We were a bit surprised with the kickback we received over whether or not the C4 Corvette has finally made it’s way past the reputation that it’s carried. Quite a few of you were pretty vocal about how the car should never live down it’s reputation as a poseur with questionable ergonomics and a quickly fading support system. But we stand firm…the plastic fantastic ’80s kid can be made into something very interesting with minimal work, and our counter-argument comes in the form of this 1988 Chevrolet Corvette Pro Street build.
America’s sports car makes for a very interesting quarter-mile machine when properly done, and while we can’t quite put our finger on why we think this, we believe that this ‘Vette is well-sorted. It’s a back-halved car, with a four-link and the requisite Ford 9-inch rear axle. Underhood looks mostly stock, if a bit shinier than it should be, and hidden inside the cagework in the interior are a couple bottles of fun plumbed to the engine. But it’s more: the four-speed automatic shifter is still present, and so is the air conditioning. And the seller has a build portfolio with photos that fully documents the Corvette’s build from start to finish.
Without knowing all of the details about what we’re looking at (the listing is short on such things as engine and transmission details) we can only make assumptions about the Corvette’s abilities based on the photos. The mirrored hood, abundance of underhood dress-up items and overall polished look make us think that it’s a fairground cruiser, but it wouldn’t be the first time a pretty ride has shocked us by putting the wheelie bars and parachute to good use. The hard work is done, now it’s time to go drive it. Our suggestion: Drag Week. Enjoy the overdrive and air conditioning between tracks, and make that parachute work at the track!
eBay Link: 1988 Chevrolet Corvette
Who gives a damn about this hunka Chevy shit?
I’d rather have that insanely monstrous truck behind it. I challenge you to track down the owner/builder and give us the full run-down. This is a beautifully turned out work of art as most trucks like this have the ratrod look which I think is wearing a bit thin by now. So hit put on your gumshoes and hit the road lads!
I’d like to find out more about the weird Diesel powered contraption in the background.
As for the Corvette, if he can make enough power through a TPI intake to actually need a parachute brake, my hat’s off to his engine building skills. But if it’s got the chassis to back up more power, it could be a good score.
The hell with the crappy ‘vette. C4’s are boring as shit. WE NEED INFO ON THAT GORGEOUS AND FASCINATING TRUCK IN THE BACKGROUND!
Really guys! You would rather check out the POS monstrosity! You can get good money for scrap on that thing!
As for the Vette, get rid of the TPI setup and put a carb on it.
it ROCKS–maximum potential here
Im likingvthe truck and Vette. A pro street Vette? Two of the most hated things rolled into one car? I got two letters, LS! Junk the TPI and swap in a cheap turbo’d LS.
The truck is a former fire engine. I saw it at the old Amherst (NH) swap
meet a couple of years ago. The builder is also from NH. It started out as a
1979 Maxim ladder truck, equipped with 100′ ladder. It was decommissioned
with 1,600 miles and sold off. Power is 8V92 Detroit Diesel, transmission is
a 4 speed Allison. Rear Axle is Rockwell with a 4:64 gear. The cab is ‘a 46 Ford. The frame and front axle are custom fabrications. This thing is huge by
large, and VERY impressive in person!