If there is another way to pack more fun and audacity into a head-turning street machine, most have yet to see it. A top-shelf body-off build sporting a classic gasser-style tube front axle, and wild, custom-built headers with removable collector caps, this 1961 Corvette convertible has been given the full treatment for a mesmerizing presentation highlighted by superb bodywork and excellent fit and finish. Based on a custom frame by Nickey Chicago technical advisor John Tinberg, its two-tone silver-and-gray paint scheme is the only external element that evidences the slightest restraint. The owner of the car has swapped the eight injector stacks for the blower set-up pictured, drawing the eyes to the car’s 502 CI Chevrolet crate engine, which has been bumped to 600 dyno-proven horsepower on pump gas with a cam upgrade and electronic fuel injection with Holley computer controls. A neat extra touch: to keep things cool under the hood, the inner headlight bezels were opened up to channel extra cooling air into the engine compartment. A rebuilt Muncie M22 “Rock Crusher” 4-speed backs it up, and a new Strange Engineering 3.70:1 Positraction rear end is hung with old-school ladder bar and coilover suspension. A restored hardtop and new tinted glass cover the custom black leather interior, which features Wise Guys seats, a padded C1-style steering wheel, Hurst shifter and dash-mounted Sun tachometer. Tailored for the street but capable of blistering the quarter mile, this is the best of both worlds for classical gasser fans.
