The Chevrolet Corvette is a timeless American icon, one that’s captured hearts and imaginations for decades. The sports car is currently in its eighth generation, and its evolution of design and performance has made it an enduring symbol of automotive excellence and one of the most popular sports cars in the world.
Its impact on popular car culture is undeniable, inspiring countless custom builds that showcase the creative flair and passion of automotive gearheads on a global scale. On one side of the spectrum are the minor modifications – window tints, headlight colours and other similar subtle touches.
However, there are also over-the-top transformations, like the ones featured here, that demonstrate the endless possibilities of personalization and performance enhancement.
Classic Corvette, Modern Heart
This mean-looking Corvette was a special customer commission by the team at American Legends, a popular aftermarket builder based in Arizona. The project started out with a 1964 Corvette shell the owner purchased off eBay. The bodywork was then heavily modified by the team at American Legends. One of the more obvious changes involved the rear split-window design, one of the most iconic design elements of the classic-era Corvette (and one that was only present on the ’63 Corvette).
The car also received ZR1-style fenders, carbon fibre bumpers, a gunmetal gray finish and 3D-printed taillights. The beating heart of the modified Corvette was an LS7 engine pulled from a 2015 Corvette. It is powerful enough in stock form, but upgrades to the camshaft and other parts boosted its output to 640 hp, up from 505 hp. The dark theme of the exterior was carried over to the cabin, with black carbon fibre accents and suede upholstery completing the car’s looks.
‘Dress Up’ Corvette
This custom Corvette stands out not only for its looks but also because of its roots, which are far away from the American car community, where modified muscle is not so much of an oddity. The one-off creation based on the C4 Corvette is the brainchild of Swedish car importer Jim Björk, who, judging by his Instagram page, likes his cars low, wide, and American.
The car, originally an automatic C4, has had its stance significantly lowered. The unique front end is mostly courtesy of a grafted front bumper initially designed for a Nissan 180SX. Jim needed specially made fender flares to accommodate the 18-by-13-inch Advan SA3R wheels. An equally bespoke spoiler was added, giving the car more road presence. It is not clear if the Corvette has received some power upgrades. However, when your vehicle looks as cool as this, you are already the centre of attraction – power upgrades are just an added bonus.
Back to the Roots
Without a doubt, this is one of the most intriguing takes on any Corvette model. The ‘Nomad Conversion’ by Missouri-based Advanced Automotive Technologies attempts to recreate the look of the Corvette Nomad concept.
What AAT has done is take a base C5 and comprehensively rework the exterior into a retro-wagon body style. Check out the C1-style chrome-screen-covered headlights on either side of a wide chrome toothy grille. Then, there are the side trims, jet tails on the fenders, and the prominent tailfins. Under the hood is a 5.7-litre V8 that cranks out 350 hp, fed to the rear wheels via a 4-speed automatic transmission.
It is not known how many units were actually made by Advanced Automotive Technologies. However, the weird-looking Corvette derivatives do pop up for auction now and then.
Off-roader Extraordinaire
Chevrolet may yet build its own offroad supercar, following the likes of Lamborghini and Porsche. However, Mike Mauhdi, a Corvette owner, is not waiting around to find out. He acquired a partially disassembled C7 Corvette missing its front fenders, hood, and bumper. Next, he stripped away the doors and fashioned an external tubed skeleton that framed the car’s bodywork.
The stock wheels were swapped out in favour of Forgestart M14 three-piece wheels with Kuhmo all-terrain tires. Other touches included a custom hood and LED lights for added drama. Mike documented the entire process on his Instagram page, taking his viewers along as he realized his vision for an off-road performance machine.
Widebody C8
California-based West Coast Customs is no stranger to ambitious builds, with their projects even once earning them a feature on CNN. So the team quickly got down to work when they were approached by a C8 Corvette owner seeking to transform his Arctic White sports car into something with decidedly more road presence.
The initial request was to modify the car’s appearance by adding up-swinging doors, aftermarket Forgiato wheels and a wrap over the otherwise subtle white coat. However, the list quickly grew to include an air-ride suspension, a McLaren-style exhaust system, a window cutout for the engine bay and a full-on widebody kit.
The resulting widebody C8 is a testament to the technical expertise of the team at West Coast Customs. The aggressive widebody kit, paired with the dramatic up-swinging doors, transformed the Corvette’s sleek profile into a bold and imposing stance. One thing is certain – this customer Corvette will never get lost in a crowd anymore.
Green Mamba
The bright custom green paint on this 1968 Pro Touring Corvette is a dead giveaway as to the inspiration for its name. The bespoke Corvette was built by Autocross enthusiast Bob Bertelsen of Columbiana, Ohio. He settled on the ’68 Corvette for its short wheelbase and the potential for an impressive power-to-weight ratio. Detroit Speed Inc., an aftermarket suspension parts specialist, hooked Bob up with a custom prototype suspension setup for his Corvette.
At the same time, he settled on a set of Baer Brakes 6R disc brakes to provide serious stopping power. The Corvette’s aggressive stance was enhanced by exaggerated fender flares, massive tires, and ZL1 hood vents grafted onto the hood of the ’68 Corvette. Power was supplied courtesy of an LS7 engine, tweaked to put out a heady 650 hp at 7,500 rpm. A Bowler Performance Stage II TREMEC Magnum 6-speed transmission fed that power to the wheels. All the changes successfully transformed the Green Mamba into a formidable opponent, ready to strike down its rivals on the circuit.
Born To Drift
One of the standouts at this year’s SEMA show is the first public reveal of what is thought to be the world’s first custom C8 Corvette drift car. The car is the pet project of Matt Field, a Formula Drift ace who’s been involved in the extreme motorsport for over a decade. It’s an ambitious undertaking given that for most of Formula Drift’s history, FR (Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive) cars have typically been the only ones to rise to the top. However, Matt is convinced he can make the rear-mid-engine, rear wheel drive C8 Corvette work.
Liberty Work helped design the body kit for Matt’s C8. The aftermarket tuning specialist’s signature design is evident in the widened stance of the car, complete with muscular haunches, oversized wheel arches and a massive spoiler. However, most of the changes involved in converting the C8 into a pro drift car took place under the skin. It included installing a manual transmission in place of the stock automatic setup and a NOS nitrous system. At the heart of the car is a 462 cubic-inch LS V8 engine assembled by Gromm Racing. The exact power figures are unknown, but this mill has already shown that it can push out over a thousand horses at 9,500 rpm. Matt Field has several videos on his YouTube channel documenting the different stages of the C8 Corvette build process.
