Chevrolet’s Corvettes have some rare variants. Among these rare species, some are considered unique and special. A good example is the 1988 C4 Corvette ZR-1. Not to be confused with the ZR1 successors, though.
This C4 Corvette ZR-1 is one of the two prototypes that exist today. It was manufactured in 1988, two years before the official production of the C4-generation Corvette ZR-1 took place. Keep in mind that ZR-1 was the flagship sports car of GM in the early 1990s.
Chevrolet had the initial intention of integrating a V12 engine to the C4 Corvette ZR-1 so that the latter could compete against the Dodge Viper. They discarded that idea quickly. However, throughout its production years, the ZR-1 was touted as the “King of the Hill.”
One of the prototypes of the C4 Corvette ZR-1 was auctioned and sold on Cars and Bids. The final price is $75,000–more expensive than the base price of the C8 Corvette.
The one sold has a Metallic Blue finish. Inside, it features blue leather upholstery. Most of its parts are stock, too.
Accordingly, this vehicle was utilized by Lotus as a prototype in the United Kingdom. One should know that Lotus was the property of GM in the past. The C4 Corvette ZR-1 could not exist without the chassis tuning finesse of Lotus. The company also helped in the development of the car’s steering and braking systems.
Lotus also tailored an LT5 V8 engine to the vehicle. It can generate up to 380 horsepower and 370 lb-ft of torque. Interestingly, this sold C4 Corvette ZR-1 prototype was found by a Lotus engineer in a junkyard in the 1990s. Several years later, Blue Flame Restorations of Pendleton, Indiana, bought it from the engineer for restoration purposes.
Overall, we believe that the price of this ultra-rare Vette is pretty justifiable. It is a part of the long history of Corvette.
