Vehicle Description
Beautifully built pro-touring Corvette roadster. 327 cubic inch V8
with fuel injection and twin turbos, 5-speed manual, 4-wheel disc
brakes, power steering, and much more. Gorgeous paint and bodywork.
Insanely fast yet remarkably civilized.This Corvette seems to have
spent its entire life going fast. We don't know what was living
under the hood when it was new (a 327 of some sort, of course), but
over the years it has been steadily upgraded in the interest of
going fast. Sometime in the '70s it received an upgraded rear end,
which suggests serious blasting powder was on tap, and just a few
years ago it was given a full makeover to take it to the next
level. Obviously Corvettes don't rust, but this one has never been
hit or damaged so the substrate is straight and didn't need a lot
of massaging to look as good as it does. The doors fit well enough
to close with just gentle pressure and both the hood and deck lid
sit flush with the bodywork. The paint is a gorgeous metallic
burgundy that really glows out in the sun and it looks right on the
Corvette's traditional bodywork. No graphics, no modifications, no
shaved emblems, just a traditional Corvette look with a wicked
stance. You'll also note it carries high-quality chrome bumpers,
fresh emblems, and those unique side gills are in excellent shape.
Few cars attract attention in our showroom like this beautiful
solid-axle 'Vette.The interior was restored to mostly factory spec,
and that's a good thing. Everything inside is brand new, including
the seat covers, door panels, and carpets, and the reproduction
pieces are the good stuff-just check out the details on the door
panels. Factory gauges were rebuilt and connected to the twin turbo
mill, along with an Auto Meter tach neatly integrated into the
original deash. They're all visible through the spokes of a
slightly smaller diameter steering wheel that mimics the original
design. There's also an upgraded AM/FM/cassette stereo head unit
that looks right in the vintage Corvette, and it's joined by the
original clock and an Auto Meter boost gauge in the center, giving
passengers a hint of what's to come. The shifter pokes through the
floor and you'll note that there are five gears available rather
than the usual four, and the Tremec unit underneath shifts
beautifully. Seat belts were added (good idea!) and there are
monogrammed floor mats to dress things up a big. There's storage
space behind the seats because this is one of those Corvettes that
was ordered without a soft top, but there is a color-matched and
restored hard top included with the car. The trunk is also finished
to stock specs, although the battery was tucked away back here to
make room for the turbos up front. Nice!OK, let's get to the
hardware. The engine is a stout 327 cubic inch V8 with Holley
electronic fuel injection and twin intercooled turbos, all built by
noted racer Jeff Lutz of 'Street Outlaws.' The hardware just works,
because it starts quickly and easily, idles well, and drives
extremely well. The turbos stay out of the way until you really
lean on it, but then you can really hear them coming. You get half
a heartbeat to sort out your affairs and then all 500+ horsepower
show up ready to fight and the Corvette lunges forward on a
towering wave of boost. But the nice thing is that if you stay out
of the boost, it's content to idle in traffic and just cruise
around town, and the turbos keep things nice and quiet so it's
quite pleasant on the highway. There's also a giant aluminum
radiator with electric fan, lots of chrome and aluminum dress-up,
and a custom intake to keep it all under the stock hood. Boost is
set at a modest 8 PSI so it's pump gas friendly. The exhaust system
feeds both turbos and then dumps into downpipes with wastegates and
finally a pair of stainless mufflers. The aforementioned Tremec
5-speed has the right ratios and a tall overdrive, so it's relaxed
at speed and we believe there are 3.23 gears in the rear end, which
really make the most of the boosted motor's torque curve. There's a
big disc brake at all four corners-a good idea given how fast this
thing accelerates-and steering is by power rack-and-pinion. 18-inch
Boyd Coddington wheels give it the perfect stance and carry
225/40/18 front and 245/45/18 rear Goodyear radials.Beautifully
built with top-notch hardware, this Corvette takes a slightly
different path to performance. Complete with all the upgrades, it's
a fantastic driver that brings the heat when needed but remains
easy to live with in the real world. That's the beauty of the
resto-mod, so take a look and then give us a call!Harwood Motors
always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections
of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.