History C4 1986

Return of the Ragtop

Sales of Corvettes were off about 10% over 1985 falling from 39,729 to 35,109.  The most noteworthy news in MY 1986 was the return of the convertible...absent from the Corvette lineup since 1975!  An immediate success, over half of the Corvettes sold were convertibles.  With its reintroduction, the convertible was also highlighted as the Official Pace Car for the 70th running of the Indianapolis 500 (1986).   Indeed, only convertibles were sold as pace cars and included the decal package, regardless of color.

As in 1984 and 1985 model years, Bright Red was the most popular color with nearly 10,000 owners driving away in this color.  Black was a distant second with only 5,464 owners.  Following on the heels of Black was Dark Red Metallic, then White.   Copper Metallic appeared on only four Corvettes coupes.   Black, white and saddle ragtops were available.  Black was the most popular choice while less than one thousand of the 7,315 convertibles had saddle ragtops. 

Automatic transmissions reigned.  Less than 20% of the Corvettes were optioned with manual transmissions.   Quality control improved overall.  Aluminum cylinder heads were introduced but delayed because of cracking around the head attachment bosses.  However, the problem was corrected in time for the first convertible.   Only about 50% of production models received the new heads.  Most convertibles received the new heads while most coupes didn't.  The cue on the coupes?  A third brake light on the roll hoop.  Engines with aluminum heads were rated at 235 horsepower, increasing horsepower by five over the base engine while simultaneously lowering the weight of the vehicle.

Anti-lock brakes (ABS) were standard on MY 1986 Corvettes, an adaptation of Bosch's ABS system.   Master brake cylinder was changed providing only two lines...one serving the front brakes and one serving the rear brakes.   Handling was improved by altering the front alignment caster from 4 degrees to 6 degrees.  The change improved "on center" road feel and decreased "highway wander."

Federal requirements dictated a center-mounted brake light, mounted at the roofline for the coupe and in the rear fascia for the convertible.The digital instrument display was improved by changing the angle, thereby reducing the glare during the day.  An upshift indicator light for manual and automatic transmissions was added, mandated by the Federal Government hoping to improve fuel economy.   The speedometer was an 85-mph speedometer.   Low coolant and ABS instrument displays were added.

The wheels changed slightly.  The center section had a natural finish instead of black which appeared on the 1984 and 1985 Corvettes.   A new anti-theft system (ATS) was introduced requiring a special ignition key.  The key contained an embedded pellet with lock cylinder contacts that measured electrical resistance (15 different variations were used) before allowing the starter to engage.   The gas tank capacity fell to 18 from 20 gallons.   An electronic air conditioning option, announced as a late MY 1985 option, was available with MY 1986 coupes and convertibles.

Chevrolet contracted with Callaway Engineering to produce a 345 horsepower twin-turbo Corvette with a pricetag of $51,000.  A New Jersey dealership arranged with Chevrolet to produce a 50 "Malcolm Konner Commemorative Edition" coupes honoring the founder of the dealership.  One of the fifty was destined to become the first "twin-turbo" Callaway Corvette.  The Editions were produced with a special two-tone paint scheme...Silver Beige over Black...with a graphite interior.  Twenty of the 50 were manual transmissions.  The special edition cost $500.