Video – 250,000 Miles In Callaway’s SC606

There’s been a lot talk about Corvette reliability lately with the current model Z06 getting the cold shoulder for running hot under track conditions. In fact, a group of C7 Z06 owners have even filed a class action lawsuit against General Motors.

In the current glare of aforementioned publicity, it’s easy to forget that modern Corvettes–C5-C7s–are fantastically engineered, extremely robust supercars at a price that shames most fussy foreign jobs. They are reliable and docile enough as a daily driver, yet crazy capable when you want to blow out the jams and blow Porsche owner’s ascots over their heads.

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Ferocious yet understated.

A perfect example of Corvette goodness is Callaway Engineering’s long term 2010 C6 demo car upgraded to a SC606 by the boys from Old Lyme, Connecticut. In July 2009, they were one of the first customers to take delivery of a C6 Grand Sport and they wasted no time in transforming it into a proper Callaway super car. They added an Eaton TVS2300 supercharger, high-flow injectors, Callaway’s Honker air intake and their “Double D” stainless exhaust system. The result was 606hp and 543 ft lbs of torque hence the SC606 name.

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We dig all the signature Callaway trim bits and logo…

Callaway SC 606 Goodies

• Roots-style TVS2300 Supercharger with Liquid-to-air Intercooler
• Increased flow rate fuel injectors
• Callaway Carbon Fiber Injector Covers
• Callaway High Flow Honker Intake System
• Callaway Low Restriction DD Exhaust System
• Callaway Embroidered Floor Mats
• Callaway Badging, Exterior and Interior
• Callaway Underhood Plaque with Vehicle Identification Number
• Callaway Corvette Authenticity Documentation

<strong>Callaway Optional Equipment:</strong>
• Callaway Sport Bucket Seats (retains power and heat features)
• Callaway Carbon AeroBody Package (Consists of Front Splitter, Rocker Extensions, and Rear Spoiler)
• Callaway Nordschliefe Suspension Package
• Callaway Short-Throw Shifter
• Callaway Exhaust Slat Trim
• Callaway HD Cooling Package

The package was augmented with a carbon-fiber hood bulge, embroidered Callaway floor and trunk mats, anodized doorsill panels, an SC606 dash plaque, an underhood plaque with specific VIN, and Callaway emblems for the fenders and rear fascia.

This early VIN Grand Sport SC606 was put into company service to meet a 100,000-mile bogey for quality and durability, which it easily surpassed.

Callaway’s Program Manager Chris Chessnoe shared with Corvette Online that the company, “Wanted to showcase the car–and our mods– so dealers and prospective buyers could see how bulletproof the car is in day-to-day use …”

They easily met the 100k mark in around two years and before you know it, they at hit 200k and then a quarter of a million miles. The car has never been in the shop for mechanical issues, just routine maintenance, tires, oil changes, brakes, etc. That’s almost seven years of continued use and is a testament to the reliability and engineering of not only Corvette, but Callaway as well.

This is no trailer queen. It’s been run hard and and exercised regularly.

Chris added. “I drive a lot of cool cars, but I really love this car. It has been trouble free and for most travel in the US, I prefer to drive this car than fly…

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Who’d a thunk? No clue outwardly that this car has mega high miles on it.

And drive it he does. This Callaway SC606 has criss-crossed the country multiple times and has attended almost every major Corvette show in the last seven years.

In it’s first year they covered 60k miles and then orchestrated the 100k milestone in front an admiring crowd at the 2011 Corvettes at Carlisle just two years after.

At the Mothership aka Callaway headquarters

Since then they put three suspensions on the car and worked with Bilstein on a set of dampers that Chris swears makes the this Callaway SC606 one of  “the best riding Corvette he’s ever been in…”

This car is no shrinking violet either. It’s s seen duty on drag strips, road courses, and autocross events as well as a daily driver. The car is run in all sorts of weather too, running the gamut from sunny days to rain, light snow, and slush.

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It’s traveled the USA, coast to coast.

The miles just made the car faster.  When new–after the Callaway supercharger was installed– the car ran the quarter in 11 seconds flat @ 125mph. At 118K miles, the car streaked through the traps at 10.8 @ 128mph.

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Here is the moment the car ticked over 200K miles. At the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

They kept meeting their bogeys so they decided how far they could take it. If 100k and beyond was easy, why not go to 200k?  Again, the Callaway guys wanted to go out style so in 2013, they crossed the 200k mark at the National Corvette Museum with former Head of Quality for Corvette Platform, Art Spong along for the ride.

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The magic quarter mil mark.

The car clicked over to 250K in January of this year and is still going strong. For most of us, we’ve never taken a car over the quarter million mile mark, so seeing the laundry list of parts the car went through is fascinating. To keep the Callaway SC606 safely running at it’s peak, this high mileage champ has had the following maintenance and replacement parts:

  • 19 sets of tires
  • 33 oil changes
  • 5 sets of brakes
  • 2 sets of wheel bearings
  • 3 sets of wiper blades
  • 2 sets of seats

Again, what’s so cool about this high mileage excursion is just how stinkin’ good GM and Callaway engineering is.

To think an 11 second, streetable rig can go for this amount of trouble-free miles is a testament to the baked-in goodness of the C6, the folks that build them at Bowling Green and how seamlessly Callaway makes the car substantially better with zero penalties.

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Callaway knows how to build hi-po Corvettes and has been at it a long time.

Callaway didn’t get to be so good overnight and they’ve proved their expertise for decades. Their latest versions are ferocious as well and even better, their standard warranty works alongside the factory warranty and they offer and even longer, extra cost option for even more piece of mind, even thought you probably won’t need it.

From their Website:

Callaway Cars – Connecticut and California:

Designs, develops and manufactures Callaway-brand vehicles and aftermarket performance products.

  • Utilizes team-based development methods to produce limited edition ultra-high-performance vehicles
  • Employs latest design, development, and manufacturing processes to offer Callaway brand aftermarket
    performance products
  • Manufacturer of the Callaway Corvettes, Callaway Camaros, Callaway SportTrucks and Callaway C16’s
  • Rich lineage of Callaway automobiles, including the legendary 1987-1991 Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette (GM RPO B2K), the 1992-1996 SuperNatural® Corvette and the 2012 25th Anniversary Limited Edition Callaway Corvette (GM RPO B2K)

Maybe it’s time to change the company slogan to “Bullet Proof, Powerfully Engineered Automobiles”

Go here for more details and pricing of Callaway’s products.

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All lessons learned infused into latest Callaway creations…

About the author

Dave Cruikshank

Dave Cruikshank is a lifelong car enthusiast and an editor at Power Automedia. He digs all flavors of automobiles, from classic cars to modern EVs. Dave loves music, design, tech, current events, and fitness.
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