Vehicle Description
Who, you might ask, is Malcolm Konner and why does he have a
special-edition Corvette? This 1986 Chevrolet Corvette might be the
rarest factory-built special edition of all, commemorating the late
Malcolm Konner, who sold more new Corvettes than any other dealer
in the world. Only 50 of these cars were built, with a mere 20 of
them carrying a manual gearbox. Fully documented, this is a very
rare treat for C4 enthusiasts.
The two-tone paint combination was unique to the Konner cars, a
handsome Silver Beige and black combination that makes the 'Vette
look even longer and lower than it already is. That's original
paint on this car and it's in remarkable shape given that it's now
30 years old. Showing just 40,407 original miles, it's obviously
been maintained and treated as a special car since it was new, and
the paperwork trail that follows it bears this out. Aside from the
unique paint, it also carries unique "Malcolm Konner Commemorative
Edition" badges, but the rest is pure C4 Corvette. Obviously, they
couldn't tool up anything more significant for such a short run,
but the mere fact that this car even exists is a testament to the
man Malcolm Konner was. Even GM realized they needed to salute him
for his work. The three owners who have kept this car so well over
the years also understood its importance, and now you can own a
machine that will likely get Corvette guys buzzing no matter where
you go.
All Konner Commemorative cars got Graphite leather interiors, and
that's a beautiful choice with the subdued exterior colors. Aside
from some minor wear on the driver's seat in the usual locations,
it remains in outstanding condition, packing all of the C4's
technological wonders into the package. The seats articulate in
every way possible, all the power features were standard, and the
digital dash is still a wonder to behold today. Remarkably,
everything works, including the built-in radar detector, another
testament to the quality of care this car has received. There's a
small brass plaque on the dash that indicates this is a special
edition car, but beyond that, it's completely stock which isn't a
bad thing at all. The Doug Nash 4+3 shifter takes some
familiarization, but that's easy and the car still feels muscular
even by today's standards. The more you look, the cooler this car
gets.
Horsepower comes from the familiar L98 350 cubic inch V8, which was
legendary for torque production and durability. Paired with the
manual gearbox, it's downright exciting to drive, and driving is
what it was designed to do. In grand fashion, once most of the 50
cars were sold, the Konner family rented a jet, flew all 50
customers to the Bowling Green factory for delivery, and then drove
back to New Jersey together in a massive caravan. Imagine the fun
of hammering along in your new Corvette along with 49 other
enthusiasts! The engine in this car remains totally stock, so it
runs properly and pulls like a freight train, and with proper care,
it should last another few decades with little more than gas and
oil. The transmission shifts well and the C4's suspension is as
competent now as it was back in the day. The car has not seen nasty
weather, so there are no issues underneath and aside from a set of
replacement mufflers, it appears that even the exhaust system is
original. Standard Corvette aluminum wheels are in great shape and
wear 255/50/16 performance radials all around.
Heavily documented with a duplicate build sheet and window sticker,
this is a neat footnote in Corvette history and an opportunity to
own a Corvette with a genuine pedigree for a very reasonable price.
Call today!