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The early C4's had their problems, what with the 1984 Cross-Fire Injection and its unusual 4+3 manual transmission. By the late 1980's, the fourth-generation Corvette had evolved into a more desirable automobile, thanks in part to the arrival of the ZR-1. 
The 2018 Corvette Z06 is arguably one of the best Corvette platforms available on the market today.  While not as powerful as the 2019 Corvette ZR1, the Z06 platform propelled the seventh-generation Corvette from sports-car to super-car territory. The C7 Z06 platform was co-developed with the C7.R race car. It is no surprise then that the car, which handles much like its race car counterpart, should come from that same pedigree.
Did you know that the earliest ZR1 Corvettes came into existence long before any of these later iterations?  If not, then take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with one the rarest small-block production Corvettes of all time - the 1970-1972 Corvette ZR1. From 1970 to 1972, Chevrolet offered the ZR1 Special Engine Package, which featured a small-block LT1 engine.
In 1969, Chevrolet changed the perception of Corvette forever by introducing the ultra-powerful ZL-1 Corvette with a 427 CI engine producing 585 horsepower! The 1969 ZL-1 Corvette came equipped with an entirely new big-block engine option that produced more horsepower than any Corvette that had come before it. Any Corvette, when ordered with RPO ZL1, came fitted with an all-aluminum 427 C.I. engine that featured a dry-sump oil system and which weight approximately 100 pounds less.