When Harley Earl first envisioned his two-seat roadster in 1953, it is unlikely that even he would have been able to fathom the long term commercial success the Corvette would achieve. Both on the road and on the racetrack, the Corvette had demonstrated again and again that it could compete with some of the fiercest automotive competitors from around the world. Now, as the Corvette prepared to turn 40, Chevrolet decided to honor the milestone by releasing a special edition Corvette to pay homage to the American legend.
Pricing: Orig. Base Price: $34,595.00 (Coupe), $41,195.00 (Convertible)
Engine options: 350CI, 300 Horsepower, Multi-Port Fuel Injected LT1 V8 Small Block Engine.
Transmission: 4-speed automatic (standard), 6-speed manual (optional)
Top speed: 179mph
Units Produced: 21,590
Available Colors: Arctic White, Black, Bright Aqua Metallic, Polo Green II Metallic, Competition Yellow, Ruby Red, Torch Red, Black Rose Metallic, Dark Red Metallic, Quasar Blue Metallic
Highlights of the year:
Under the car’s hood lived a 9.4-Liter (572 cubic-inch) Chevy V-8 that was mated to a GM four-speed automatic transmission. When this special edition Corvette was run with the throttle full open, the Corvette could accelerate from zero-to-60 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds, and best a quarter-mile at just 11.5 seconds at a speed of 135 miles per hour.
Additionally, when running fully open, the Corvette could hit and maintain a speed of 218 miles per hour. Of course, achieving that level of incredible power has always been an expensive undertaking, as was the case with the G572, which carried a price tag of $179,333.
Finally, the size of the front wheels on the base model Corvette coupe and convertible were reduced in size from 9.5×17 to 8.5×17 and the corresponding front tire sizes were reduced from P275/40ZR17 to P255/45ZR17. Similarly, the rear tire size was increased from P275/40ZR17 to P285/40ZR17. For Corvettes that included RPO Z07, 9.5×17 wheels and P275/40ZR17 tires were used on both the front and rear.
Perhaps one of the most notable improvements to the 1993 Corvette was the introduction of a passive keyless entry (PKE) system. Unlike other keyless entry systems, which required the vehicle owner/operator to unlock the vehicle by pressing a “LOCK/UNLOCK” button on a small transmitter, the PKE system automatically communicated with the Corvette when the driver was in the general proximity of the vehicle.
Despite the absence of notable, physical changes to the design of the car, the overall sales numbers of the 1993 Corvette actually increased over previous years. A total of 21,590 Corvettes were manufactured and sold, marking 1993 the first model year in four years to actually witness an increase in its numbers. Additionally, the ZR-1 Corvette received the accolades of being the winner of the top speed category of Car & Driver’s “Ten Best” issue (January, 1994). Despite this, the ZR-1’s numbers continued to head south, with just 448 units being produced that year.
Photos of the 1993 Corvette:
Sources:
https://www.corvsport.com/1984-c4-corvette/
https://www.corvsport.com/1993-c4-corvette-image-gallery/
