jonstr
Well-known member
Not really, but since it HAS been pretty quiet around here, I thought I would share an article I wrote for our last NCRS Arizona Chapter newsletter. I'm the editor, and I was just preparing our next newsletter when I saw this article again.
Several of my NCRS brethren have asked me about the car since I bought it, so I thought I would share some info on it with them. The knowledge of Callaways in the NCRS is growing, but many members just are not familiar with them a all. There isn't really any new info for the folks here, but hey - it's activity on the forum, right?
Interestingly, after this article appeared, I got an email from a member who bought a car from Corvette Mike in 1991, and he remembers looking at the Speedster in Mike's showroom at the time. Small world...
And now for something completely different…
I recently sold my 1969 Corvette. I thoroughly enjoyed the car, taking it through Flight Judging, a Performance Verification, and ultimately a Duntov Award. But how do you follow that up?
Well, I figured I couldn’t. Or rather, maybe I shouldn’t try, for now at least. Those of you who have done it already or are pursuing a Duntov Award know that it can be rather draining – lots of fun and very educational to be sure, but lots of work. As a result I decided to try something completely different. What I ended up with isn’t exactly NCRS material, but I’m finding it to be a very interesting car, so I thought I would share some information on it, partly because I get many question about it, partly in the hope that others learn something interesting about these unique cars, and partly because I find that I have some space to fill in this newsletter. J
Several of you know that I was looking for a Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette after selling my ’69. From 1987 through 1991, Chevrolet offered a B2K option that could be ordered for any Corvette. Checking the B2K box on the order form resulted in your car being built, removed from the assembly line, and shipped to Callaway Cars in Old Lyme, CT. to be outfitted with a specially designed and constructed twin turbo engine. The introduction of this engine sparked significant interest in 1987, when it represented a tremendous power increase over the stock Corvette. However, with the introduction of the ZR1 in 1990, with similar performance and a similar price tag interest in the Twin Turbo began to wane. With the announcement of the LT1 engine for 1992, which would have required a complete re-design of the turbo system, it was decided to discontinue the option. In total, slightly over 500 B2K Twin Turbos were built.
The NCRS does recognize the B2K Twin Turbo cars as “factory” options. However, for me, the catch was that I wanted an Aerobody car, which is not recognized by the NCRS. The Aerobody, introduced to the world on the Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette in 1988 (which set a production car speed record of 254.76 MPH that same year) the Aerobody option was a special body kit that was ordered directly through Callaway Cars, not through GM, therefore it does not carry an RPO code.
But, I have always been an Aerobody fan and, having spent a few years on the Duntov process on my ’69, I thought that maybe a break was called for.
My search for a Callaway nearly ended with a very nice, low mileage 1991Aerobody convertible, one of the last produced (signified by special ‘Callaway 500’ engine badges). Unfortunately, I hesitated, and the car was sold the day before I called to make an offer. In my subsequent discussions with the dealer, we began to talk about another unique Callaway Corvette, the Speedster.
While the Aerobody changed several of the body panels on a stock Corvette, the Speedster changed everything – from body panels to the glass to the interior – into a sleek open-top roadster designed by Paul Deutschman. Speedster production was to be limited to 50 cars, and it was introduced to great fanfare in 1991 at the LA Auto Show. Each Speedster was custom designed by the buyer and Reeves Callaway, with the two of them meeting to decide on exterior color, interior color and materials, carpet colors and styles, and engine/brake/suspension options.
But all this special attention added up to a very expensive Corvette, and despite the excellent engineering, rave reviews, and exclusive nature of the car, only 10 Speedsters were built before the B2K run ended at the close of 1991. As a result of this abbreviated run and the individualized nature of each car, no two Speedsters are alike.
It so happened that the owner of one of these Speedsters had approached the dealer I was talking to a few months prior proposing a trade for something else. That deal didn’t go through, but if I was interested, he would call the owner and see if he was interested in selling. I had loved the Speedster ever since seeing the ‘Old Lyme Green’ prototype in 1991, so he didn’t have to ask twice. The call was made, a deal was struck, and now the Speedster sits in my garage.
This particular Speedster was ordered by Corvette Mike Vietro after he saw the prototype car at the LA Auto Show. Corvette Mike was the West Coast Callaway distributor at the time, and he absolutely had to have one of these cars in his showroom. He committed to the purchase at the show, and contacted Reeves shortly after his return to formally order the car. As a result, this car was the first ‘production’ Speedster to be built. Interestingly, Callaway allowed the early buyers to select their number in the series. Mr. Vietro, either being a James Bond fan or just liking the sound of the number, requested ‘007’, which is the official number of this car in the series.
I am the third proud owner of this unique car, and because it has spent most of its life in private collections, it has just 800 miles on the odometer.
Well, that’s a little bit about the car, and how I came to acquire it (oh, and there is a photo of it in the lower left corner of page 10). As I mentioned, it isn’t exactly NCRS material, but hopefully you all will let me continue to hang around anyway.
Several of my NCRS brethren have asked me about the car since I bought it, so I thought I would share some info on it with them. The knowledge of Callaways in the NCRS is growing, but many members just are not familiar with them a all. There isn't really any new info for the folks here, but hey - it's activity on the forum, right?
Interestingly, after this article appeared, I got an email from a member who bought a car from Corvette Mike in 1991, and he remembers looking at the Speedster in Mike's showroom at the time. Small world...
And now for something completely different…
I recently sold my 1969 Corvette. I thoroughly enjoyed the car, taking it through Flight Judging, a Performance Verification, and ultimately a Duntov Award. But how do you follow that up?
Well, I figured I couldn’t. Or rather, maybe I shouldn’t try, for now at least. Those of you who have done it already or are pursuing a Duntov Award know that it can be rather draining – lots of fun and very educational to be sure, but lots of work. As a result I decided to try something completely different. What I ended up with isn’t exactly NCRS material, but I’m finding it to be a very interesting car, so I thought I would share some information on it, partly because I get many question about it, partly in the hope that others learn something interesting about these unique cars, and partly because I find that I have some space to fill in this newsletter. J
Several of you know that I was looking for a Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette after selling my ’69. From 1987 through 1991, Chevrolet offered a B2K option that could be ordered for any Corvette. Checking the B2K box on the order form resulted in your car being built, removed from the assembly line, and shipped to Callaway Cars in Old Lyme, CT. to be outfitted with a specially designed and constructed twin turbo engine. The introduction of this engine sparked significant interest in 1987, when it represented a tremendous power increase over the stock Corvette. However, with the introduction of the ZR1 in 1990, with similar performance and a similar price tag interest in the Twin Turbo began to wane. With the announcement of the LT1 engine for 1992, which would have required a complete re-design of the turbo system, it was decided to discontinue the option. In total, slightly over 500 B2K Twin Turbos were built.
The NCRS does recognize the B2K Twin Turbo cars as “factory” options. However, for me, the catch was that I wanted an Aerobody car, which is not recognized by the NCRS. The Aerobody, introduced to the world on the Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette in 1988 (which set a production car speed record of 254.76 MPH that same year) the Aerobody option was a special body kit that was ordered directly through Callaway Cars, not through GM, therefore it does not carry an RPO code.
But, I have always been an Aerobody fan and, having spent a few years on the Duntov process on my ’69, I thought that maybe a break was called for.
My search for a Callaway nearly ended with a very nice, low mileage 1991Aerobody convertible, one of the last produced (signified by special ‘Callaway 500’ engine badges). Unfortunately, I hesitated, and the car was sold the day before I called to make an offer. In my subsequent discussions with the dealer, we began to talk about another unique Callaway Corvette, the Speedster.
While the Aerobody changed several of the body panels on a stock Corvette, the Speedster changed everything – from body panels to the glass to the interior – into a sleek open-top roadster designed by Paul Deutschman. Speedster production was to be limited to 50 cars, and it was introduced to great fanfare in 1991 at the LA Auto Show. Each Speedster was custom designed by the buyer and Reeves Callaway, with the two of them meeting to decide on exterior color, interior color and materials, carpet colors and styles, and engine/brake/suspension options.
But all this special attention added up to a very expensive Corvette, and despite the excellent engineering, rave reviews, and exclusive nature of the car, only 10 Speedsters were built before the B2K run ended at the close of 1991. As a result of this abbreviated run and the individualized nature of each car, no two Speedsters are alike.
It so happened that the owner of one of these Speedsters had approached the dealer I was talking to a few months prior proposing a trade for something else. That deal didn’t go through, but if I was interested, he would call the owner and see if he was interested in selling. I had loved the Speedster ever since seeing the ‘Old Lyme Green’ prototype in 1991, so he didn’t have to ask twice. The call was made, a deal was struck, and now the Speedster sits in my garage.
This particular Speedster was ordered by Corvette Mike Vietro after he saw the prototype car at the LA Auto Show. Corvette Mike was the West Coast Callaway distributor at the time, and he absolutely had to have one of these cars in his showroom. He committed to the purchase at the show, and contacted Reeves shortly after his return to formally order the car. As a result, this car was the first ‘production’ Speedster to be built. Interestingly, Callaway allowed the early buyers to select their number in the series. Mr. Vietro, either being a James Bond fan or just liking the sound of the number, requested ‘007’, which is the official number of this car in the series.
I am the third proud owner of this unique car, and because it has spent most of its life in private collections, it has just 800 miles on the odometer.
Well, that’s a little bit about the car, and how I came to acquire it (oh, and there is a photo of it in the lower left corner of page 10). As I mentioned, it isn’t exactly NCRS material, but hopefully you all will let me continue to hang around anyway.
