The Callaway
Corvette Sledgehammer was a project by tuner
Reeves Callaway to build a corvette that would demonstrate his
skill and ability in building high performance cars. The car started out as a stock 1988
Chevrolet Corvette, light grey in
color. First, a body kit was installed to increase the
aerodynamic efficiency of the car to help it achieve a higher top speed and provide for more
stable handling at 200+ mph. The internals of the
engine were built up, a dry sump oil system with
coolers was installed, and of course,
massive brakes went on. Next, the twin turbos went on at
22 PSI with custom built headers and exhaust. The tires used were
Goodyear ZR40 Gatorbacks, however were custom made with a different
rubber compound and
shaved to prevent heat buildup.
When completed, the car put out 898 HP. The car was to be tested on an oval track for a top speed run, with some anticipation. It topped out at 254.76 mph. For some perspective, this is a higher top speed than any street legal exotic you can buy to date, and the sledgehammer was built 12 years ago.
What really makes it impressive is that the car was driven to the track from Connecticut to Ohio, partially through the rain, never trailered. It also featured a full interior with leather seats, power windows and door locks, air conditioning, and full stereo. It also included all stock sound deadening, providing for a rather quiet ride for a car of this class (louder than stock of course). Callaway thought he could produce and sell these cars for $400,000 however none beyond the prototype were every produced.