The 1992 Corvette Brings Fast Back with the LT1 Engine
The 1992 Corvette needed to be something special. With the Corvette Nation chomping at the bit to get a new generation of the Corvette, Chevy certainly didn’t help matters when it came out with a Stingray III concept car at the North American Auto Show in January of 1992. However, at the same time Chevy also announced that the new C5 generation of the Vette would have to be postponed until at least 1997 and this left some with a bad taste in their mouths.
Chevy responded in kind by making what they did have faster; 50 horsepower faster to give an exact number. This was thanks to a new pushrod small block V-8 engine that would come to be called the LT1. The LT1 had an impressive 300 bhp and 330 foot pounds of torque. These improvements came by way of such refinements as:
- The introduction of computer controlled timing for the engine.
- A new exhausts system that was low restriction and used two catalytic converters and two oxygen sensors.
- A new camshaft profile.
- A compression ratio that was higher.
- Cylinder heads that were free flowing.
- A revised and updated multiport fuel injection system.
In addition to all these goodies, the new LT1 engine saved the car in overall weight as well. The 1991 Corvette LT1 engine came in at 21 pounds less than the L98 which it was replacing.
As if all that power were not impressive enough, if a buyer so desired they could opt for the very costly ZR-1 package and get an extra 75 ponies out from under the hood. That would see the ZR-1 for 1993 go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.7 seconds. Not to be outdone, the standard LT1 could do it in 5.1 seconds. With such a similar time it is no wonder that only 502 buyers opted to pay the extra $31,000 plus that it cost to claim a ZR-1.
The biggest news of the year though was the production of the one millionth Vette, which was a white convertible. The one millionth Vette rolled off the assembly line in Bowling Green on July 2, 1992. While this was certainly a great benchmark for any car to obtain it simply wasn’t enough for the Corvette and to add a bit of irony to the mix, the total sales of the sports car classic were down once more for the 1990s. Total units moved for the model year were only 20,479 which was the lowest total that the Corvette had seen since 1962.
While some speculated that the reason for the decline in sales was a stale generation and the need for the C5 generation to emerge, others said it was due to the foreign name plates now putting up so much of a challenge. But most continued to point to the ever increasing price of the Corvette which was growing exponentially by the year as the culprit. Whatever the reason for the fall, the Corvette would have to continue its wait for a good solid up year in sales; at least for a little while longer.
Tags: 1992 Corvette, LT1, one millionth Vette
