If you ever played with timing you would know that is about 20-30 hp. Take a car from running decent to doggish. I drove a 5.7 auto tpi Camaro that was stock and not babied that felt similar to a 4th gen auto LT1 up to 5k when it wanted to shift and LT1 would go 6k according to the tach. That tpi didn't fall off before shifting at 5 either. I thought it would fall off around 4400 but nay.
@@jessepinkman8821 my 87 305TPI had 215hp , Auto trans, and ran a 14.12 at the strip in 90F SC weather. I had the stock 16" 245/50/16 GoodYear VR tires on it. 87 was the best year for the IROC's until 89 I think. I loved that car. Moved up to corvettes a few years latter but the IROC was my first really nice car. It was a maroon red color. Damn sexy with T-tops. I only have 1 picture of it. I am old as hell now and I really miss that car. ( I miss my 95 vette more but Vettes are easier to find now in decent condition )
ive had my 85 from the early 90's and have never let it go. Ive had many cars but always kept the original. THis vette , the c4 , was so good they had to create its own race series since the competition couldnt keep up. The "escort series" .
loved my 1986 Z51 Automatic, such a great handling car! Had electrical gremlins tho, sold it and got a 2010 Golf GTI. Quick car but doesn't handle anything like my corvette did!
I owned a 1988 35th anniversary edition. It was a great car! Chevrolet really loads up the anniversary edition with options. The only challenge was getting in and out but it's worth it.
Could be like f-body tpi cars.... one of the dealer prep items/services was to set base timing. Most skipped it and as low as 0-2 deg advanced which makes for a slug with bad eco. Pisses me off to because 5.0 mustangs wouldn’t have faired nearly as well in the 80s.
13.9 was very fast for the 80s, impressive, still not bad today, will keep up with an ecoboost mustang, and those ecoboosts are quick for what they are
Thanks for all these throwbacks! It's kind of neat to mentally compare with modern cars, to see how far we've come over the years, IE: horsepower. Thanks again! Peace.
My friend's sister got a new one from her dad as a reward for being in the 84 LA olympics. My friend and I tried to get to 150 mph with it and if my memory serves well we got up to 147! With under 100 miles on the odometer. Very strong car for its day.
In High School my girlfriend's dad bought a silver Corvette C4, manual transmission, with the Z51 package. He let me drive it. Finally bought a C7 Grand Sport with a MANUAL TRANSMISSION. Excellent.
The TPI was a nice looking engine for sure, the LS engines with the plastic covers is a really eye soar. I'd like to own a 91-96 someday. I like the 89 anniversary too.
The 1988 was the 35th anniversary car. All white, including the interior and steering wheel, but with a black top. They are nice looking cars, but easy to find today (cheaply I might add). The other was the 40th anniversary (called Rubies), all Ruby Red Metallic. (But haven't held their value). Agreed the latter C4's (91' - '96) are really the best!
You mentioned at the beginning of this clip that you were already going to review the 85 Toyota Cressida in this episode. I'd love to see that review of the Cressida. Anyway that you could post it, as well? Keep up the great work!
I hava friend that just picked one up for like 800 bucks. Has about 50k and was just sitting in a garage of a house that had been auctioned off to flip. What a steal!!
1985 Corvette First Year 5.7 TPI 230 HP / 330 Torque is almost as Strong as the Last year 1992 Camaro 5.7 TPI 245 HP / 345 Torque, and it can run a 14.4 1/4 Mile with factory 3.23 gears weighing 3,483 plus a 200lb driver. So this much lighter 3,224lb Corvette pulling a 13.9 1/4 Mile plus a 180lb Driver is not that hard to believe actually. It's all in the gears. They came with either 2.73 auto or 3.07 manual. Car & Driver tested the Manual at 14.1 1/4 Mile @97 Mph 5.7 0-60 The taller gears give it a higher top speed and lower highway speed Rpm but you lose offline acceleration speed.But it you keep your foot on it, the Corvette's power once at highway speed, PULLS like a Mother on those Taller gears in combo with the 700R4 because they are made for highway speed. So it makes sense that it edges out the Manual by a bumper.
25 thousand bucks back in 1985 . I was making 4 dollars x hr . But I save 3700 and I purchased a used white 1985 Pontiac Firebird standard transmission in 1990
Girls and young children loved these. But most guys were still grabbing cars from before the smog revolution. Got to drive the 84 for the summer when it was knew and Everytime I couldn't wait to get back into my 69' Pontiac tempest custom sport. It wasn't a GTO but the 350 4 barrel still had 300hp with just a bigger carb and some tuning. Not bad for a 1000$
A top notch, low mileage C4 is going for LESS than an equivalent condition IROC, that's crazy. $14K will get you a Z51, performance axle ratio'd auto. in perfect condition. Buy it now!
I love the C4 styling. I never tire of how this car looks.
azaz911c For me the best looking Corvettes but only 80's C4. I don't like rear end of 90's.
+V8AmericanMuscleCar I love the rounded off rear end of the 90s.
+Tom Hertz Everything is a matter of taste. ;-)
azaz911c ha ha. Never tire
V8AmericanMuscleCar tastes like tacos
These throwbacks are gold
It’s _the bomb_ get it?
Drop dead gorgeous, the C4 was a phenomenal ambassador for '80s styling.
JDMTuna well said.
They are shooting up in price. . .about time they were appreciated too.
TPI small block was one of the best looking induction set ups of all time. Sexy beast lol
Donnis Bagby sexy, a subjective possibility, but beast? Nah not so much lol
The 84 Cross Fire Actually had More Power if you Replace the Lower INTAKE !!!
the OEM lower was Suffocating the Engine !!!!!!!!!!!!!
No that would be the Ford 5 liter Intake setup!
yep I owned one, but its second to the LT5 in the ZR1 c4, which do this day is still the best looking motor but in a Vette
Agree
That was one of my dream cars in high school back in 1985! The other was the Buick grand national.
Me too. I was a senior in high school in '85. My dream car was the new (at the time) vette. Settled 3 years later for a brand new '88 IROC-Z Camaro with the tpi 5.7 litre 350ci. Poor man's Corvette, lol! Loved that car too!
Everybody I guess
A 1980s car touching the 13s from the factory was quite an accomplishment, especially considering the restrictions placed by early emissions control. Chunk that stuff, while opening the intake and exhaust, and these cars liven up a bit more. They're still fun to drive, 30 years later.
89 turbo TA and Grand National..... I don't know of anything else going 13s stock. The best lambo countache did.
The Heretic I drove a LT1 6 speed for many years and both my mom and grandma had auto LT1 Z28 and Trans Am respectively. So I am very much use to those engines with different transmissions and rear gears. I drove a 5.7 tpi 88 or so irocz auto. I thought it felt nearly identical to the lt1 other than it shifted about 5200 rpm. Prob would have dropped off if it was any higher rpm but it get just like if not a little more torque than Lt1 automatic. I was surprised.
I had a 89 auto coupe it went 13.70s with just a cat back exhaust
@@ztwntyn8 the 85 vette was was the best L98 motor put in the vette, less emissions and better cam than the 86-91 L98's
I have an 85 z51 auto. it's still a blast after 25 years. ear to ear smile every time i get on an on-ramp and gun it. I still take it for long road trips without hesitation. not many 30 year old cars out there that come close.
V G3
I just bought me a 84 Corvette and love the heck out of it had a poster of it in my room at 15 and a build sheet made for it it's production number 866 such a blast to drive excited to be the owner of one
Auto was a Z52 package
Gotta love the C4! I especially like the earlier style exterior and interior with the digital dash cluster.
Were the rims the same ones on the Lamborghini in rocky 4 the one that Stallone had
I bought a 1 yr. old 85 from a lawyer in LA back in 86 It had the GM/DELCO/BOSE audio and 4-speed manual with OD switch. Great car. He sold it because he was buying an airplane. It even had custom-fit car cover.
Sounded like you got one hell of a car. I wish I was able to experience a working AC Delco Bose stereo in a c4
@port nut did you rebuild the speakers yourself or had them sent out? I want to recover the factory speakers
have it as well in my 85
I love watching these old reviews!
***** yea cuz they think 15sec on a 1/4 mile is fast lol
Old Reviews of Motor Week 80s is my favorites
The rarest of the rare, the chevy cor
La Pancaki vair
I wouldn't say a Corvette is rare. A well kept celebrity Eurosport on the other hand....
people need to understand that as a 12 year old kid when the all new 84 vette came out it was the most futuristic car and I couldn't believe this was an American car! It was so far ahead of its time in design that having one was a really big deal!! it was the first time in years that an American car was faster better looking and just gorgeous to look at then anything else on the road..
Still my Favorite gen of Vette.
They still look futuristic.
Except from Pontiac Firebird. And 10 years older European cars like Lotus Esprit.
Surprising how good the Corvette was even by 1985.
The "Doug Nash 4+3" gearbox is actually a Borg Warner Super T-10 4-speed, with attached overdrive unit.
T-10s were used in many American performance cars from the 1960s. GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AMC all used variants of it in many different cars. Sometimes, it was called something other than "T-10". The GM Muncie M-20, M-21, and heavy-duty / close-ratio "Rock Crusher" M-22 boxes were all essentially copies of the T-10, for example. Chrysler did something similar as well. It was an extremely stout unit that could handle the torque of even the 'big-block' engines of the era.
By the time Chevy designed the new 1984 C4 Corvette, Doug Nash Engineering owned the rights to produce this gearbox. In 1974, it had also been upgraded in some ways and became the "Super T-10", which was used in C3 manual Corvettes.
Chevy needed a 5-speed gearbox for the C4, but GM did not have one that could handle the torque of the Corvette's engine and, apparently, neither did anyone else. They were in a bit of a pickle, until Doug Nash proposed an old trick: placing an electronically triggered overdrive unit behind the Super T-10, like many British sports cars had done in the past.
Chevy reluctantly agreed, and an overdrive unit that could also handle the torque was developed by Doug Nash Engineering. There were some problems with the early units, and further development to solve them took place in 1985-86. Once the bugs were worked out, it was fine.
However, the Super T-10 was still an old-school 'single-cone synchronizer' design. Compared to the latest 'dual-cone' type gearboxes, which provided quicker and lighter-feeling gear changes, its shift action was relatively slow and heavy. So this was a stop-gap measure taken out of necessity.
Soon, the German ZF 6-speed was in development, and that first appeared in the Corvette for the 1989 model year. Therefore, oddly enough, there has never been a 5-speed manual Corvette.
We all have the Internet you know.
My dad has a 1985 two tone silver like the one in this video. It has the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission and the Z51 package. The rims have been switched to 255/50/17's off of a ZR1. And it has BF Goodrich tires. Only gets about 12-15 miles per gallon. My dad and I are almost certain it has bigger cams or has been suped up. I'm actually sitting in it right now at the car wash.
BrettK awesome! Only has one cam though lol
Wha..? Wash it by hand at home 😌
I have a 85 with just over a hundred thousand miles. A pure joy to drive !!!!!!!
13.9! It is quicker in the quarter-mile than I thought.
that is what i was saying as well.
GHOSTJERKER Crazy seeing the 82 C3 was doing 16 second 1/4 mile only 3 years prior
GHOSTJERKER Also quicker than the 85 Vette actually was. Chevy must have given them a ringer.
I agree I don't think a bone stock 85 could get into the 13's
Horsepower Garage best i read was in CAR & DRIVER ..automatic '85 ran a 14.1...14.4 for the man.
I love it! A blast from the past! Awesome!!!
Just bought my '85 automatic today and good gosh do I love it.
Hey! Still all good with that '85?
Looking at an 85 Vette this weekend! How did your work out for you?
Cars used to look like cars and this corvette looks better than the stingray in my opinion
I just recently purchased an 86 C4. W/ Standard shift. One owner, 32,000 miles. Overall very nice condition with minimal work needed. Ive never been a fan of this style till now. Probably the greatest bargain to be had into the Corvette arena.
C4s are wonderful cars. 5 link independent rear suspension (right off the racetrack), reverse clambshell hood is the stuff of exotics, incredible handling. C4s are climbing very fast in values now.
Broke my 94 C4 out last week for Spring. It touched 106mph cruising down a straight away. The car hunkers down above 80, stable and confidence inspiring
I've always liked the look of that engine, the intake runners and the valve covers give it a nice sexy look.
The 85 Corvette still looks sensational, as do many of the models before and after. The entire run are just about design masterpieces, from the 60s sharks and beautiful, curvy later Stingrays, to these A-Team era cars and beyond.
I want to drive a C4 before I die.
Joe Moorman I saw a red C4 on the highway yesterday, looked just like this one in the video. I met a guy last year who bought a 1994 C4 in great condition for only about 12k, I believe.
John Noonan I bought one for about 6k everything mechanical is rebuilt or new and going to get new leather seats and carpet. =D
FallenSlayer Awesome. What year/color/transmission?
John Noonan 1989, red, automatic transmission that was recently overhauled to make it stronger and better shifts. Did want a manual though :P
John Noonan .........$12k will get you a decent C5
Corvettes are awesome !
"hello and welcome again to mote-her week"
Thank you so much for these uploads. I love seeing all my favorite 80's and 90's sport car reviews how they were seen, New, the year they came out. I watch every one with a smile on my face.
Although i love all Corvettes the C4 was my least favourite, but now i see it as a classic with the lines and digital instrumentation panels as very retro and 1980's styling that i now like. So yes i think the C4 are really cool!!!!
Idk why these early c4s get so much hate. Pretty nice package.
In my opinion, the early C4's were the best. They had proper round taillights instead of the ugly square look and fat butt that debuted sometime around 1990 and awesome wheels. Gorgeous cars.
A guy we knew got a brand new blue 84 Corvette from his father. I'll never forget him driving it up to our hangout at the mall. Had the targa top off, and was amazed at the digital dash. Was happy for him, but yes. A little jealous. He was 19 then.
I love these old videos , my dad used to wear one of those blue jackets all the time , funny how you remember things like that after someone dies. Corvettes sure have came along way , I’ve owned a c5 and now I daily a c7. The c7 is a nice balance of performance , looks and comfort. Untill you take all the driver assistance off, then it’s a whole different beast
Bought a 1985 corvette in 1989 paid 15,000. Black with silver leather interior automatic. Drove it hard like your supposed to. Blew the transmission, power headlight motor went out, power antena motor went out, mufflers, tires,brakes,horns,all wore out or broke. Still had more fun than any other car I ever owned. I was 24 years old. Thinking about getting a 2005 Corvette Convertible Red with a black top and black interior.
How many miles when engine went out and the tranny also if u drive it hard all the time it can blow right
@@johnjohnson-mw6yn Transmission went out at 70,000 miles engine still ran good
I got a say I always loved this gen design... nevermind the tractor alike suspension. This is a budget supercar and it was great for what it cost. It is a good base model for a modern mechanical conversion with '80 looks.
last generation that appeals to me. the more modern cars have lost something
That car might be 31 yrs old but, I really doubt average driver could handle it as far as its performance. Gearheads are another story. You gotta think power to weight ratio. Back in 89 i drove an 87 convertible. Plenty of power to get anyone in trouble. Lots of fun.
ha ha, I can get in trouble with my 137HP Elantra. Luckily I am old now and cops don't care much.
This is my favorite generation of Corvettes during my lifetime. My coworker bought a used C4, not sure which year, sometime in the 1990s. She had a lot of problems with it. But I used to have fun by switching the electronic gauges to the metric system while she was driving. It took her a while to figure out what happened.
Noticing a difference between these retro reviews and modern reviews on youtube:
Retro reviews - informative, they actually test the car out and report them straight to you
Modern reviews - AWESOME!! INCREDIBLE!! SPECIAL!! BEST CAR!! ****insert mandatory manic laugh when accelerating**** BUY IT NOW!!
Too much pressure from manufacturers and fanboys these days?
Cor? COR???? IT'S CORVETTE DAMNIT, CORVETTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael O'Keefe they can write a description and miss the title
The 1985-1991 Corvette are the last of the collector car bargains left from that era. These cars are going to be worth a lot more in 10 years than you can imagine.
C4s are climbing fast in value now.
I owned a '86 Corvette with the 5.7L TPI V8 with the four speed automatic. Loved that car!!! And she ran exactly what these car ran in the quarter mile. Although I was able to get it up to an indicated 160 mph! Those were the days. I have a 400hp C6 convertible now. Night and day difference.
I absolutely love my 86 Automatic Z51... I RECENTLY PUT ABOUT 5 GRAND INTO IT AN IT DRIVES AN HANDLES JUST LIKE NEW... IT HAS 73 THOUSAND MILES ON IT SINCE NEW ... CLEAN AS A WHISTLE IN AN OUT..OF COURSE ITS RED... I TINTED THE WINDOWS AN IT MAKES THE RED POP...
25 grand for a Corvette? You can't even get a loaded Cruze for that now.
+DonCarpenterRadio 25000USD = 55000USD in today's money. In other words, you get a lot more for your money today!
In some ways, yes. But a Corvettes can barely be had for $55,000 new. And that won't even buy you a loaded F150.
Are you serious? A 2015 Corvette has 460hp and does 0-60 in 3,7 seconds, performance that was unheard of in 1985. A 2015 Corvette also comes with loads of more standard kit than it did in 1985. So, not only in some ways, but today you get much more car in all ways. A base Hyundai Genesis Coupe will run rings around this 85 Vette, and that at under half it's adjusted for inflation price. So there is no doubt that you get much more for your money today.
+Krister Falch Hence the "in some ways, yes" part. Cars are much better now.
+DonCarpenterRadio In some ways implies that exactly that, which is just not correct. In every way possible, you get more refinement, more standard equipment, bigger, faster, better handling, more comfortable cars for you money today vs 1985. Cars are simpler better and cheaper today, which was what my original comment was about.
Plenty on Craigslist for 5-10k. Grab one while they’re cheap👍
C4s are going up in price real fast.
I grabbed for 2200 as a project, 700 dollars got it back to good running shape, these cars are beyond slept on, and i love mine to death.
13 low 14 second 1/4 is still acceptable today - right up there with entry level performance focused cars (86, GTI, Civic Si etc), equates to a 5.8-6.2 or so second 0-60 with a lighter rwd car. Just enough to have fun on backroads. Must have been real fun in the 80s.
My 1994 is spoiled, perfect and fast. Love it.
I had 2 85's and loved them. Fun to drive.
the reason for the slight difference in performance between the two 'vette's is because of it's IRS..the auto will launch better with it then will the manuel..CAR & DRIVER back then had gotten a 14.1 for the auto and a 14.4 for the manuel...this red 'vette ran great, much better then i thought, since back in late '85 the grand national as a '86 model was tested by CARS ILLUSTRATED and ran a 13.8 on a cool day..mustang 5.0 lx notch back ran a 13.9, but it was stripped to hell, even without a heater..IROC-Z 350 ran a 14.2 and was also a stripper...GNX and '89 TURBO TRANS AM both ran in the low to mid 13's...so much for people thinking the 80's didn't have much power, certain models did however.
I know the dual cat IROC from 1990 ran that time, but I think the '87 through '89 5.7 cars were slower (mid to high 14's in the quarter). Also the '85 TPI motors in both the Vette and F-Body cars had a higher rating than the '86 and ups for some reason. Some say it was a bigger cam.
think you are right jesse. i had an 86 and 87 iroc z with the 305 and raced two 85,s and lost to both of them
I know a guy who had a 91 305 5spd that he said was def faster than his 90 stang gt 5spd. I looked into it and I think it was 87 and 88 for the best cam in a mustang but maybe 88 and 89 and 91 305 5spd had the better tpi cam. the problem with a lot of the tpi engines is that setting base timing was a dealer prep job and a lot of techs didn't set the base timing resulting in like 0-2 degreese advanced when it is supposed to be like 6 or 8 deg advanced. If you ever played with timing you would know that is about 20-30 hp. Take a car from running decent to doggish. I drove a 5.7 auto tpi Camaro that was stock and not babied that felt similar to a 4th gen auto LT1 up to 5k when it wanted to shift and LT1 would go 6k according to the tach. That tpi didn't fall off before shifting at 5 either. I thought it would fall off around 4400 but nay.
The research pays off!
@@jessepinkman8821 my 87 305TPI had 215hp , Auto trans, and ran a 14.12 at the strip in 90F SC weather. I had the stock 16" 245/50/16 GoodYear VR tires on it. 87 was the best year for the IROC's until 89 I think. I loved that car. Moved up to corvettes a few years latter but the IROC was my first really nice car. It was a maroon red color. Damn sexy with T-tops. I only have 1 picture of it. I am old as hell now and I really miss that car. ( I miss my 95 vette more but Vettes are easier to find now in decent condition )
Any year Corvette always in style never looks old
So much better looking than the car it replaced
ive had my 85 from the early 90's and have never let it go. Ive had many cars but always kept the original. THis vette , the c4 , was so good they had to create its own race series since the competition couldnt keep up. The "escort series" .
Great show!
I've got a 91 and still these cars are amazing
Just like my 87 c4. Got to love them. I am lucky to have one that still looks factory new
loved my 1986 Z51 Automatic, such a great handling car! Had electrical gremlins tho, sold it and got a 2010 Golf GTI. Quick car but doesn't handle anything like my corvette did!
I owned a 1988 35th anniversary edition. It was a great car! Chevrolet really loads up the anniversary edition with options. The only challenge was getting in and out but it's worth it.
Could be like f-body tpi cars.... one of the dealer prep items/services was to set base timing. Most skipped it and as low as 0-2 deg advanced which makes for a slug with bad eco. Pisses me off to because 5.0 mustangs wouldn’t have faired nearly as well in the 80s.
Love the retro blue MotorWeek jackets.
13.9 was very fast for the 80s, impressive, still not bad today, will keep up with an ecoboost mustang, and those ecoboosts are quick for what they are
Thanks for all these throwbacks! It's kind of neat to mentally compare with modern cars, to see how far we've come over the years, IE: horsepower.
Thanks again! Peace.
We tripled in horsepower and immorality. Not a great trade off.
+Tom Hertz Yeah. True story.
+Tom Hertz Yeah. True story.
that is the most beautiful Corvette Chevrolet ever made.
This is heaven, please don't ever stop!
Great looking cars .
I've driven an 85 manual + overdrive C4 , it also happened to be silver . It was a really good car .
My friend's sister got a new one from her dad as a reward for being in the 84 LA olympics. My friend and I tried to get to 150 mph with it and if my memory serves well we got up to 147! With under 100 miles on the odometer. Very strong car for its day.
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE CRESSIDA REVIEW!!! KIDDING LOL
Beautiful Corvettes! Crushed the like button!!
I had a red '86 for 20 years luved it
Timeless 🔥🔥
In High School my girlfriend's dad bought a silver Corvette C4, manual transmission, with the Z51 package. He let me drive it. Finally bought a C7 Grand Sport with a MANUAL TRANSMISSION. Excellent.
The TPI was a nice looking engine for sure, the LS engines with the plastic covers is a really eye soar. I'd like to own a 91-96 someday. I like the 89 anniversary too.
Lee N i'd go 92 through 96 cause they had the 300HP LT1.
The 1988 was the 35th anniversary car. All white, including the interior and steering wheel, but with a black top. They are nice looking cars, but easy to find today (cheaply I might add). The other was the 40th anniversary (called Rubies), all Ruby Red Metallic. (But haven't held their value). Agreed the latter C4's (91' - '96) are really the best!
The C4 is still my dream car...
You mentioned at the beginning of this clip that you were already going to review the 85 Toyota Cressida in this episode. I'd love to see that review of the Cressida. Anyway that you could post it, as well? Keep up the great work!
Shame they didn't use the overdrive during the drag race, would've really helped it pull ahead
I love the fansevice of this channel.
I hava friend that just picked one up for like 800 bucks. Has about 50k and was just sitting in a garage of a house that had been auctioned off to flip. What a steal!!
1985 Corvette First Year 5.7 TPI 230 HP / 330 Torque is almost as Strong as the Last year 1992 Camaro 5.7 TPI 245 HP / 345 Torque, and it can run a 14.4 1/4 Mile with factory 3.23 gears weighing 3,483 plus a 200lb driver.
So this much lighter 3,224lb Corvette pulling a 13.9 1/4 Mile plus a 180lb Driver is not that hard to believe actually. It's all in the gears. They came with either 2.73 auto or 3.07 manual.
Car & Driver tested the Manual at 14.1 1/4 Mile @97 Mph 5.7 0-60
The taller gears give it a higher top speed and lower highway speed Rpm but you lose offline acceleration speed.But it you keep your foot on it, the Corvette's power once at highway speed, PULLS like a Mother on those Taller gears in combo with the 700R4 because they are made for highway speed. So it makes sense that it edges out the Manual by a bumper.
PhenomProductions23 Aren’t the 700 R4 and 46LE the same transmissions basically?
c4 the only corvette with a full front tilt front end / will make a big come back
25 thousand bucks back in 1985 . I was making 4 dollars x hr .
But I save 3700 and I purchased a used white 1985 Pontiac Firebird standard transmission in 1990
They did away with the in-studio shots soon after this, and I miss them. The studio with a water fountain visible on the wall was cool.
I would LOVE to see the Cressida test at some point!!!!!
In my opnion 85 Corvette is the best looking !!!!
TheJeffnyc Mine got 28 mpg it was great on long trips.Somebody put a Richmond 6 speed in mine.
Best/favorite Corvette I owned was an '89 Conv. Black Sapphire Metallic.
85 was big change going from cross-fire to TPI.
Still a hot car. Values of C4s now are climbing very fast.
The high mounted third break light was mandatory on all domestic cars in 1986 under President Reagan! 🌝
Anyone else love that dash?
13.9 seconds in the quarter was great for back then
Girls and young children loved these. But most guys were still grabbing cars from before the smog revolution. Got to drive the 84 for the summer when it was knew and Everytime I couldn't wait to get back into my 69' Pontiac tempest custom sport. It wasn't a GTO but the 350 4 barrel still had 300hp with just a bigger carb and some tuning. Not bad for a 1000$
Buy these now while they're still cheap, because in ten years you'll be kicking yourself when you see the values triple.
EVOCATEUR
I agree I just bought my 84 it's got 98000 original miles and loving every minute of it production number 866
A top notch, low mileage C4 is going for LESS than an equivalent condition IROC, that's crazy. $14K will get you a Z51, performance axle ratio'd auto. in perfect condition. Buy it now!
Miss America 1985
I hated that digital gauge cluster in my '89. It was a source of constant problems during the 12,000 miles I owned it :(
Now I want a c4 corvette
Awesome, I want to learn more about the Doug Nash 4+3?
Anyone else really want to see that Toyota Cressida review???
ilovecats748 it is on the site I saw it
Boredom style, no thanks...
Just a reminder of why the Avalon, it's replacement, should have been a rear wheel drive.
13.9 1/4 mile with 235 hp was incredible in 1985.
I had a vette in the 80s...
A Chevette
Clay car in background is a merkur xr4ti
13.9qtr mile in 85! Pretty good.
Good show