The Corvette was starting to struggle at 210 miles per hour. To the staff at Ohio’s Transport Research Centre, as they watched the silver Chevrolet continually whip around the site’s 7.5-mile oval test track, that already seemed mighty impressive. But the team from Callaway, a specialist high-performance engineering firm, weren’t happy: it should go faster. Which, to the casual spectators on that day in 1988, seemed ridiculous. The fabled Ferrari F40 could only just nudge over 201mph, after all, and even the likes of the Ruf CTR were all said and done by 211mph.
And even though the Chevrolet sported a slick body kit, it didn’t appear wildly removed from the road-going car that had been introduced to the public in March 1983. It still had a full interior, with electrically adjustable leather seats, climate control, a Bose stereo, and electric windows. It also had power steering, it wasn’t overly loud, and it didn’t appear harsh or tricky to drive. And, despite its modified and high-speed nature, it was very much a road-going car, having been driven 700 miles to the track. It’d even averaged 19mpg. Presumably, the team was joking about it going faster.
But although seemingly docile, in some respects at least, serious potential lurked beneath its streamlined exterior. While its engine still displaced 5.7 litres, and still had just two valves per cylinder and a single camshaft, it was crammed with more tricks than the World Magic Festival. The real showstopper, however, was its pair of TO4B turbochargers. The boost they provided allowed the Chevrolet V8 to make north of 1000bhp but, when equipped with a cam that permitted a good idle and drivability, and dialled in with 22 psi of boost, it notched up a still-staggering 880bhp and 772lb ft of torque.
