In March, the magazine expanded to 86 pages with even more color, and a new guy, D. Randy Riggs, joined the gang as feature editor. The issue features a look at Corvettes going GTP racing, and Vette collecting was seen as an alternative to stock market investing, compounding an era of high prices and garage queens. In April VETTE grew to 90 pages, and Jim Koscs bid farewell. Highlights include a '67 L88 resto racer, Chevrolet's '54 Vette/Nomad "sport wagon" show car, and the introduction of Corvette Challenge racing. By May, both associate editors were gone, and former copy editor Jeff Bauer became Assistant Editor. Six pages were given to an ultra-rare '69 ZL1 aluminum big-block coupe, and a '63 Z06 vintage racer was featured.
Major changes were brewing in July. Marty Schorr was retitled Founding Editor, Cliff Gromer remained Editor, but D. Randy Riggs moved up to Senior Editor and Peter Easton moved in as Managing Editor. The volume "cycle" was re-adjusted, so July was Vol. 12, No. 5. The first Reader Survey appeared in VETTE, but someone forgot to edit it when picking it up from sister publication High Performance Mopar. While proposing to form a VETTE Enthusiast Advisory Panel, the survey said, "manufacturers of aftermarket Mopar parts and accessories" will contact the members-oops! Other features included a shootout between a new Corvette ragtop and its archrival, the Porsche 944 Turbo, and Cliff Gromer's not-so-hard-hitting but humorous test drive of a C4 pedal car.
September gave a Silver Salute to the first mid-year, the '63 Sting Ray, and featured the SR-2 Sebring Challenger race car. GM insiders supplied the first driving reports and spy photos of the '89 ZR-1. October revolved around the new ZR-1's aluminum block, 32-valve LT5 powertrain, and in December, the old regime was gone. Cliff Gromer was replaced by D. Randy Riggs as Editor-in-Chief, Sue Elliot came on board as Managing Editor, bringing the refreshing perspective of a female enthusiast to the editorial staff for the first time since Sharon Rosinger departed in 1982. The new crew put together a piece on how to earn NCRS Top Flight certification and an article on the installation of a Carroll Supercharger kit for '85 to '89 Vettes-the first such kit on the market.
1989New Editor-in-Chief Riggs added Front Lines for mail from the readers, in Jan. '89 (Vol. 13, No. 1). Another new section was Reminiscing, a predecessor to Me & My Vette. Following the changes in 1988, three new associate editors enlisted in January. The issue included a tribute to designer Bill Mitchell, the man largely responsible for styling the '63 Corvette among many other things, who had died September 12, 1988. Don Fuller penned the intriguing saga of Dick Guldstrand's No. 9 '67 L88 racer and its near-victory at Le Mans.
VETTE went monthly as of March 1989 (Vol. 13, No. 2), which spotlighted the Callaway Sledgehammer, a legitimate 254.76-mph street car. Additionally, Don Keefe remembered the first "split-window"-the '56 Olds Golden Rocket show car, and the first complete Club Directory was printed. In April, VETTE looked at the new '89 Vette, with its new RPO FX3 Selective Ride Control and ZF six-speed, as well as delivering the first of five informative articles on numbers-matching for mid-years. May featured a restored '69 L71 ordered by the late singer Roy Orbison, and offered a retrospective on the RPO L88 package. Dave Walters, who still writes our Q&A column, had his byline appear for the first time (with Ralph Eckler) on said column in June.