June 21, 1996 – Mike Yager helped build and take delivery of “The Last C4 Corvette”
Dateline: 6.21.17 – “First and Last” Corvettes have become a niche specialty in the Corvette hobby. Year-by-year, the “first and last” Corvette is only marginally interesting. They’re cool to own or set aside, but not nearly as unique as the “first or last” of a generation.
Mike Yager of Mid America Motorworks came up with a novel idea. While most collectors think of ” special editions” and “firsts,” Mike thought of the “last” C4 Corvette off the production line. No one had ever considered that before. When GM announced in mid-’95 that the ’96 model would be the last of the C4 Corvettes, Yager launched his plan. Mike leveraged his relationship with Chevrolet with a unique proposal. Yager’s request was to be permitted to buy the very last Corvette to roll off the production line, on the condition that the he would retain ownership of the car and display it at his “MY Garage” (Mike Yager Garage). GM liked the proposal, had nothing to lose, and a lot of publicity to gain.
Mike decided that the Last C4 should be visually unique. In honor of the first Corvette, he chose polo white as the body color. From there he added the Grand Sport rear fender flares, white ZR-1 wheels, red Grand Sport front fender hash marks, special embroidery for the seats, and special “Last C4” decals for the front fenders and the windshield. Under the hood was a (See Videos)standard LT1 engine and an automatic transmission. The overall look was clean and unique.
It took two days to build the Last C4 and Mike helped assemble the right front suspension and rear shock assemblies. Even the engine for the Last C4 was special, as it was the last Corvette engine to come from the Flint, Michigan Corvette engine assembly facility. The tag on the shipping crate read, “After 41 years – the end.” As the car left each assembly station, Yager asked each of the workers to sign the car. Signatures are all over the inside of the car. When the car was complete, all of the assembly workers gathered for a group photo. Then the car was transported to the National Corvette Museum for a party and a memorial service for Zora Arkus-Duntov. Two months later, The Last C4 won the “Chip’s Choice” award at the 1996 Carlisle Corvette Show.
The Last C4 has NEVER been driven and still has the plastic seat covers. – Scott
Stop by Mike’s site!!! http://www.mikeyager.com/
