The SEMA show may be over, but we are still rummaging through the long list of premieres, picking out highlights worth covering even after its conclusion. One such highlight is this elderly Chevy Corvette C1 packing 682 PS underneath an all-carbon body.
Dave Kindig, from Kindig-It Design, came up with the idea. The original Corvette looked rather weird even by the standards of its own era, and many found issue with its then-impractical glass-fiber bodywork. In his project, Dave addresses it with his own, custom body manufactured from carbon fiber at Doug’s Performance Corvettes.
The collaborations don’t end there, however, as Roadster Shop made the chassis, Forgeline produced the 21- and 22-inch large wheels, and Lingenfelter Performance did the engine tuning. More specifically, a new seven-liter V8 slotted in under the hood and was dialed up to 682 PS (673 hp / 502 kW) and 838 Nm (618 lb-ft) of torque. To put things into perspective, consider that the original sports car had only 152 PS (150 hp / 112 kW) to rely on.
The restoration effort culminated in two similar-looking C1 ‘Vettes exhibited by Kindig-It Design and Lingenfelter at the SEMA show last week. Watch the two short videos attached here for a closer look.