Monday, May 17, 2021

Callaway ‘Sledgehammer’ C4 Corvette

The Callaway ‘Sledgehammer’ C4 Corvette has appeared on auction site Bring a Trailer, drawing bids above US$425k. In 1987, Callaway signed a deal with Chevrolet to offer a factory-optioned, twin-turbo version of the 350ci L98-powered C4 Corvette. ‘RPO B2K’ delivered a car making around 400hp – fully warranty-backed. Around 500 were built.
The one-off Sledgehammer was an evolution of Callaway’s aim to push the boundaries of top speed in a road-driven car. In 1987, The Top Gun C4 reached 231mph.(371km/h) 898hp and 772ft-lb was sent to the rear wheels through a Doug Nash overdrive-equipped five-speed manual transmission. The Sledgehammer's top speed run in October 1988 of 254.76mph (409.9kmh) made it the fastest road-legal car in the world.
The car went under the hammer at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2004, selling for US$221k.