I Think I Want a C4 ZR-1

[Norwegianmopar]

Having had mostly musclecars thru the years, and considered myself a Mopar guy, we ended up buying our very first Corvette the spring of 2018. It was a whithe on red 91 ZR-1.

I had spent a few months on this forum, googling all I could find, looking at youtube videos etc etc. The ZR-1 sounded very exciting and completely different from everything I had driven previously. And boy was it something else.

The car had 4.10 gears and a Haibeck chip, otherwise mostly original.

We, my wife and I, drove the car thru Denmark and Sweden for 3 weeks that summer, a bit over 2000 miles in total. It was a blast I can tell you. It is a fantastic car for longer trips, very comfy and fun to drive, and boy it hauls *** with those 4.10 gears.

The car was a lot of fun, but our dream was to get an Admiral Blue 94 or 95. We wanted dual airbags since we usually both ride in it, and safety is very important to us. We (well mostly me) also wanted a few mods (4.10 gears being one since it's way quicker thru the gears than stock 3.45), and we got a deal on the car we now will ship over to Norway. The 91 was sold to help fund the 94.

It's 94 #112 in Admiral Blue/black and it has 4.10 gears, lightweight flywheel, Watson headers and Corsa exhaust. It also got new tires and 4 wheel alignment before we shipped it to Marc Haibeck (ZR-1 Specialist) for a full service and tune-up.

Haibeck fixed everything that wasn't working as it should, replaced some nuts and bolts, and changed all and every fluid and filter on the car as well as adding a performance calibration chip.

He said we now can expect it to produce 470 HP (399 RWHP) and it's all sound and ready for new adventures.

We will drive it as much as we can and hopefully keep it for a long time (got a lot of $$$ into it already). We also plan a few cosmetic upgrades like painting the engine, getting some aftermarket wheels, maybe 18/19's etc.

My point here is that the ZR-1 is a very special car, and we got totally hooked after a short time. The sound and feeel behind the wheel is like nothing else, the power band and effect curve is addictive. Once you drive one there is no going back.

Good luck in your hunt, you have something to look forward to!

[MarkSS]

Below are the exterior and interior color combination possibilities for 1990. There were five interior colors available, but I haven't seen many with blue interior. The production numbers are for all Corvettes, I haven't ever seen a breakout of ZR-1 interior colors, but it might exist. As was mentioned, for a Bright Red car, you could get anything but blue. Black is definitely the most common interior color that is out there.

1991 basically followed the same as 1990. In 1992 blue was dropped and white was added. In 1993, you could still get white, and Ruby Red was added on the anniversary cars. In 1994 and 1995 the Ruby was no longer available and white was dropped as well. They changed the names of Saddle and Gray over the years, but it is more or less the same. Also, I know for some years you could override the recommended color combinations... for example I have seen a factory built Yellow car with a Red interior.

10 White 4,872 (20.60%) Blue / Black / Gray / Red / Saddle
25 Steel Blue Metallic 813 (3.44%) Blue / Black
41 Black 4,759 (20.13%) Blue / Black / Gray / Red
42 Turquoise Metallic 589 (2.49%) Black / Saddle
53 Competition Yellow 278 (1.18%) Black / Gray / Saddle
68 Dark Red Metallic 2,353 (9.95%) Black / Saddle
80 Quasar Blue Metallic 474 (2.00%) Black / Saddle
81 Bright Red 6,956 (29.42%) Black / Gray / Red / Saddle
91 Polo Green Metallic 1,674 (7.08%) Black / Saddle
96 Charcoal Metallic 878 (3.71%) Black / Gray

[MarkSS]

By the way, if I could pick my year and color combo, I would have a 1993 Quasar Blue with white interior... but finding one is a little tough.

[Young1]

I had driven C4 before and was not impressed. But with LT5 different animal.

[RichieDMD]

Originally Posted by HAWAIIZR-1

RichieDMD,

I would not let the passenger airbag discourage you about staying away from 94-95 cars. Having owned a 90, 91, and 95 I love the refinement and improvement in the later models. I had no idea of all the little improvements until years after owning my 95 and taking it apart to do mods. You should be able to remove the fuse to disable the passenger air bag if you desire. You also get the wheels you like. LOL. 🤙🏼

Just find the right car for you and do as you are doing to ask all the questions and use the info on the Registry. If you can make it to the Gathering there are a bunch of folks that will let you ride in and drive their cars. Best wishes.


Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry

I hadn't considered just pulling the fuse out to deactivate the air bag. That's not a bad idea.



I think what I should do is just figure out exactly what my ideal car is...and look for that regardless of year and see what I find.


Can you give me a few examples of the "little improvements" that happened over the years?


Also, I know with Camaro's...the 1993 had yellow colored gauges and controls on the interior and 1994 and newer had white. Is that the same with the Corvette (for example, the speedometer #s are yellow on my 1993 but were white from 94-02).

[RichieDMD]

Originally Posted by MarkSS

Below are the exterior and interior color combination possibilities for 1990. There were five interior colors available, but I haven't seen many with blue interior. The production numbers are for all Corvettes, I haven't ever seen a breakout of ZR-1 interior colors, but it might exist. As was mentioned, for a Bright Red car, you could get anything but blue. Black is definitely the most common interior color that is out there.

1991 basically followed the same as 1990. In 1992 blue was dropped and white was added. In 1993, you could still get white, and Ruby Red was added on the anniversary cars. In 1994 and 1995 the Ruby was no longer available and white was dropped as well. They changed the names of Saddle and Gray over the years, but it is more or less the same. Also, I know for some years you could override the recommended color combinations... for example I have seen a factory built Yellow car with a Red interior.

10 White 4,872 (20.60%) Blue / Black / Gray / Red / Saddle
25 Steel Blue Metallic 813 (3.44%) Blue / Black
41 Black 4,759 (20.13%) Blue / Black / Gray / Red
42 Turquoise Metallic 589 (2.49%) Black / Saddle
53 Competition Yellow 278 (1.18%) Black / Gray / Saddle
68 Dark Red Metallic 2,353 (9.95%) Black / Saddle
80 Quasar Blue Metallic 474 (2.00%) Black / Saddle
81 Bright Red 6,956 (29.42%) Black / Gray / Red / Saddle
91 Polo Green Metallic 1,674 (7.08%) Black / Saddle
96 Charcoal Metallic 878 (3.71%) Black / Gray

Oh perfect. Thanks! I think if I went with a red car I'd want a black interior...which looks common. I've seen a number of red/red cars and that feels like too much to me. I'm also thinking about maybe a yellow car. My 2002 Camaro (which I am keeping) is red with black interior...and I should probably get something different. I also love the blue, but I'm buying a new daily driver soon and its gonna be blue.

I assume "Saddle" is a tan color?

I know they also made a 40th Anniversary edition in that purple/red color in 1993. Does the 40th anniversary edition have anything special about it?

[EvanZR1]

Originally Posted by RichieDMD

I know they also made a 40th Anniversary edition in that purple/red color in 1993. Does the 40th anniversary edition have anything special about it?

It's just an appearance package, but it is a good looking car.

[RichieDMD]

Originally Posted by HAWAIIZR-1

Yes, do exactly what you’re doing to be well informed before your decision. Of course your budget might dictate it for you. When I got my red/saddle 90 in 2003 all I could afford to spend was around $15K and found it for $14K plus shipping to Hawaii.

In 2015 I lived in Cali and I went to look at a black/black 95 for a friend in Hawaii. He changed his mind and decided he wanted a polo green/tan 93. I always loved black and I thought it would be nice to have the first and last year, but didn’t think to seriously consider buying it. It was a week or so later that the owner called me and asked if I wanted to buy it since he could tell I was in love with it. I told him I couldn’t afford to. He was asking $32K at the time and I thought it was priced well for a nice low mileage car (27K miles), especially with all the extra wheels/tires, parts, accessories (boxes of it). I told my wife and since she came for the ride to see it she told me why don’t I buy it? How can I not when the wife is encouraging me? I set the lowball budget to $25K and the seller called me back a few days later to accept my offer. He said others that came and looked were not enthusiast and looking to flip it. He wanted me to have it knowing it would be cared for by an enthusiast. Just the right place at the right time in an area with no demand for the car. It fell into my lap by accident.

My reason for telling you all this is I didn’t buy the first Z I really wanted and settled. I don’t even like red (glad you do) but I wanted a ZR-1. I also realized I prefer the look of the later models without the belt line molding of the 90.

As for the list of all the changes, I have to find that for you since I did not know so many small things. Mostly to make the car quieter (a bunch of anti-squeak and rattle stuff and more comfortable. There are sensitive people here that like to counter or challenge ones opinion so I’ll not say any particular year is better or worse. I just know what I like. I never question others opinions because that’s just not my nature. Of course most people focus on the look, color, options available, production numbers, horsepower, wheels, etc. between the different years. The stuff I’m talking about might not be important to you, but I think you should be educated and informed. I didn’t know until I drove a later model Z. I’m in Hawaii now and my car and my stuff is in Japan. Since you’re not buying right away, I’ll try to find that list of everything changed year by year and get it to you when I go in April to visit (pending corona virus issue).

Yes, different color gauges between early and later and you’ll find all those details and more on the Registry info. I’m still sick in bed at home so trying to make this reply short.

Best wishes with your quest!! 🤙🏼








Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry

Thank you for all the info. I'm just gonna keep researching and figure out exactly what I want. I'm not in a rush. If you get time and can help me sort out a list of the changes made during the run it would be very useful. Hope you feel better soon!

[XfireZ51]

Hey Craig, ur not dealing w CV-19 are u?

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Significant / or Insignificant changes:
91- front bumper and side molding, wheels, size of cutout in windshield
92- traction control, emblems added to side of hood, exhaust tips
93- wheels, 40th Edition, 405 horsepower, but car got heavier, PKE Remote
94- SEATS!!! Lear!!! White lettering on controls, wheels
95- many with 2 Dunn heads, shifter, reverse lockout change

Likely missed some!
I would not get "hung-up" over the changes.
All years are great!
Changes are actually minor, evolutionary, not revolutionary.


Marty