How do you celebrate a milestone in your life? Go to a high-end steakhouse with your family? Or maybe you open an old bottle of wine. You might even decide to commemorate the event with a tattoo. For the 1996 Corvette, the last model year of the C4, Chevrolet decided to celebrate by once again offering Sebring Silver Metallic, a color available on the 1963 split-window Sting Ray. It was exclusive to the Collector Edition model, which happens to be our Pick of the Day, a coupe listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Milford City, Connecticut. (Click the link to view the listing.)
Like its predecessor, the fourth-generation Vette had a long run. Chevrolet made prototypes and pilot cars in 1983, but only one specimen still exists. Officially, the C4 started with the 1984 model year. The fiberglass wedge evolved significantly over the next 12 years. Chevrolet added a convertible variant in 1986. The polarizing Doug Nash 4+3 manual gearbox was replaced with a more conventional ZF six-speed unit in 1989. A high-performance ZR-1 model joined the lineup in 1990 and ran until 1995, its Lotus-developed LT5 5.7-liter V8 peaking at 405 horsepower. The base Corvette’s styling was revised for 1991, including its taillights, which were copied from the ZR-1. In 1992, the new LT1 small-block V8 was installed under the hood. Chevy closed out the C4 with not one but two special edition models for 1996: a new Grand Sport with a 330-horsepower LT4 V8 and a six-speed manual gearbox, and the Collector Edition.
In addition to the special Sebring Silver Metallic paint, Collector Edition C4 coupes and convertibles came with 17-inch five-spoke aluminum wheels that added to the monochromatic look, chrome emblems, and Collector Edition embroidery on the headrests of the Black, Gray, or Torch Red leather seats.
Relative to basic ‘96 Corvettes, the Collector Edition is somewhat of a rarity. According to Motor Trend, only 5,412 were produced in a total Corvette production run of 21,536 cars. Rather than leaving it stationary in a garage for a larger future profit, the previous owners of this car drove it and contributed to its current odometer reading of 82,631 miles.
The passage of time and numbers on the odometer seem to have been kind to the Gray leather buckets, which appear to be free of rips and tears. Around those are the standard features found in the 1996 Corvette coupe, such as keyless entry; power mirrors, windows, and locks; cruise control; a Tilt-Wheel adjustable steering column; and front airbags. A notable option is the Delco/Bose AM/FM/cassette stereo with a CD player.
In 1996, if you wanted the 330 horsepower and 340 lb-ft of the LT4 V8, you had to be OK with driving stick every day. If you were fine with the four-speed automatic transmission (which this Collector Edition has) doing the shifting for you, you got the 300-horsepower, 335-lb-ft LT1.
Chevrolet chose a quirky way to mark the end of an era, but if you happen to be the person that pays $13,900 to make this an automotive milestone in your life – perhaps your first C4 or your first Corvette ever – you can celebrate however you like. We suggest storing the removable roof panel under the glass rear hatch and going for a fast drive.
Click here to view the listing for this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com.
