Five Beautiful Restomod Corvettes Done Right

When you’re talking about cars, there are some models that are never too far from the mind. The pioneering Pony Car that is the Ford Mustang. The luxury of a classic Cadillac Eldorado. And, of course, the beautiful speedster that is the Chevrolet Corvette. We’ve talked a lot about the Corvette, both past and present, but in this article, we’re going to take a look at its role in the art of restomodding. What’s possible when talented builders turn their hands to the Corvette? Let’s take a look at five of the best Corvette restomods from all across the spectrum. Think we missed something? Let us know on our Facebook page!

A C1 Corvette With A Lot Of Secrets

Let’s start with the original. Built to emulate the European roadsters popular with GIs returning from Europe, the first generation Corvette was a compact little two-seater that emphasized the joy of driving. To some, restomodding a C1 is probably tantamount to blasphemy, but I’m not one of those people. Once it’s your car, do what you like with it. Luckily, what Howard Chapman wanted to do to his was smart, not gaudy. He took this 1958 model to Heartland Customs in Purcell, Oklahoma, and they worked some magic.

The C1 sits on a new custom chassis made from laser-cut welded steel, and includes C6-style spindles for disc brakes. The original engine was swapped for a largely unmodified 6.2 liter LS3, which is cooled with an aluminum radiator. The LS3 is hooked up to a five-speed Tremec TKO 600. The new rear end is a Ford nine-incher by Strange Engineering. Inside, the car has retained its classic looks, and the car is finished in Cascade Green. A beautiful little car that has been updated tastefully, while retaining its vintage looks.

A Stingray With Italian Styling

This is an interesting mix of styles. The C2 Corvette, AKA the Stingray, is, for my money, the most beautiful Corvette ever made. Its sweeping lines and delicate chrome accents were paired with a powerful set of engines, creating a car that is the definition of unforgettable. Then you have ARES. ARES Design is a coachbuilding company headquartered in the Italian city of Modena, famed home of Lamborghini and Maserati. When they work on the C2, they take the already-European style of the car and make it, well, a work of art. In some alternate universe, Ferruccio Lamborghini created the C2 Corvette, and it probably looks a little like this.

The car was stripped down, with each of its carbonfiber panels being repaired and resprayed in black and the original chassis replaced with one from a 2017 C7. Inside, there’s gorgeous burgundy leather bedecking the seats and surfaces. New LED headlights, A/C, and an Alpine 500W sound system have been installed. Don’t think that what’s under the hood has been left alone, though. There’s now a 6.2 liter LS3 providing power, to be precise, 525 horsepower. Around 3500 hours of work went into this Corvette, and every single one was worth it. A modern classic that blends American design with Italian style, this is one of my favorite C2s.

A C3 Corvette With Smart Upgrades

The C3 Corvettes have been badmouthed a lot over the years, Including by myself, I should add. While I appreciate the early models’ good looks, the ones from later in its 14 year run are not for me. Bad reputations are a funny thing though. While they can kill a car’s sales, they do have some upsides. Most importantly, it makes them cheap to buy later on, and that lets you make some killer restomods. This C3, as seen on Regular Car Reviews, is the subject of one such project.

One common accusation leveled at the original C3s is that they’re slow: it’s true, in stock form, the C3 is lackluster, so how do you fix this? Unlike the last two restomods we’ve mentioned, the owner of this particular restomod hasn’t opted for an LS3. Instead, a 1979 1500 series truck engine has been fitted, and modified with heads from a 1969 Camaro Z28. The Corvette has had its weight reduced too, with the owner removing the car’s A/C from the entirely new black interior. Not everything’s been changed though — the door handles have been left as stock, as has the rubber bumper. It’s a solid restomod that doesn’t see the need to change everything unnecessarily, instead opting for a nice balance of new and old.

A C2 With A Real Sting In Its Tail

A lot of the Corvettes that we’ve mentioned today seem to be built as grand tourers more than for straight line speed. This example? This is one restomod that was built with speed in mind. Built by Bonefied Customs in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this car packs a hell of a punch in the form of an 8.1 liter V8. Add to this an Eagle crankshaft and rods, dual carb, and Pro Comp heads. The engine feeds into a Magnaflow exhaust setup and is linked to a Gear Vendors 700R overdrive auto.

The car rides on a custom chassis by Precise Guesswork Race Cars and also features upgraded rear suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering. Finish this monster in a menacing red and black paintjob (that even extends to the tires’ color scheme) and you have a fast, modern, and breathtakingly gorgeous Corvette.

A Classy Crossbred Corvette

Here we are, back where we started, with the Chevrolet C1 Corvette. Another beautiful take on the retro classic, this particular restomod fuses a few very different Corvettes with a whole heap of modern equipment to create a superb restomod. First of all, let’s just admire this car’s spotless body. With only 11,078 miles on the clock, it seems like it’s barely been driven since it left the factory in 1960. Painted in gorgeous Torque Blue, it looks absolutely superb. The chassis has been left alone, but the suspension has been removed and replaced with that from a C4. In addition to this, the new wheels haven’t come from a third party manufacturer, but from a C6, complete with disc brakes. The handling improvements don’t stop there, with power steering also being included.

Under the hood, the builder has opted for that standby, an LS3, from 2011 this time. This has been hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission. Inside the cream interior, there’s a lot of creature comforts, including A/C, connections for USB and Bluetooth, and power windows. The price of this bad boy is $165,000. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Assuredly.