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The Chevrolet Corvette is an American icon with over a million constructed over many years of manufacturing, based on Autoweek.
In that point, we’ve seen idea automobiles, customized builds, and potential creations constructed from this available chassis, leaving us with tons of lore and interesting info alongside the automobile’s historical past.
A few of these spin-offs will be perceived as ingenious, whereas others could also be thought-about borderline sacrilegious to tried and true Corvette purists. Whether or not you like your automobiles as they arrive from the manufacturing facility, specialty builds by one-off creators, or enjoyable ideas primarily based on a sports activities automobile we love, these are some funky Corvette spin-offs price mentioning.
What Made the Record
With numerous Corvette spin-offs all through historical past, from customized builds to coach-built designs and manufacturing facility idea automobiles, narrowing down this listing was no simple process. With dozens, if not tons of, of distinctive Corvette variants to select from, it might take pages upon pages to cowl all of them.
Our choice options a mixture of manufacturing facility prototypes that paved the way in which for Corvettes alongside its manufacturing lifetime, quirky customs, and full redesigns meant for one-off manufacturing. Every Corvette tells an necessary story within the historical past of considered one of America’s most iconic sports activities automobiles.
1963 Corvette Rondine Idea
The 1963 Corvette Rondine was an idea automobile developed with Pininfarina, and it appears like a mixture between a C2 Corvette and an Italian unique automobile — as a result of that’s exactly what it’s. In distinction to the Vette’s fiberglass physique, the Rondine was comprised of metal and had mounted headlights quite than the pop-ups. In contrast to a number of the different spin-offs on this listing, the Rondine maintained the gorgeous Corvette physique proportions, simply with extra of a European twist.
The Rondine maintained the identical V8 engine with the matching four-speed handbook transmission you’d discover within the C2 Corvette, which had 360 horsepower (hp). It’s close to inconceivable to place a value on a low-production idea automobile like this, however in case you had been curious, it offered for $1.76 million at Barrett-Jackson in 2008.
1973 XP-882 Aerovette Mid-Engine Corvette Idea
Lots of the spin-offs on this listing had been developed by outdoors events, non-public design homes, or unbiased builders. Nevertheless, the 1970 XP-882 Aerovette was a mid-engine idea automobile designed not solely by GM but in addition by Zora Arkus-Duntov, the father of the Corvette itself. The gull-wing doorways and wedge form nonetheless maintained some Corvette styling (when you squint, you’ll be able to see it for certain), however there was one thing attention-grabbing hiding beneath the hood — or quite, the rear bonnet, because the British name it.
You’ll see V8s on this listing all day; in spite of everything, that’s what the Corvette is thought for. Nevertheless, the Aerovette had a Wankel rotary engine, which was a extra fashionable possibility in Mazda’s sports activities automobiles than in any American automobiles. There are various the reason why the Aerovette by no means made it to manufacturing, however we’re curious how it might have completed available on the market with such drastic designs and an out-of-the-box engine selection.
1988 Callaway Corvette “Sledgehammer”
If collector Corvettes, you’ll acknowledge the identify Callaway as a pace store recognized for efficiency and constructing some fairly cool automobiles. One in all these is a Corvette that grew to become the world’s quickest street-legal automobile in 1988, as reported by IMSA, with a high pace of 254.76 mph.
The truth that the Sledgehammer was nonetheless road authorized made it much more particular because it wasn’t only a high-powered bullet of a race automobile. To achieve speeds like that, the engine was boosted by two turbochargers and pumped out 898 horsepower, the aerodynamics had been up to date to cut back drag, and the suspension was upgraded to outlive the added pressure.
1954 Corvette Nomad
You will have learn the headline “1954 Corvette Nomad” and surprise if we’ve made a typo, however bona fide Corvette followers know concerning the Corvette Nomad. Positive, Chevrolet produced the Corvette, they usually additionally made the Nomad, a very completely different but nonetheless wonderful mannequin. The 1954 Corvette Nomad was an try to mix one of the best of each worlds.
With the entrance finish of a Corvette and the rear finish of a Nomad, the Corvette Nomad was an idea automobile launched on the Normal Motors Motorama in New York in 1954. Supposedly, 5 of those automobiles had been formally produced by GM, however based on Corvettes.nl, solely three are recognized to exist.
1986 Corvette Indy
There have been a handful of mid-engine Corvette idea automobiles over time, and MotorTrend says the 1986 Corvette Indy is a fairly cool addition to that listing. Behind the motive force and passenger sits a twin-turbo V8 engine with all-wheel drive, and the automobile obtained its identify from the IndyCar racing know-how that offered its cutting-edge efficiency.
The supercar-like construct is in contrast to the Corvette we all know and love at the moment, with unique automobile proportions, an extended entrance wedge entrance finish, and a few fairly cool vertical doorways like a Lamborghini.
1990 Bertone Corvette Nivola
Primarily based on a ZR-1, the 1990 Bertone Corvette Nivola is one other mid-engine idea — this time with a contact of Italian aptitude. The wedge design made the automobile look very completely different from a standard Corvette, that includes a shortened entrance finish, an elongated rear finish to compensate for the change in engine location, and a extra unique, smooth, huge physique.
In line with Hagerty, there are some disagreements over the ability of the 1990 Bertone Corvette Nivola. Some publications report that the automobile made 375 hp from the Lotus-built engine discovered within the ZR-1, whereas others declare it made as much as 650 hp with pressured induction.
2004 – 2009 Cadillac XLR
Nearly each possibility on this listing thus far has been idea automobiles, one-off builds, or low-production Corvettes, however the Cadillac XLR was a full manufacturing mannequin you’ll be able to see on the highway at the moment — though they’re nonetheless fairly uncommon, as XLR.internet says fewer than 20,000 had been produced over a 5-year run. The XLR was constructed on the identical light-weight aluminum construction and rear-wheel drive format of the C6 Corvette, however with boxier, extra Cadillac-like physique strains.
Changing the small-block V8 engine, the XLR is powered by a 320-horsepower Northstar V8 mated to a 5-speed automated transmission with no choices for a handbook. Mixing Cadillac luxurious right into a 2-door sports activities automobile primarily based on the Corvette didn’t result in many gross sales, inflicting it to grow to be one other sports activities automobile that couldn’t keep in manufacturing.
1990 Corvette CERV III
One other idea automobile? Signal us up.
The 1990 Corvette CERV III was, you’ll by no means imagine this, one other mid-engine idea. CERV stands for Corvette Engineering Analysis Automobile, based on MotorTrend. It was an all-wheel drive platform powered by a 5.7-liter LT5 V8 engine producing 650 hp and 655 lb-ft of torque.
Whereas Corvettes on the time had fiberglass our bodies, the CERV III featured a Kevlar and carbon fiber composite construction. This mix, together with superior know-how and energy, propelled the automobile from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and reached a high pace of 225 mph.
1959 Corvette Scaglietti
Because the identify suggests, the 1959 Corvette Scaglietti appeared extra Italian than one thing from Detroit, drawing many design cues from Ferrari on the time, for which the design home Scaglietti was primarily recognized. Solely a handful had been ever meant for manufacturing, primarily based on the C1 physique with a 4.6-liter V8 engine wrapped in a hand-formed aluminum physique.
This Corvette spin-off could also be lesser recognized, however it was made in collaboration with some of the iconic American automobile designers, Carroll Shelby, and based on the Petersen Museum (the place you’ll be able to see one on show within the Vault), we might have the failure of this automobile to thank for the Shelby Cobra.
1972 Corvette XP-895
As you’ll be able to guess from the identify and the beforehand listed XP-882, the Corvette XP-895 was one other experimental design constructed by Chevrolet. Also called the Reynolds Aluminum Corvette, this was one more mid-engine idea, this time with an aluminum physique — although, based on GM, a metal physique was additionally produced.
The aluminum physique was meant to cut back the automobile’s weight, making it 38.9 % lighter than the metal variant. It was powered by a 400 CID small block V8 engine. In fact, these hand-built spin-offs by no means went into manufacturing, however it was one other stepping stone in Chevy’s transfer in the direction of a mid-engined ‘Vette.
1965 Corvette Mako Shark II
it now, the 1965 Corvette Mako Shark II would possibly seem like an ordinary Corvette, but when it had been, it wouldn’t be on this listing. The lengthy, pointed nostril and sharply tapered tail made the automobile fairly actually seem like a Mako Shark (therefore the identify), and we are able to see these styling cues within the precise manufacturing mannequin — the C3-generation Corvette.
Whereas toned down for last manufacturing, the Mako Shark II lives on in some ways, together with the 427ci V8 engine that collectors and automobile lovers adore.
Extra Corvette Spin-Offs Than We Can Record
This listing is simply a place to begin of the entire Corvette spin-offs there have been all through time, and the American sports activities automobile isn’t slowing down in recognition. Whereas we couldn’t spotlight each Corvette-based venture, we hope you loved a few of these standouts and iconic selections all through the many years.
From idea automobiles to radical one-offs, these spin-offs show the Corvette is greater than only a automobile; it’s a platform for limitless prospects.
