130,000 dollars for a ZR-1..Bid goes on..

[Vette73]

Yep, $130,000 for a ZR-1 and the bid goes on...Oops forgot to mention its a 1970...

Well if that's too much you could have picked up a 94 RX-7 with I think around 40,000 miles for around $32,000..
How much was this car in 94 as opposed to the C4 ZR-1?

[Karl]

I am convinced the 4th gen Z will never appreciate in price. Everyone looks at the '96GS with red guts as the most valuable C4.

The conservative hot rod world views the '90 - '95Z too far "on the left."



https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vid...ll-market-list

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Originally Posted by Karl

I am convinced the 4th gen Z will never appreciate in price. Everyone looks at the '96GS with red guts as the most valuable C4.

The conservative hot rod world views the '90 - '95Z too far "on the left."



https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vid...ll-market-list

Rarity and value are always linked together, especially with respect to collectable cars in general and the Corvette specifically.


The C-4 Grand Sport is an extremely limited production car. Taking it a step further as a convertible with a red interior, and you have a textbook definition of a truly rare car.
The "it's only a paint treatment car with stick on stuff" argument becomes near meaningless given it's rarity.
I will go a step further.
Everyone likely by now knows how much I truly love the C-4 ZR-1.
I believe it to be one of the best Corvettes ever built.
That being said, having back in the day driven a ZR-1 as a daily driver, I know what it is like driving it in various "normal" daily driving situations.


Also having driven a number of LT-4 cars, I can tell you the following:
Driving the LT-4 with the mandatory six speed can best be summed up as driving a car that is always in the sweet spot no matter the gear or the speed.
Granted, it does not rev like the ZR-1 or have the raw power at full tilt, but just driving it as you would normally do, that LT-4 is a very pleasant and very responsive and FUN car to drive.
Perhaps that also explains why others like them.
Maybe the beauty of the car is more than skin deep.
Marty

[Karl]

Originally Posted by DRM500RUBYZR-1

Rarity and value are always linked together, especially with respect to collectable cars in general and the Corvette specifically.


The C-4 Grand Sport is an extremely limited production car. Taking it a step further as a convertible with a red interior, and you have a textbook definition of a truly rare car.
The "it's only a paint treatment car with stick on stuff" argument becomes near meaningless given it's rarity.
I will go a step further.
Everyone likely by now knows how much I truly love the C-4 ZR-1.
I believe it to be one of the best Corvettes ever built.
That being said, having back in the day driven a ZR-1 as a daily driver, I know what it is like driving it in various "normal" daily driving situations.


Also having driven a number of LT-4 cars, I can tell you the following:
Driving the LT-4 with the mandatory six speed can best be summed up as driving a car that is always in the sweet spot no matter the gear or the speed.
Granted, it does not rev like the ZR-1 or have the raw power at full tilt, but just driving it as you would normally do, that LT-4 is a very pleasant and very responsive and FUN car to drive.
Perhaps that also explains why others like them.
Maybe the beauty of the car is more than skin deep.
Marty

I agree 💯%

What helps my argument is it's peers from the '90s.

The Dodge Viper, Toyota Supra, and of course the GS used car value is more today than a similar used C4 Z.

And the Supra sold and Viper sold for often less then the Z, especially when it first came out.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Karl

I am convinced the 4th gen Z will never appreciate in price. Everyone looks at the '96GS with red guts as the most valuable C4.

The conservative hot rod world views the '90 - '95Z too far "on the left."



https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vid...ll-market-list

Yep you just need to wait another twenty years!

[indy91zr1]

Originally Posted by Vette73

Yep, $130,000 for a ZR-1 and the bid goes on...Oops forgot to mention its a 1970...

Well if that's too much you could have picked up a 94 RX-7 with I think around 40,000 miles for around $32,000..
How much was this car in 94 as opposed to the C4 ZR-1?

The 94 rx7 may have been in the high 30's to low 40's back when it came out. So a little under half of what a zr-1 would command. They are really coming up in price. I think they only car that you can still get cheaply are the 300z tt's. All the other japanese cars from the 90's have appreciated quite a bit. I think the zr-1 may eventually go up in price but who knows. I didn't buy mine to make it a collectors car.

[bb62]

What makes the C4 generation different than the generations before or after? The C3 has its paint and tape specials and they are worth less than the performance versions. Same for the C5 the C6. The C1 and C2 generations also have their versions of "non-performance" oriented collector cars. In every one of those generations, the cars that are worth the most are the performance oriented vehicles.

In fact the C3 Pace Cars were once worth more than the L88s. L88s today are worth 20 to 30 TIMES that of a Pace Car. Yes I understand the relative rarity of the cars.

I can't help but compare the analogy above to the 67 Tri-Power cars. The 400HP cars are rarer and drive very smoothly compared with the 435HP cars - yet the 435HP cars are worth much more than the 400HP cars.

I know there are lots of reasons why my examples above are of no use to the C4s, but the idea that a world beating DOHC (in no other Corvette) that brought performance back to the Corvette nameplate is not in the collector forefront is unbelievable to me.

[Paul Workman]

Originally Posted by bb62

What makes the C4 generation different than the generations before or after? The C3 has its paint and tape specials and they are worth less than the performance versions. Same for the C5 the C6. The C1 and C2 generations also have their versions of "non-performance" oriented collector cars. In every one of those generations, the cars that are worth the most are the performance oriented vehicles.

In fact the C3 Pace Cars were once worth more than the L88s. L88s today are worth 20 to 30 TIMES that of a Pace Car. Yes I understand the relative rarity of the cars.

I can't help but compare the analogy above to the 67 Tri-Power cars. The 400HP cars are rarer and drive very smoothly compared with the 435HP cars - yet the 435HP cars are worth much more than the 400HP cars.

I know there are lots of reasons why my examples above are of no use to the C4s, but the idea that a world beating DOHC (in no other Corvette) that brought performance back to the Corvette nameplate is not in the collector forefront is unbelievable to me.

totally agree!

[Vetman]

Maybe it is because there are so many low millage z beauties available compared to most of others cars mentioned above.

[efnfast]

Originally Posted by Vetman

Maybe it is because there are so many low millage z beauties available compared to most of others cars mentioned above.

Good point. These cars were purchased and put away as collectors, so there are a lot of very low mileage cars available. Not many other cars were bought and stored.