One of the strangest, most interesting, and most expensive creations of the custom car world is the C6 Corvette that’s made to look like a C2 or C3. It’s a specialty of a company called Classic Recreations, which has made headlines out of the SEMA show over the past decade. These things are pretty rare, and the latest to be finished is supposed to look like the 1963 Split-Window Corvette Coupe.
As you probably noticed, many YouTubers are trying to make modern Mustangs resemble the first-gen models. Classic Recreations’ “Retrovette” doesn’t play in the amateur division, but it doesn’t fully resemble a C3 either. Instead, it takes the shape of a classic car that’s way larger than it should be. The Corvette market is so large and rich that even novelty is enough to justify Frankenstein’s monster.
Speaking of the market, there is nothing Corvette owners like more than a good anniversary edition; they celebrate everything. And this fake 1963 Corvette is based on a 60th Anniversary C6 Chassis from 2013. Somehow, this must add value to the car, because its sellers clearly advertise this fact, right next to the $258,000 price tag. That’s right, this artificial C3 costs as much money as a nice, real classic.
The fact that it’s a 60th Anniversary model is most evident on the inside of the car, the bright red cabin being decorated by quite a few logos. It’s quite strange to associate an interior that’s barely a decade old with a sports car that’s supposed to be older than the Mustang. Electric adjustment, heads-up display, seatbelts, satellite navigation – they all clash. Heck, it’s even got a reversing camera integrated into the mirror.
It’s carbon-bodied
As I’ve already mentioned, the Classic Recreations Corvette body is uncanny. All the major lines are there, but the proportions are closer to a mid-engined car. The hood looks a little short, and the rear is very long. Still, the execution is great, and all the bodywork is apparently made from carbon fiber, down to the inner fenders.
Right behind those swiveling LED headlights beats a modern GM heart. We’re talking about an LS3 6.2-liter motor that has been fitted with a Lingenfelter supercharger kit and intercooler, resulting in 600 horsepower and a decent soundtrack.
The Retrovette even comes with options for the wheels, four of them, which you can choose after buying the car. They’re all a bit too modern for my liking except for the $6000 Red Line Turbines.
