The 1984 Chevrolet Corvette gets a shakedown in this edition of Muscle Car Milestones. The 1984 Chevrolet Corvette was the first new Corvette since the third generation made its way to showrooms for the 1968 model year. To say the fourth generation Corvette was a long time coming is an understatement. So, the question remains, was it worth the wait? Let’s take a closer look and find out.

After a failed attempt to start fourth generation production in late 1982, Chevrolet finally resumed production on January 3, 1983 and introduced the new Corvette on March 25, 1983. Since production resumed so late in the model year, Chevrolet skipped the 1983 model year altogether and dubbed the new Corvette a 1984 model. This all-new Vette was 8.5 inches shorter than the 1982 model and its wheelbase was two inches shorter than the previous generation.

The new Corvette hatchback coupe featured an all-new wind-tunnel-designed fiberglass body to help it cheat the wind. It boasted the lowest coefficient of drag (.341) of any Corvette produced at the time. It also included a windshield rake of 64.7 degrees. Another enhancement to the new Corvette is a full-width, one-piece roof section that replaces the previous generation’s T-bar. The new Corvette also sported a full-tilting clamshell hood, power retractable headlamps, and a frameless rear glass hatch. In addition, the new Corvette featured grill-mounted halogen fog lights, functional front fenders louvers, and integral body side molding.

The 1984 Corvette’s futuristic interior featured a plethora of standard equipment. This included aircraft-cockpit-style high-back contour cloth bucket seats, four-speaker AM/FM stereo radio with seek and scan and digital clock, and leather-wrapped, two-spoke steering wheel rim and horn button. Tilt-telescopic steering, a lighted right hand visor vanity mirror, and center console with power window, radio, and air conditioning controls are also standard equipment. One standout feature of the new Vette is multi-color, electronic liquid crystal instrumentation with digital and analog display. Full LCD readouts include oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel range, and instant average mpg. The liquid crystal display also includes dual analog and digital readout of speedometer and tachometer. A bonus for drivers is a Driver Information System that can be programmed to display custom instrumentation such as oil pressure or oil temperature, coolant temperature or voltage, and mileage range on available fuel or average fuel consumption.

The heart of the new Corvette is a 5.7-liter twin-throttle-body, Cross-Fire injection L83 V8. This 350 cubic-inch powerplant features a cast-iron alloy block, forged aluminum pistons, and cast-iron alloy camshaft. This engine was outfitted with dual Rochester 48mm TBI components with an overall flow of 750-cfm. The twin-throttle-body Cross-Fire system operated with the right side throttle body supplying the L83’s left cylinder bank with fuel and the left side throttle body supplying fuel to the right side cylinder bank.

The L83 created 205 horsepower and 290 lb.-ft. of torque, with a 9:1 compression ratio. The standard transmission was a 700-R4 four-speed automatic with overdrive and high stall torque converter. Drivers wanting to row their own gears could opt for the no-cost four-speed manual with computer-controlled overdrive.

Per Chevy, the new Corvette could sprint from 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds with the Z51 Performance Handling Package and four-speed manual transmission. Chevy also declared a 142 mile per hour top speed. Car and Driver tested the 1984 Corvette in their March 1983 issue. Their tester was equipped with a four-speed automatic and the Z51 Performance Handling Package. The magazine walked away with a 0 to 60 time of 6.7 seconds and a quarter mile time of 15.2 seconds at 90 miles per hour. These times are somewhat comparable to the 1984 Porsche 928S with a 0 to 60 time of 6.4 seconds and a quarter mile time of 16.2 seconds at 103 miles per hour. One of the magazine’s major highlights of the new Corvette: the recording of the highest skidpad lateral acceleration (0.90g) ever noted by magazine staff. One of the magazine’s lows: the Corvette’s price. At $28,000, the new Vette isn’t cheap, and equates to around $83,000 in today’s dollars.

A closer look at the new Chevrolet Corvette reveals some highlights of the new fourth generation car. The optional Z51 Performance Handling Package includes 16 x 8.5-inch front and 16 x 9.5-inch rear wheels, beefier stabilizer bars, and higher rated monoleaf fiberglass composite springs. The folks at Goodyear collaborated with Chevrolet engineers during C4 development to create a tire to stand up to the Corvette’s 142 mile per hour top speed. The optional 16-inch Eagle VR unidirectional steel-belted tires featured a “natural path” tread and, once mounted, each wheel/tire combo was specific to one side of the Vette. Bringing the Vette to a standstill is the Girlock braking system. This high-performance braking system is composed of 11.5-inch discs and low-drag, “floating” aluminum calipers crafted for decreased weight.

A search of the web reveals some interesting 1984 Corvette sales. The first Corvette released to the public sold for $15,000 at Mecum’s Monterey 2015 auction. One of two Hugger Orange Corvettes built for Gilmore/Foyt Racing went up for sale on eBay by West Coast Corvettes back in 2018 for $32,900.

Even with a base price jump of around $5,000, sales increased significantly over the 1982 model year. Part of the reason for the sales jump could also be attributed to an extended production run. However, you have to wonder if part of the sales increase was excitement surrounding the release of the new Corvette. Was the 1984 Chevrolet Corvette a success? We tend to think so.