Was The World's Fastest Street Car for Almost 20 Years
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- In this episode we take a deep dive into the history of the Reeves Callaway and the Callaway Top Gun and Callaway Sledgehammer Projects.
music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
This video mentions: Top Speed Record, Corvette, Porsche, Ferrari, ZR1, Corvette ZR1, C4 Corvette, C4, Callaway Twin Turbo, Callaway B2K, Callaway Corvette, Chevrolet, GM, Worlds Fastest Car, 930 Turbo, Porsche 911, Corvette ZR1, ZR1 Corvette, Alfa Romeo, BMW.
R.I.P Callaway 😢🕊️🕊️🕊️
seems like yesterday, growing up in the amazing 80's and being a big car guy, seeing Lingenfelter and Reeves partner up on the Callaway Sledgehammer. I remember it so well. I just saw a picture of him from back then, so many memories. I cant believe he passed and he was 75. wow.
@@redtesta my father had a callaway car. I was born in 85' and can't remember what car it was but my dad did talk about every now and then. I hope your'e doing well and driving something fun. 😀
@@redtestaqqww😂😂
I am a German and I was a car mechanic at the time. For us Germans, American cars were just LOL. No power, no brakes, no steering. Back then, a Camaro IROC-Z was competing in the German touring car championship and it was dead last. Then the Callaway Corvette came to Germany, not the sledgehammer but a 400-500hp version (still insane at the time) and one of the big German car magazines took it to the Hockenheim Ring. It directly blew the track record for road legal cars. That was the point when I stopped laughing about US cars.
*brakes
yes, but the 255 is still slower than the German Autobahn Record from 1938 which was about 268 mph.
@@epultimastWhat car exactly set that record?
American cars are a shit ton cooler tho and I am from Germany too. Own a '88 Firebird. No German car will ever get as much attention as old american cars do
German LOL
As someone who’s actually been to Callaway to install Solidworks CAD modeling back in ‘98. The Sledgehammer was iconic and top speed king for nearly 20 years, you muppets. Reeves and his team were class acts. Fantastic documentary, well done. 👏
Who you calling Muppet’s you Fraggle!
As someone who’s actually been to Calloway to install a faucet back in ‘92. This place was a dump. Reeves and his team were very not nice to me….that man is lying.
SOLIDWORKS...I love that app. (Why the hell does Autocorrect capitalize the whole word?)
God bless you 🙏❤️
The fact you mentioned solidworks makes me believe you.
Managed to get my hands on that software as a kid in 2003.
Growing up I had two posters in my room. Ferrari f40. And the sledgehammer
I have a scale model of the Sledgehammer, including the blue interior 😅
i had a poster of pam anderson, you dorks.
@@krusher74😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣👍🏿🤚🏿.
@krusher74
We had girls in high school that looked like Pam Anderson.
As did I. Still have them. Huge F40 poster and magenta Callaway C4. Ferrari still looks and sounds better 😀
I went over to see Reeves and drive the Sledgehammer in Old Lyme, CT for some British and European car magazines in the autumn of 1989. Engine control electronics were fairly rudimentary in those days and it was a grunting beast on the road that felt happiest on full throttle. It also still had test instruments and cables hanging off the interior. The speed record of 254.76mph took place at the TRRL in Ohio, the only test area in the US with a long enough 'runway'.
Reeves gave me my first big break into professional motorsports when I was hired in (at 21yrs old) to work on the Aston Martin Group C engine program. I will never forget Reeves and just how down to earth and cool he was. So many projects we worked on while I was there. I was able to work on the engine rebuild for the Sledgehammer with two of my roommates that also worked at Callaway. I will never forget riding shotgun in Das Hammer on a run up I-95 @ 185mph. It happened so fast that it was terrifying. We had just completed a complete redo on the car removing test equipment and refining the installation and creature comforts. We actually installed an adjustable regulator for adjustable boost in the center console. Flash forward, I spoke with Reeves about a year before he passed after he visited the GM Performance and Racing Center in Pontiac, Mi. I currently work on the Cadillac LMDh Engine Program and largely owe my motorsports career to him. He was a true Gentleman and visionary. GOD SPEED, Reeves! I look forward to seeing you again one day! Your friend, Brent Pierce
See where the veyron lacked the top speed apparently the callaway lacked the refinement HOWEVER being a anologue driver i don't mind less buttons more feel and im happy a car should not always be packed away behind electronics and equipment. And im saying this as a Veyron fan.
The Cadillac program is making a huge statement, congratulations on your accomplishment, you have lived the dream sir!
For the era, just the fact that stock Corvettes could achieve 160 plus mph was impressive in and of itself.
c4's were ugly but they had a bloody good drag co-efficient.
@@Mrx1080beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I happen to find the later c4 vettes with the updated front end to be good looking cars
@@Full_Otto_Bismarcksame. Grew up idolising that design.
in of itself
Corvette Callaway Turbo Sledgehammer
cd 0.260
area sq/m 1.791
area sq/ft 19.28, but use 19.4, 267 mph Max speed , 825.34 aero drag+34.65 tire and weight drag= 859.99 HP req'd at sea level. You wouldn't go to a 256 mph average party on an Ohio proving ground with less than 900 net flywheel hp.
"I know what I'm doing" Reeves C, RIP.
I've actually SEEN the Sledgehammer, which still blows my mind. I just didnt realize what it was at the time because i was just a kid lol. Then ten years later reading the original C&D article about it...that was incredible.
When you consider 1) the primitive state of engine management in the 1980's, 2) how badly all the manufacturers were struggling to deal with emissions regs and 3) the tiny operation Callaway was at the rime, the Callaway Corvette was a pretty big accomplishment.
The Sledgehammer was on another level altogether. Consider that it was the year 200 before Gil de Ferran set the closed course oval record of 241.428 mph in an Indy Car!
RIP Reeves Callaway...
When they pulled the vhs tape out 🙌🏿😂😂😂😂😂 I damn near died lol ain’t seen one of dem in forever
I completely agree that was absolutely a epic moment!! Just truly epic , brings back and lots of memories and I still do have an old VHS player with family vhs tapes one day I'm going to hook it up and watch those old time family moments it will be all so epic
It took a Veyron more than 20 years later to beat it and for so much more money. Only 20 lbs. of boost. That is nothing today. What an accomplishment.
Exactly. The original version of the Veyron was never actually the world's fastest production car - it topped out at 253 M.P.H. The super sport version was what finally went faster than the Sledgehammer in 2009.
Don't forget the astonishing 1.5+ billion dollars in R&D costs incurred by VW that lead to the Veyron's creation! Ferdinand Piech had his ego dented to such an extent by the *Peugeot WM P88* LeMans racer (that funnily enough achieved a top speed of 252mph/405 kph using a TT V6) that he gave the team at VW the ultimatum of building a faster car regardless of what the cost to the company was. And that lead to the Veyron 16.4 reaching a top speed of 253mph/407kph! 😂
@@m.cigledy6769the problem is that only 1 Sledgehammer was set up to go at that speed, Which doesn't make it a production car by many list's standards. The Veyron is a production car. The Sledgehammer does make it into the street car lists since it is an emissions complaint road legal vehicle. Those are two different lists.
I've been saying this for years. An old chevy 350 at modern boost levels will run with anything built today. I've gotten 27mpg on the highway, and regularly get 25 in my 96 C4. Last road trip, my 3.5 v6 infiniti got 22mpg.
@@DJAizakku I think they may have put together 2 of them, but I may be wrong. It was technically OFFERED, but it wasn't really advertised or even known about. That and the price tag was enough to keep it from real production.
What an impressive video! A real story with meaningful historical significance, obvious attention to detail along with top notch production. Fantastic job!
Thank you very much!
This honestly one of the coolest ways to introduce a car without saying anything
Some next level production on these videos, great work and keep it up !!
Great Instructional Documentary, as a C4 Coupe Corvette Owner, I appreciate the History.
I love how rich Corvette car history is. So many stories and a really great community!
Twin turbo small blocks are peak
Thorough documentary. Well done.
Sledgehammer was a beast.. complete beast. THe beast of the motor credit need to go to john lingenfelter. That was the guy always winning the Car & Driver open modified car challenges. He was a beast and his cars were the fastest. He was the main not only consulting on the engine, he is the one that drove the callaway to that top speed record. The only cars in 1985 touching the corvette "all around" from acceleration and handling was the porsche 911 turbo, the TR, the under rated HP of the grand national. The 911 was boosted and starting cost was around $85k. The vette's competitor was the 944 turbo. Actually the C4's dominated the racing scene so much, they were kicked out of the Escort Series. They were 29-0 vs the turbo 944. They then created the all corvette "challenge series". The C4 Vettes were dominant in the 80's and into the 90's for sure. (fyi my stock 85 vette ran 13.90's in the quarter roughly and 0-60 around 5.3 documented (carlsbad and LB terminal island) With 3.73 gears , exhaust and a traco chip it ran 13.2's . She weighed 3180 lbs on the scales sans the targa top and quarter tank of gas. (side note: The ultimate ssc ran a corvette motor :) ) Rest in peace Mr. Callaway AND John Lingenfelter.
@@redtesta absolutely awesome input and great info. I love seeing comments like this that expand even further into history
I'm curious how your stock 85 vette was running half a second faster 0 to 60 and more than half a second faster in the quarter than every other one on the planet?
…and using a SBC, I’m surprised there’s not haters in the comments. After all it is the engine with more wins in all history.
Ill send some hate, from Florida, since no one else is.
Every dirt track to every drag strip in America chevy power domination. Anytime people want to put down chevy i tell them go to ur local dirt track ask the racers what powers there cars. It always about 99% GM lol!!
I grew up in a little upstate NY town fonda- Fultonville home of the fonda speedway one of the oldest dirt tracks in American still racing today. Been dominated by GM power since the beginning still is today.
Read ur comment just reminded me of myself someone that actually knows something haha
So true. SBC architecture has been tossed aside for the LS. You can barely give one away. Yet I’ve never seen an LS run 255 mph.
@@walkthnyt2000Hennessey Venom, and the mentioned SSC Ultimate Aero
@@walkthnyt2000 twin turbo LS engines are capable of power in the 4 digits on pump gas. Just because nobody was crazy enough to produce them doesn't mean the ls isn't more capable than the sbc.
Great little documentary on Mr. Callaway. Absolutely awesome.
Without seeing a second of this video, my thoughts: Sledgehammer Corvette
Callaway Sledgehammer? Haven’t seen the reveal yet!
Awesome. I loved reading about the Sledgehammer in Car & Driver, Motortrend and Road & Track. Either the deep dives or crazy comparison tests.
There was an article about it in Hot Rod Magazine in the late 1980s
Forgot all about Callaway Corvettes, thank you so much for bringing back this legendary outfit to my memory. Great documentary!!
The Sledgehammer was the first thing that came to my mind !!! Whooohooo 😁
Your videos are just incredible, well done 👍
This car was an absolute legend that even most so called "car guys" might not have heard of. While most have heard of a Callaway Corvette the Sledgehammer was the Godfather of speed. A true testament to American engineering. Thank you for making such a comprehensive (and compact) documentary about an American legend, Reeves Callaway.
I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days with Reeves, and his teem at a racetrack . Such a great man. My condolences to his family.
Now Callaway needs to make a speedtail version of the _new_ ZR1 Corvette and make 1500 hsprs and try to break 290
Yes but a C4 corvette...
This is a great idea! Even with the same drivetrain, they'd be able to get a crazy top speed with a low drag setup. A speed tail would look great too.
_OKAY ... I'm 12mins 10secs in and I have to be brutally honest about this vid, so here goes..._
_I am subbed to just about every automotive driven channel and This is impeccably done! I'm serious... the only thing that disappoints me about is it that I only have 9mins and 49secs left! Honestly I'm proud to be one of the early(ish) enthusiast to stumble across SpecM. Please Keep It Up and I Thank You._
✅LIKED
✅SUBBED
C4 will always be the best performance per dollar you can get while also being one of if not the most unsung platforms for innovation of any generation of corvette. Just a mad car
Wow 30min response email.... Class act.
I met and spoke to Reeves for quite a while at Corvettes @ Carlisle years ago. He was so great! He took the time to discuss suspension design and what he felt was one of the best upgrades for the C5 Vette - the seats. Great documentary. I knew a lot about his cars and saw the Sledgehammer in person at Carlisle as well. Way ahead of their time.
I remember reading about the Sledgehammer when I was a teenager. I couldn't believe that car went that fast. Awesome video. Thx for the trip down memory lane.
Amazing documentary, so much hidden history that's waiting to be uncovered. Congrats for such a great vid, and kudos.
Way before its time. They were one of the first ppl to really figure out turbochargering
Using the Need For Speed II menu music in the very beginning! Nice touch! 🔥🔥
TT Ford GTs have held the standing mile world record since 2011 and the current king is M2K MOTORSPORTS @ 300.4 mph in the mile. No "hypercar" is close.
The GT is one of my fav cars of all time. Those TT builds are phenomenal.
You are confusing tuner racecars with production cars that has 5,000 more requirements to meet for road legality both in all 48-homeland states and internationally.
Might as well give that record to Tasca with 341 in the 1000 ft.
Edit: The Calloway Sledgehammer did pass actual road legal and production requirements (not as strict as today but back then)
@@barath4545only 510 over 5 years and that is considered production?
@@barath4545 The Ford GT IS a production car , capable of 200+ mph right off the showroom floor. The mk2 Texas mile gt is the fastest street legal car in the world . Oh and Tasca was clocked at 339.1 mph at Bradenton Fl this spring. There that should clear up any confusion you might have had , your welcome.
@@tylerking27 Bugatti made 270 Veyrons in 6 years and 500 Chirons in over 7 years.
If 510 cars in 5 years isn’t “production” because of numbers, then the Veyron and Chiron aren’t production either.
The fact that tires could take that torque and speed in 1988 is an accomplishment as well.
I had a corvette game on my old macintosh, you could select different versions of the c4 corvette including a standard, ZR1, twin turbo, and the sledgehammer. Lots of fun jumping it over Lombard St in San Francisco in the sledgehammer at full speed😂 you could also turn down gravity and really fly.
Great video! I remember reading the article about the Sledgehammer setting the top speed record when I was in school.
I used to work at an off-shoot of United Cutlery in Sevierville TN. My boss, David, was a Vette nut! The scariest one I rode in was a 95’, I think. I’m not sure which package from Callaway it had added to it, but it was based on a Grand Sport “skunk” Z15, I think. His son, Jake, took me out in it one day. From exit 407 (Sevierville) to exit 402 (Midway Rd), we got to over 200 mph, and used ~ 1/8th of a tank of gas doing it. I don’t know what scared me more, the thought of a tire blowing out, or the fact that I was riding with a ~ 20 year old rich kid and I was unsure of his experience behind the wheel! But, he did fine, and the car was rock solid.
I’ve owned a 74’ Z28 with a decently built 396, a 150 shot, and a rock crusher 4 spd ( that was actually my first car in 1988…thanks Dad! ), to a last of the runs 08’ Trailblazer SS with the 400hp/400ftlbs 6 liter. Mine was the 2 wheel drive version, 1SS package, with that awesome limited black granite metallic paint, it had that twin turbo kit on it that had the turbos out back (I forget now who made it), HP tuners tune, it had the best GM brakes I’ve ever felt, and I’ve owned only GM products for myself my whole life (minus one 93’ Escort GT, in the limited Iris package, okay call it pink I don’t care I was 21 and single and the girls LOVED it, but that was my stereo competition car, so cut me a break and hey it was a pretty quick little car). That SUV was mean, I never got beat on the street with those crazy enough to try it. After I wanted to do more to it I knew I needed to sale it or end up dead. Anyway, I’ve known some speed in my life. Hell, I’ve rode in a friend’s Bullet bass boat that we hit 118 mph in it! But I’m here to tell you, that Vette was hands down the most amazing experience with speed I’ve ever had!
This was a great video. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!
a really outstanding video, lots of stuff I had no idea about. Keep up the good work!
Much appreciated!
Awesome times back n the day. I still miss the Saturday morning cartoons. Cool content
Amazing story thank you.
Rest in peace mr Callaway 🙏
Love me some Callaway but it's a modified production car. 😎🏁
I remember hearing about Callaway turbo kits back then but didn't know about the Sledge Hammer project....Awesome achievement👍
I remember that C&D article. Loved it. This was one of the cars I loved in the 80’s. Funny that Ligenfelter who worked with Reeves also had a top dog Corvette. I had that issue too. It went up Against other tuners and won. Took on a particularly hairy Gen 2 Viper, which was my favorite car in the 90’s.
I miss those days.
Honorable mention is the King Snake, which sadly was totaled. 777hp NA Viper which was nasty at the time.
I would have loved to see what Reeves Callaway and John Ligenfelter could have done with today’s tech. Too bad both legends are gone.
I used to live by this shop in Oakland that had a 1983 Callaway 944.
My biggest regret was selling my 88 Callaway C4. Wish I had it back.
I can still remember that time and Car well. Callaway R.I.P ❤. 😮
Excellent trip down memory lane for me. As a college student in 1988 I deeply enjoyed rubbing it in the faces of the German students that a road legal Corvette was faster than anything built in Europe.
Im glad i watched this video doc. I remember getting these issues of C&D, R&T etc. back them in Middle School. The 288 GTO is still my Favorite. For the longest I thought Callaway and Lingerfilter was battling each other on whos better.
Before the vhs tap went in on the intro I knew it was gonna be the Callaway Corvette. I was a little kid in the early 90s. My uncle was pretty wealthy and he had bought one of these cars just to race in. He had no mechanical experience whatsoever, giving it to my dad because he’s a mechanic. He taught me everything I remember as a kid sitting behind the steering wheel when I was little kid my imagination going wild fueled my ambition for racing it throughout my life. By the time I was seven years old my dad wrecked the car he had gotten drunk, ran off the road and ran that car into a huge ditch 😢
What a waste
It would've been legendary to see what Callaway could do with the C8 platform.
Sorry I know this is about the Callaway cars and I have loved their cars but it's so cool that Reeves actually raced in formula Vee which was made so anyone could get into racing all you needed was a VW beetle to strip down and use for the race car. I wish things were still like that so it was easy to get into racing for not a lot of money.
Glad someone gave the 88 Callaway Sledgehammer a mention that corvette had a 5.7 twin turbo with a 5spd manual Top speed 255 and with some tuning much faster. I would love see the Bugatti veyron go up against the Sledgehammer and see how that would come out.
Dude, killer video content. Thanks for highlighting this legend.
MY FIRST JOB WAS AT A CORVETTE SHOP AT 14 YRS OLD WORKING DURING THE SUMMERS AND BREAKS FROM SCHOOL. WORKED THERE FOR 4 YEARS AND SAW ALL SORTS OF COOL CARS. WE HAD 2 CALLAWAYS COME THROUGH. A SILVER TWIN TURBO AND A LIGHT BLUISH COLORED ONE THAT WAS FULLY BUILT. I DETAILED THE CARS AND HELPED IN THE PAINT BOOTH BUT ALSO DO SIMPLE, MEDIAL TASKS. FIRST EVER RADIATOR SWAP IVE EVER DONE WAS ON A BUICK T TYPE. ALSO GOT TO DRIVE SEVERAL OF THESE CARS. JUST A QUICK DRIVE AROUND THE SHOP FROM FRONT TO BACK SO NEVER ANYTHING FAST. DROVE A RT 10 VIPER THERE TOO. ILL NEVER FORGET CALLAWAY
AND WISH THEY CONTINUED ON LIKE HENNESSEY DID.
Thank you for this video.
I have read these story only in one magazine.
The 1988 dezember
Hot Hot magazine.
The lingenfelter callaway sledgehammer was one of the
Hot Hod of the Year
cars !!
Need For Speed 2 intro music is on point!
Just got educated thank you very much. The commentary and dialogue was first class.
Before I watched this video, I had a feeling he was going to be talking about the callaway. I remember reading about it in a corvette book in a library way back then. The specs on this thing was bananas so i dismissed it as theoretical or cap
I remember when the Sledgehammer first dropped. It ate a twin turbo Testarossa, with, I think, 220 less BHP.
Excellent summary of the history of this iconic one off.
The C4 with Callaway bodywork is one of the best looking cars ever made.
Great video! What a legend. May he rest in speed!!!
In the 80’s this is rear wheel horsepower. It’s measured at the crank today and sold to us differently. These cars are nuts.
You'd think that engineers would have figured out how to reinforce the bottom end of an engine much sooner. Using a ladder shaped brace for the bottom main bearings. Instead they were just adding more bolts 🔩 going from 2 to 4 bolt bearing caps.
Incredible car
Awesome documentary video! Many thanks! I'm not sure if you were adapting a "Kung Fury" theme to this video, but that's the feeling took away from it. Shows my age I guess. And yes R.I.P Reeves Callaway, you will never be forgotten!
This is amazing quality, can't wait to see what comes next! :D
I didn't know he passed. I last saw him on Jay Leno's garage talking about the Sledgehammer. RIP Mr. Callaway.. you made your mark and earned a good rest. His, nearly identical son, now runs the company who is more capable than his dad because he grew up in the shop.
This was excellent. I remember reading those magazines when I was a kid. The white Corvette also pulled 1 g on the skid pad which was crazy for the 80’s. Thanks for the memories!
A Callaway was the "Turbo Vette" Sir Mix a Lot was talking about in Baby got Back.
Thank you!
If you put proper aero on an Aerobody, you would have an absolutely insane racecar.
A true legendary car from my youth.
Several years ago I saw and heard one of those monsters in my area , you could feel the ground half mile away shake , the rumble of the engine nasty - we referred it to be the mustang eater . 80s- 2000s . Haven’t heard anything since the two sightings then .
Rest in Perfect peace Reeves Callaway 🙏🙏🙏❤ thank you for the cars, the power the speed and the ❤
Amazing work on this video! I have known about this shortly after it took place, being a Corvette fan all my life.
There are plenty of scooters that get the job done with nothing other than a final drive ratio for anyone who truly believes in small displacement engines. And that's before adding turbos. Every mechanic needs a best friend
Nice job on the documentary 👏
I respect Callaway so much
I remember that I had a car magazine 1988 where was a test with the Sledgehammer ❣️😃
It blowes my mind as I see the topspeed from 408 km/h ❕🤩
Never seen a car before what hits the 400 km/h barrier.
Many years later the Veyron has 412 km/h topspeed.
Whats l'm wondering...where Callaway get tires 1988 which can use to over 400 km/h ❔
I remember that the tires was the problem, why the Veyron needs I think 8 years longer to developed❕🤔
Love from Berlin 🇩🇪
Ramsi 🙋🏻♂️
No independent test to verify like all other cars. I also wonder what tyres they had.......
@@dingrey Yeah ❕😅
Maybe they had a Special tire for Highspeed runs... Prototyp or so ❔❕🤷🏻♂️
Excellent question! It’s reported a prototype Good Year tire was used. The rumor is that a Good Year engineering team met Callaway at TRC and supplied a prototype/obscure tire. After the run was done they immediately removed the tires, packed up their equipment and left. The way I see it, this was a rare chance for Good Year to test a street tire at the highest speeds imaginable for free and collect data.
@@SpecMDriven Ah okay... thanks ❕ 😃
Interesting 👍🏼
One of my favorite cars of all time
That nfs 2 menu theme was a nice touch to this video.
OK we can all stroke Callaway for the Sledgehammer C4. But it was John Lingenfelter (LPE) that built the custom engines for it! He also set that speed record in it on a high bank race course. 👍
I have an L98 in my 89 IROC-Z, yessiree...!!
I had a black '89 iroc z. Worst traction of any car I've ever owned, tires broke loose every time I turned from a stop sign 😂. But it was fun in a straight line
A 350 cubic inch turbocharged engine that only makes 345hp? That’s actually quite an accomplishment! That’s considering how it’s actually hard to build a naturally aspirated 350 CI small block that makes less then 350 HP.
They were still figuring out how to meet emissions standards while making power.
I want a Callaway ZR-1 Supernatural so bad.
Absolutely superb presentation !
I thought I already knew most if not outright everything about the legendary and indeed groundbreaking Corvette Sledgehammer, but this phenomenal and quite captivating documentary style clip still taught me some more about it.
Very well done !
May Mister Reeves Callaway and John Lingenfelter rest in peace and may they be blessed,
their legacies certainly live on, two absolute American pioneers of high performance automotive engineering and icons of speed.
🇺🇸🫡🙏🏼
Background music in the intro from NFS 👍
Great documentary, great car. Shame that we live in EV wannabe cars times.
Need for speed 2
@@chicomaxima1 yup NFS ll SE 👍
Fitting since the Sledgehammer was in the first NFS.
😮that's way out...wasn't expecting the Corvette though the older ZR1?featured in(sorry,grand sport)... Well, in the game handled better than a cobra but the tye Mercedes egg ever!
I'm still watching this and wondering xr8turbo?
Technically jumped by leaps in the next 20 years .
Oh my god, didnt know we lost Callaway... truly a loss to the car world... 😢
Why does nobody remember "Conan", the Corvette? Early 90's they put a V~12 in a Corvette. They had to move the firewall back several inches. I remember they got at least 212mph out of it.
The Calloway corvette was a beast. The Bugatti eb110 was the fastest til a year later The f1 was the worlds fastest stock car then the ccx to the veyron hitting 253 mph and all that was done with 1001 hp
Cool to learn it was inspired on the Alfetta GTV with twin turbo Busso
There were a few legendary Vettes of the day, Lingenfelter, ZR1 etc), but the Twin Turbo Callaway was the undisputed king!!
Excellent video! My only critique is your pronunciation of "chassis" -- the S on the end is silent, my guy :)
Even though the Callaway cars were technically 'Corvettes' on their VIN and not proprietary cars manufactured by Calloway, I recall they could be ordered through Chevrolet dealers as a car blessed by Chevrolet. So they were officially recognized. I don't know how good the Corvette's warranty was at that time, but I believe they were covered under warranty as well. So, once offered from Chevrolet, they were production cars and not regarded as tuner cars like the original Top Gun was as well as most of the other cars at that Gathering of Eagles challenge (I recall eagerly reading that article) other than the AMG Hammer and the Ferrari Testarosa. In a way, they were like AMG was to Mercedes but rather before Mercedes bought AMG in 1999 when they turned it into their in-house performance lab. Prior to being under Mercedes, I believe they had always had Mercedes' blessing and people could order their AMG from their Mercedes dealer. Like the Hammer for the C/D article.
Great car, fantastic documentary mate. Top stuff 💪🏻
You mean highly modified production car. New records get set for those at racetracks every day.
Nicely done video! Appreciate it much. 👍🏼
What an awesome video!!! Thx for posting