Supervettes kit transforms C6 Corvette into C7... sort of
Thu, 26 Dec 2013
Imagine, if you will, that you began living under a rock from January 13, 2013 on, and only emerged long enough to purchase a sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette. You had no knowledge of the heavily redesigned, seventh-generation Corvette - it's shapely new body and enthusiast-infuriating rear taillights were as foreign as the Bhagavad Gita recited in Klingon. On one of your rare outings from your rocky dwelling and behind the wheel of your C6 Vette, though, you stumbled upon one of Chevy's new Stingrays and were completely taken by it.
But, rather than going out and trying to buy one of the new cars, you'd rather keep your C6. What's a rock-dwelling Vette driver to do? Well, if you have about $60,000 handy, you pick up Supervettes' new SV8.R conversion. Designed to transform any 2005 to 2013 C6 into a sharper looking, more modern Corvette, it features a carbon-fiber body that's supposedly been inspired by older Corvettes, while still borrowing heavily from the C7. Unlike the new Stingray, though, the Supervettes SV8.R retains four round taillights, and it is said to be five inches wider than a C6 ZR1.
Other changes that come with the kit include new 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels shod in Pirelli Pzero tires. A new exhaust, new brakes, new lighting and a fresh coat of paint for the car's new body are also included. Eventually, interior treatments will be available, as well as exposed carbon-fiber options. Five pre-orders are available, starting at $59,995, while future orders will cost an even $65K. We will say, as conversion kits go, we've certainly seen worse than what Supervettes has put together.
We've got images of the Supervettes kit above and in a variety of different colors. There's also a full press release about the design process available below. As a final parting thought, we'd just like to take this opportunity to remind any reading this that a brand-new 2014 Corvette Stingray can be had for less than the price of this kit. Just sayin'...
The Ultimate Supervette... "SV8.R"
We started designing the Concept which we have since named the "SV8.R" back in 2009. Our vision and goal was to create an entirely new body for the C6 Corvette that would capture the Supercar essence that the Corvette lacked, at least visually in the past few generations. There's no argument that its drive train is one if the best on the market, and THE very best bang for your buck available today.. but it still lacked something. So we went to the drawing board. We wanted to create what we thought GM should have designed, but can't due to a small box their design team must stay inside to meet profit margins and sales goals.
We decided to completely replace the entire exterior with a new 100% Carbon Fiber Supervette body. A super contemporary design, capturing some design cues from past generations like the C2 and C3... and of course the traditional round round lights. Ironically, keeping the round tail lights, but executing this idea in a very modern way, was our #1 focus when we first started sketching... and its been without a doubt the most controversial part of the new C7 design.
We started by 3D scanning a 2011 C6 with Matrix Cad Design Inc. out of Charlotte, NC. With the help of an excellent 3D model designer Thomas Granjard out of Paris, France , we designed the SV8.R on the C6 chassis with laser accuracy, assuring that our panels will fit 100% precision. With this process we were able to avoid making any structural changes to the vehicle. The end result, we can build this conversion on any 2005-2013 Corvette. We will be tweaking the files to fit the C7 chassis as well, which we already determined is extremely similsimilarar to the C6.
All of the body panels, are being manufactured with the very best materials and technology available today. Carbon Fiber, Kevlar-reinforced bumpers for extreme strength and lightweight.
We are accepting 5 preorders at $59,995, which as of now there are two spots open. After our preorder phase, packages will start at $65,000.00 for the exterior, which will also include forged wheels, 20x11.5" (F) and 21x13.5" (R), Pirelli Pzero tires, Custom exhaust, brake upgrade, all new lighting, paint, installation, and delivery. Additional options will include performance packages, custom interiors, sound systems, and even a fully exposed carbon fiber / clearcoated show car finish.
We expect the prototype to be complete by March, and the first 5 preorders to be built by third quarter of 2014. From this point we will be offering a limited amount of 20 per year for 5 years. All 100 will come with their own serial # and unique aluminum badges.
About Supervettes LLC...
As a kid, I was always sketching sports cars and like most young car lovers, day dreaming of Lambos & Ferrari's. My parents always had a new Corvette, as long as I can remember... so it was already encoded into my DNA so to speak. I had a 2008 Z06 Corvette, which I took delivery of in early 2008. I absolutely loved the car, but like most sports car enthusiasts, I was ready for "more" by 2009. Eagerly anticipating the release of the ZR1, I was preparing for the upgrade. However, I was expecting a wider, more aggressive Vette. Obviously that didn't happen. Of course the Supercharged LS9 was exciting, but Vette owners have been doing that for years already. I was more disappointed in the exterior design. I wanted a wider Supercar to keep up with the exotics as far as "artistic value" is concerned :) So, I designed what we call the ZR6X, which if you haven't seen it, is basically a ZR1 on steroids. It is 3" wider (1.5" in every corner). The first one was for my own pleasure. Then, after getting stopped and questioned by people at every stop light, gas station, etc, I quickly realized we had a business staring us in the face. Supervettes LLC was born in July of 2010.
We have had and continue to have great success with this conversion kit selling it globally, as it is a bolt on conversion kit.
Then, like an addiction, I wanted more! So, we started building the "GT6X" - Adding a new front nose fascia, new rear bumper, side pipe exhaust, retractable wing, and another 2", making it 5" wider than a ZR1... which makes it 80.6" wide. (Base Corvette is 72.6" and a Z06/ZR1 is 75.6" wide for reference)
By Brandon Turkus