Two details marked the 1985 Corvette as being different from its newly-restyled 1984 predecessor.
- The first detail was a new Tuned Port Injection nameplate on fender molding and the second was the straight tailpipes at the rear.
- That nameplate identified a new 350-cid (5.7-liter) V-8 under the hood.
- It had a tuned-port-fuel-injection (TPI) system and 230 hp.
- City fuel economy ratings went up.
- Otherwise, the only evident change was a slight strengthening in the intensity of the Red and Silver body colors.
- The Corvette's smoothly-sloped nose, adorned by nothing other than a circular emblem, held retracting halogen headlamps.
- Wide parking and signal lamps nearly filled the space between license plate and outer body edge.
- Wide horizontal side marker lenses were just ahead of the front wheels.
- The large air cleaner of 1982 was replaced by an elongated plenum chamber with eight curved aluminum runners.
- Mounted ahead of the radiator, it ducted incoming air into the plenum through a Bosch hot-wire mass-airflow sensor.
- Those tuned runners were meant to boost power at low to medium rpms, following a principle similar to that used for the tall intake stacks in racing engines.
- Electronic Spark Control (ESC) sensed knocking and adjusted timing to fit fuel octane.
- Under the chassis, the 1985 Corvette carried a reworked suspension (both standard and optional Z51) to soften the ride without losing control.
- The Z5l handling package now included 9.5-inch wheels all around, along with Delco-Bilstein gas-charged shock absorbers and a heavy-duty cooling system.
- The stabilizer bars in the Z51 package were thicker.
- Spring rates on both suspensions were reduced.
- Cast aluminum wheels held P255/50VR-16 Eagle GT tires.
- Brake master cylinders used a new large-capacity plastic booster.
- Manual gearboxes drove rear axles with 8.5-inch ring gears.
- The Corvette's instrument-cluster graphics had a bolder look and its root panels added more solar screening.
- An optional leather-trimmed sport seat arrived at midyear.
- Corvette standard equipment included
- an electronic information center
- air conditioning
- limited-slip differential
- power four-wheel disc brakes
- power steering
- cornering lamps
- a seek-and-scan AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers
- automatic power antenna.
- cigarette lighter
- digital clock
- tachometer
- intermittent windshield wipers
- halogen fog lamps
- side window defoggers.
- Corvettes had
- contour high-back cloth bucket seats
- power windows
- a trip odometer
- a theft-deterrent system with starter interrupt
- a compact spare tire
- dual electric remote-control sport mirrors
- tinted glass.
- Black belt, windshield, and body side moldings, plus color-keyed rocker panel moldings protected the bodies.
- A four-speed overdrive automatic transmission was standard, with a four-speed manual (with overdrive in three gears) available at no extra cost.
- Body colors were
- Silver Metallic
- Medium Gray Metallic
- Light Blue Metallic
- Medium Blue Metallic
- White
- Black
- Gold Metallic
- Light Bronze Metallic
- Dark Bronze Metallic
- Bright Red
- Two-tone options were
- Silver and Gray
- Light Blue and Medium Blue
- Light Bronze and Dark Bronze
- Interiors came in Carmine; Bronze; Graphite; Medium Blue; Medium Gray; and Saddle.
