I almost made the prompt of this blog about which pop-up headlight Corvette you readers might want, but then I remembered that the C4 was hardly the first ‘Vette to have hidden headlights! Still, I like the framing of this photo, and I feel like C4s and C5s are getting weirdly close in values now that the coolness of ’80s design is back in vogue and the older cars are getting some love.
- Cars: Chevy Corvette C5 (red); Chevy Corvette C4 (silver)
- Location: Downtown Los Angeles
- Photog: Me
- Camera: iPhone XR
Both of these cars were posted up at an event hosted by Auto Conduct at its space in downtown LA over Father’s Day weekend. The theme was “Alternate Ceilings” so a whole bunch of convertibles, targa-roofed cars, and T-top havers rolled up. It was toasty (as evidenced by the brightness of this picture) but the breakfast burritos from a hovering taco truck were good (as evidenced by the sun-streaking grease stains on my lens) and so was the iced coffee.
I also really like how both Corvette owners are admiring each other’s rides in this image.
It’s just now occurring to me that I’ve never actually driven a C5 or a C4 Corvette, but I think they both represent pretty good value if you can get one in decent condition. They have a lot of power for how they’re priced, parts aren’t as brutally expensive as they tend to be on Euro cars, and the styling on both of these is ripening nicely.
You’ve got to be a fan of the Radwood 1980s energy to rock a C4, they really do look like they belong in that decade. But the C5 is a little harder to place. It was pretty late for pop-ups, and the rest of the design is simple enough to be relatively timeless. You can’t go wrong with a front-engine rear-drive sports car, though. And I’m sure both models are fun to own in their own ways.
If you’re suddenly inspired to start poking around for a used one, check out our C5 Corvette Car Autance with all the info on that car you could ever want.
