WVW: This ’86 Convertible Is Now Compostable

Sleek, clean, adept–all words that might describe this ’86 C4 convertible when it first rolled off the line in 1985 and into a showroom. Nowadays, the car is little more than a bundle of fiberglass and metal awaiting the crane that will hoist it into the crusher. But the eccentric and grotesque fashion in how it is bundled is what grabbed our curiosity while we scrolled through the selections on Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA).

In many respects, the documentation on IAA doesn’t do its cars justice. A formulaic format offers little in the way of background about the car, and boils it all down to the most basic of facts: type of accident (collision), key status (missing), drive line type (rear, obviously), and so on can only barely scratch the surface.

This leaves us to ascertain on our own what we can about the Corvette. A little exploration of the pictures shows the C4 from the left rear, which must have been where it all began. We imagine another driver slammed right in there at high speed–and at night, if the open headlight is to be believed–bending the frame and severing flammable lines left and right. A rupture of outpouring gasoline and a spark caused the meltdown, which didn’t take long to make its way forward.

What remains of the interior is now a fuzzy mess of black melted plastic and splayed “hairs” from the fiberglass. In some ways, it makes us think of mold growing on the car; after all, it is 30 years old and sitting in Sacramento in the open air.

The 5.7-liter L98, good for 230 hp on a good day, is hardly the sort of motor anyone wants to use these days. Little else of the car is worthwhile, let alone salvageable, so we’re not holding our breath for an optimistic bidder to show up and do a restoration of this droptop deadbeat.

For what it’s worth, IVAS Insurance Services values the car at $7,125 when all fresh and fixed-up. But we still can’t get over the “how” behind this wreck; what do you think?