| The third generation Corvette was a decade old when
Dave McLellan began envisioning a redesigned next generation Corvette in 1978. Initially,
it appeared his vision would become a reality in 1983, but various stumbling blocks
delayed that debut, which would have been in the fall of 1982. Forty three pre production
1983 Corvette were built, none were released to the public, and only one still survives
today. (Located in the National Corvette Museum) Chevrolet skipped over the 1983 model and
introduced it’s next generation Corvette in 1984 with an extended production run.
Everything about the C4 was new, from the
modern chassis to the roomier interior, and the completely restyled body. Created by GM
designer Jerry Palmer, the 1984 Corvette body was state of the art in both form and
function. The drag coefficient was .34, down nearly 25 percent in comparison to the 1982.
Beneath the body wan an innovative "bird cage" structure integrated with a
"back-bone" type frame that mounted the drive train from engine to differential
as one rigid component joined by and aluminum C-section beam. Suspension was totally new,
with fiberglass transverse monoleaf springs in the front and rear. Aluminum and other
lightweight materials were used wherever possible to cut unwanted pounds.
Sixteen-inch cast aluminum wheels measured
a half-inch wider in back. The four-wheel disc brakes had semi-metallic linings and
aluminum calipers. The engine was a 205 horsepower L83 Cross Fire 5.7 liter V-8. A choice
was offered between a four-speed automatic or 4+3 Doug Nash manual transmission.
A total of 51,547 were sold during the
extended production run, but as part of a charity fund raising effort, the National
Council of Corvette Clubs raffled off the very first of the all new 1984 Corvettes –
Serial Number 00001. In possession of Corvette Collector Dick Gonyer today, the car is
still identified on the doors and windshield as it was when originally raffled. This is
the only Serial Number 00001 Corvette from any Corvette generation known to survive.
A note From Dick Gonyer:
Startup production run of the 1984
Corvette was Jan. 3rd 1983. The build sheet for C4 #00001 is December 16th, 1982. The
"only"83 that the plant has was not put together until just prior to the plants'
five year anniversary, (on close inspection, you'll find later parts used on the car).
Until then it was a body shell on a pallet in the plant. I was moved around the plant from
time to time. The employees used to sneek a nap in it sometimes, eat their lunch in it,
and have a quick smoke in it. When the five year anniversary was about to happen, the
plant didn't have anything special to show, so they slapped the '83 body shell together
using current parts. It may not have even had an interior in it at time of showing because
the windows were so black you couldn't see in . It also had several different shades of
white paint on the car (and weather stripping) at the time of the five year anniversary. I
was there and inspected the car myself. Hard to call it a genuine '83 when it is made up
of later parts, and assembled 4-5 years after the other '83s. Now, since I have the
origional build sheet for my car, Who has the "Only 1983"? Noland Adams,
and John Amguit each confirmed my car as an 1983 assigned the vin00001 for 1984.
Dick Gonyer |
