Chevrolet celebrated the Corvette's 35th anniversary with a special edition, a white coupe with a black top. 2050 of this limited edition were built and sold.
Otherwise, the 1988 Chevrolet Corvette remained similar to those of the prior few years, and featured the last 4+3 transmission, which would be replaced with a 6-speed manual in 1989.
The base engine was a 5.7-liter, 350-ci V8 rated at 240 horsepower. The Callaway twin turbo option could up this to about 380 horsepower. And lets not forget about the 1988 Chevrolet Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette.Engine Type: Twin-Turbo V8, Displacement: 5733 cc, Horsepower: 880 bhp @ 6250 rpm, Torque: 772 lb-ft. Performance
0-60 mph: 3.9 sec (about the amount of time it takes most of us to just unlock our car door). 0-100 mph: 9.4 sec (thats faster than many cars can get to 60mph). Quarter Mile: 10.6 sec @ 127 mph, Skidpad: .98g , Top Speed: 254.76 mph (those are Nascar speeds my friends). Braking, 60-0 mph: 122 ft, Slalom Speed: 65.6 mph. There is only one of these Calloway Sledgehammer Corvette cars at the moment that I know of. Callaway at the time of building this one said they could/would make another or others for 400,000. US dollars. The top speed of 254.76 MPH was attained by John Lingenfelter as the driver, and apparently was not an official documented recorded speed. Although the production was only limited to one, I am sure that if more people who bought much more expensive vehicles would have weighed the overall package, they may have bought one of these. After all it still is a small block Chevy, okay a 880 H.P. one at that...lol. Lets not forget that this car is 17 years old too.
This was not a factory option, but for the money you could add this Callaway package.
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Yes, the horsepower may sound low at 250, but the torque is good at 340 and the gearing is set up to take advantage of that torque. The light weight of 3,100 pounds gives it a respectable power to weight ratio. I prefer this C4 body style to the C3 and C5 generations and you can't beat the price on these under rated beasts.Aug 01, 2013
by Andrew H
Aug 03, 2011
performance- 1-60 mph in 4.2 seconds.
Build Quality- One head change period since I got it.
Appearance- White body color, white interior. Great condition. Leather seating.
Cost of Ownership- 17 mpg. synthetic oil only, and premium gas only.
Fun Factor- I would say this is probably the best car I've owned. I used it for
racing the strips, and I also used it as an every day driving vehicle. Custom
LS1. NOS. Hooker headers, magnaflow exhaust. Custom 88 Lingenfelter vette.
Beautiful car. Aug 03, 2011
by Tavis S
May 13, 2010
An absolutely stellar car. It looks great, performs spectacularly while still delivering a comfortable ride, gets great gas mileage(would you believe 31 mpg on the highway?!), is dead reliable, the body will never rust, and is entirely over-engineered. An American icon.May 13, 2010
User rating:
by Curtis R
Aug 01, 2013
Yes, the horsepower may sound low at 250, but the torque is good at 340 and the gearing is set up to take advantage of that torque. The light weight of 3,100 pounds gives it a respectable power to weight ratio. I prefer this C4 body style to the C3 and C5 generations and you can't beat the price on these under rated beasts.Aug 01, 2013
by Andrew H
Aug 03, 2011
performance- 1-60 mph in 4.2 seconds.
Build Quality- One head change period since I got it.
Appearance- White body color, white interior. Great condition. Leather seating.
Cost of Ownership- 17 mpg. synthetic oil only, and premium gas only.
Fun Factor- I would say this is probably the best car I've owned. I used it for
racing the strips, and I also used it as an every day driving vehicle. Custom
LS1. NOS. Hooker headers, magnaflow exhaust. Custom 88 Lingenfelter vette.
Beautiful car. Aug 03, 2011
by Tavis S
May 13, 2010
An absolutely stellar car. It looks great, performs spectacularly while still delivering a comfortable ride, gets great gas mileage(would you believe 31 mpg on the highway?!), is dead reliable, the body will never rust, and is entirely over-engineered. An American icon.May 13, 2010
by Kim F
Sep 23, 2009
fast,good looking,dependable,fast,fun
pretty good mpg--if you keep your foot out of it
tire smoke if you don't!
almost all original,89,000 mi
one of 320 built like this,champagne grey/grey leather,1st yr for aluminum heads,roller rockers,and Bosch anti-lock brakes
fastSep 23, 2009
by Marc M
Nov 28, 2008
My particular car is an 88 convertible with a 92-96 body kit. It has the 250 HP L98 engine which doesnt have as much power as the LT1, but has proven to be very reliable and trouble free even at 93,000 miles. I have driven this car from the middle of Germany to the South of France and back with no problems, so I rate the car very highly. It also attracts attention when its top is down which pleasantly surprised me.Nov 28, 2008
by Anonymous
May 23, 2008
I was 40 when I got my first vette - 79 T-top then an 84 coupe and finally the 88 convertible which also has the hard top for winter or bad weather. Though I like the wheel fenders better on the 79 - the 88 handles the best, seats are more confortable and still a joy to drive. May 23, 2008
by Ben S
Mar 25, 2008
I was looking at this car primarily for a project car, however was just too rough to really
consider. The interior was shot and the paint was chipped off most of the exterior and the
convertible top was trashed, however these were the things I was planning on working on,
however, even the instrument cluster was about out, about 10 of the LEDs that made up
the bar graph portion of the speedometer were out, as well as two of the ones in the
numerical display. The automatic transmission though was what really made me decide
not to purchase this car. If you really punched it off the line, the car pulled and shifted
really well, but once you backed off a bit, the transmission left a bit to be desired as it
would never really seem to be in the gear you wished it would be. Also, since it was a C4
Vette, its body shape was about the least attractive of all the Vettes (in my opinion at
least.) At least it appeared that the engine would be easy to work on, as the hood was
huge are revealed everything from the left tire to the right. All in all it would have made
for a fun project but I am glad that I saved my money for something else instead.Mar 25, 2008
by Anonymous
Nov 11, 2007
Outstanding looker right from the factory. Any external modifications would ruin the look. Performance is lacking in the quarter mile but as a daily driver around town and on the interstate very comfortable and powerful. Excellent gas mileage (20-27 mpg)Nov 11, 2007
by Anonymous
Sep 14, 2007
The electronic dash cluster is a little on the annoying side . My gas gauge does only works when it feels like it, and my LCD's are sunburnt , but they cost a ton to repair . Sep 14, 2007
by Anonymous
Jan 02, 2007
Love it. Not for every day ride. week end warriorJan 02, 2007
by Anonymous
Dec 20, 2006
Since I was young and saw my first Corvette, I was in love with it. Now that I'm 52 and had the chance to latch onto an 88, I'm not dissappointed. I've driven Corvettes before at different times but today was the day I drove one as an owner. Needless to say, my thrill could not be contained. Although a bit cold natured, I imagine some minor adjustments and maintenance will bring this Vette up to snuff.
I couldn't ask for perfection since it's a used car, but for all that it is currently: it's a creampuff.
For it's engine size and technology, it's incredibly fuel efficient.
It's my time now.Dec 20, 2006
My 1988 Corvette Coupe's Driver's headlight goes down and up like normal EXCEPT for when I turn the headlights off the motor sounds to be staying on for 5 seconds and then stops... It's like a clicking sound.. Any ideas on how to fix this? Like I said above, the motor works still and does what it's supposed to do except for it keeps running or clicking for the 5 seconds. Need help! Thanks.
Engine starts runs good, after 30 seconds it dies. Let it set 20 seconds starts and goes through it again. Fuel pressure is 40 psi, it has a new ignition module, a new TPS set at .54 volts. There are no codes.
I have a 1988 c4 corvette coupe with a 1975 v8 5.7 350 and need to know Cana water temp sensor and oil pressure sensor be installed on engine and go to my digital cluster
i have the opportunity to purchase a mint condition 2 owner 1988 chevy corvette with 42,000 original miles..car is showroom condition in and out.....however,i don't want to have to spend money on repairs and as we all know vettes are not cheap to repair.i realize that it's over 20 years old and regardless of how the seller describes the car there is no getting away from the fact that i will be makeing repairs at some point.......just putting 4 new basic tires on the corvette will be close to $1,000.00 for 4 new tires........