The 427 Limited Edition option, code Q8A and Z44, was limited to 505 examples globally with 427 destined for North American customers. As a retirement gift to Wil Cooksey, the Corvette plant manager from 1993 to 2008, he chose the color scheme and hand signed and numbered the underside of the armrest console lids on all 505 examples in which this example is #6. As part of the package, the seats and the floor mats have “427” embroidery, and the center-console trim plate is color matched.
The major differences between the 1980 and 1982 Daytona and the 1981 GTO are the hood, the tops of the rear fenders, and the rear spoiler/bumper cover. The Daytona had an elaborate, short vertical fin on top of the rear fender that turned several turns “in and back,” flowing to the wide, long, table-like rear spoiler. The GTO’s rear fenders pontoons are the same as.
Within the National Corvette Museum's Skydome sits the only remaining 1983 Corvette; a car best characterized as a survivor, in every sense of the word. According to the Macmillan Dictionary, a survivor is, "someone or something that still exists after every other member of a group has died or been destroyed." This as it may, the 1983 Corvette lives up to this title.
The first Z06 was actually an option package first offered with the 1963 Corvette. The package was developed by Corvette's legendary lead engineer and racing advocate Z0ra Arkus-Duntov. The Z06 option was designed to allow consumers to bolster the 1963 "Split-Window" Corvettes performance and handling capabilities for use on the race track. Selecting regular production option (RPO) Z06 when ordering a Corvette resulted in a car equipped with some tasty options.
The 25th Anniversary Edition is a hardened up version of Callaway's Corvette SC757, which in turn is based on a C7-generation Corvette Z06. It features a supercharged V8 that pumps out 757-horsepower and 777 pound-feet of torque. The supercharger is a GenThree Callaway unit with the company's TripleCooled intercooler system. A high-flow intake system feeds that beast. Callaway's Level Two HD Cooling System also helps it avoid the overheating issues that plagued C7 Z06s.
Offered from 1987 to 1991, the RPO-B2K upgrade was available from any Chevrolet dealer and also Callaway’s first major Corvette tuning program. Together, GM and Callaway made the upgrade package a Regular Production Order (RPO) which was the first time GM had outsourced such an option to a specialist manufacturer. It even had a factory back warranty. As the C4 updated, so did Callway’s program and by 1988, the B2K was pushing 382 bhp and 562 ft. lbs. of torque.
To commemorate its quarter-century milestone, Callaway Cars collaborated with Chevrolet, arranging a production run of 25 uniquely prepared 2012 Corvette Grand Sport coupes and convertibles. General Motors supplied special parts and procedures on the Bowling Green production line to facilitate final assembly at Callaway factories. Then, the performance and identity components are installed by Callaway. The 25th Anniversary Edition produced 620 bhp and 555 lb-ft of torque.
Reeves Callaway has always had a dream of competing a Corvette of his own at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, France. The idea begin with the body work for a street version, but one thing led to another, and a full race version was completed as well. The street version is almost identical to the race version because the hood, tail, rocker panels, and lower door halves, are all made of carbon fiber, just like the race version.
The L88 was a special option package developed under the direction of Zora Arkus-Duntov, director of GM’s performance division. First introduced in 1967, the L88 Corvette featured a highly modified version of Chevy’s 427-cubic-inch V-8 engine. Although this engine received a factory horsepower rating of 435, actual engine output was somewhere between 540 and 580 horsepower, giving the “stock” L88 enough power to run a quarter-mile in the high-11-second range!
The 638-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 LS9 engine features such niceties as titanium connecting rods and intake valves, a forged steel crankshaft, and a dry-sump oil system. The suspension has magnetorheological shocks that enabled Chevrolet engineers to use softer springs than in the conventionally damped Z06. Corvette's top dog model is no joke and an accomplished sports car that puts up a good fight against the world's best.
The CERV II was entirely Zora’s car. The CERV II was conceived early in 1962 and developed over the next year, after the GS program was squashed. The car was built under Zora's direction between 1963-'64. Zora had it in mind to develop a separate line of racing Corvettes but the idea got terminated by management.
While not exactly a "collector's edition" Corvette in its own right, it nonetheless has become a uniquely identifiable and collectible Corvette from the fourth-generation era. 1988 marked the 35th anniversary for Corvette, and so it was decided that Chevrolet should commemorate the milestone by introducing an anniversary-edition model. This anniversary car was the first of its kind in a decade, given that Chevrolet opted not to manufacture a Corvette in 1983.
The 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible served double-duty as a commemorative edition model. While it marked the departure of the sixth-generation Corvette. The real selling-point was the powerplant at the heart of the car - a 427-cubic-inch (7.0L) LS7 engine, the same engine used in the C6 Corvette Z06. Rated at 505 horsepower (377kW) and 470lb.-ft of torque (637 Nm), this 427 was the most powerful engine GM had ever installed in a production Corvette convertible to date.
The Centennial Edition came finished exclusively in a Carbon Flash Metallic finish with satin-black graphics. Special badging graphics signifying Chevrolet’s racing history, including an image of Louis Chevrolet on the B-pillars, were added as accents to the cars finish. The wheels were also finished in satin black. All models also received red brake calipers. The exterior color scheme of the Centennial Edition Corvette is reinforced inside the car.
In 1989 Callaway introduced a Speedster which was the culmination of their styling, engineering and trimming talents. Their first example was a bright green ZR1, which had a severely chopped windscreen, no side mirrors, eighteen inch wheels and a vibrant blue leather interior stitched purposefully from Germany. Nothing about Callaway’s Speedster was reserved, and this is especially true when investigating the specification. The car had 450 horsepower.
Timeless Kustoms Breathes New Life into a Classic 1954 Corvette When introduced in 1953, the original Corvette was celebrated by...
For the 2012 Grand-Am season, Chevrolet was the first to unveil it's new DPG3 bodywork. This Corvette body kit will be built by Pratt & Miller and will be sold to customer teams. These body kits will fit on any existing Coyote, Riley, or Dallara chassis. This Corvette DP will be powered by a 5.0L V8 making 530BHP @ 7,000rpms and 450ft-lbs at 5,500rpms.
The Callaway C7 was a completely new, purpose-built car designed to embody the company’s motto: “Powerfully Engineered Automobiles”, carrying on the visual tradition of design by Paul Deutschman and offered in a limited production series. The C7 was the first complete, bespoke Callaway Automobile. This sportscar was equipped with a carbon chassis, front mid engine/rear transaxle design, 650 horsepower SuperNatural engine.
The Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Concept is painted in a very cool Carlisle Blue exterior with exquisite Pearl White full-length racing stripes. This color combination is highlighted with Silver-painted Torque 2 wheels. The Corvette also benefited from carbon fiber front splitter and rockers, a full-width rear spoiler, and a Grand Sport style hood blanket. For the interior, Chevrolet has opted for Ebony/Titanium leather with blue stitching, a new Bose Premium Audio with nine speakers.
Not too dissimilar from this fourth generation Greenwood Corvette was this G5R. Again it was a performance resin bodykit that usually came along with a host of performance upgrades. Included was a front splitter, high rise hood, rear tunnel, rear wing, and windshield fairing. Greenwood has always been the leader in high performance aerodynamics and we are proud to offer the finest and most effective designs for your C5 Corvette.
The ZR-1 returned with the 1990 Corvette lineup after an eighteen year hiatus. This time, it featured a special LT5 engine that had been developed by Lotus (which, at the time, had been a subsidiary of General Motors.) The LT5 engine featured an all-aluminum block, four overhead camshafts, and 32 valves. It also featured an air management system which enabled the car to maintain proper operation while closing off half of its fuel injection system.
1978 was significant because it marked the cars 25th anniversary of production. Recognizing the achievement of manufacturing a car for a quarter-century, Chevrolet commemorated this accomplishment by introducing two special-edition Corvette that year. The first of these was known as the "Silver Anniversary" edition Corvette. It featured a two-tone silver over gray exterior with special pin-striping and special "25th Anniversary" badging.
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.
The Callaway C16 was Callaway’s 16th major automotive project. It was a limited production, bespoke automobile, built to order, by what the Press called “the best specialist engineers in the business”. These cars are seriously fast, beautiful, and exclusive. The C16 was a direct competitor for the Porsche GT3, the Lamborghini Murcielago, the Ferrari 599 GTB. It was both faster and more capable than its competitors, at less cost.
The Story of the Elusive Scaglietti Corvettes Created With the Help of Carroll Shelby History is a curious thing, we...
For the fourth generation Corvette, legendary Corvette racer John Greenwood developed the G4R. It was essentially a radical bodykit that usually followed a high level of performance upgrades. Included was a ground effects package that had integrated lights on the front valance. Furthermore the a new engine scoop and rear wing were fitted.
The “CERV-1” (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle) was developed as a research tool for that company’s continuous investigations into automotive ride and handling phenomena under the most realistic conditions. The car was built at the Chevrolet Engineering Center at Warren, Michigan in a special project headed by Mr. Zora Arkus-Duntov, Chevrolet Staff Engineer.
Designed mid-1956 for Harlet Earl’s son Jerry, the SR-2 was put into racing duty in 1957. The car debuted at Daytona Beach in 1957 with a high-speed canopy, fender skirts and bullet-shaped frond headlights. Driven by Betty Skelton and Buck Baker, the car won the modified class with an average speed of 93.074 mph. The SR-2 also finished second in class for the flying mile with a top speed of 152.886 mph.
When one of his cars was severely damaged in 1972, John Greenwood converted his 1969 L88 Convertible into a formidable race car. Included as the formidable ZL1 engine with 750 bhp on tap. Other modifications included a rear spoiler, quick replacement radiator and camber adjusters. At Le Mans, this car set the GT-class record for top speed down the Le Mans straight with 215 mph.
The Ron Fellows ALMS GT1 Champion Edition Corvette was introduced as part of the 2007 Corvette line-up. To commemorate Mr. Fellows long and successful career with the Corvette Racing program, Chevrolet introduced the Ron Fellows Championship Edition Z06 Corvette as part of their 2007 model line-up. It was released as a commemorative model to celebrate one of GM's winning-est drivers, but did little to impress enthusiasts or collectors when first introduced.