'Vette Cadets

Commercial Break: Gulf Oil, 1968 (US)

Callaway 'Sledgehammer' Corvette - An Explosive C4

Peter Gabriel once sang 'let me be your sledgehammer, this will be my testimony'. Well, Reeves Callaway built this sledgehammer which has become his testimony; a 252mph testimony to how fast a 4th-generation Corvette can be pushed. The genesis of the Sledgehammer Corvette can be traced to another Callaway project, the 'Top Gun' Corvette that achieved a maximum speed of 231mph in a Car & Driver test, but Callaway felt that the Corvette was capable of more; not only in the way of a higher top speed, but also to improve day-to-day usability. That means air-con and a full stereo system. Oh, and the trifling matter of 898 bhp and 772lb/ft of torque, 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds and the 1/4 Mile in 10.6 seconds. It comes up for sale at auction in January. Just don't use it to crack nuts.
Full story here; its a cracking read.

- Amazosan

'Glass Blower

Bonneville Speed Week, Bonneville Salt Flats, 1962

Mexican Road Race hot shoe and Bill Stroppe employee Verne Houle did a little moonlighting at Bonneville in 1962 when he accepted the driving chores for Brian Chuchua's Class A GT Corvette powered by a 316ci Chevy V8. Try as he might, Verne couldn't touch the car's own 171.746 mph record set back in 1960. Note the bonnet is slightly raised in the rear to let trapped air out and dig individual stacks that made plenty of noise.