About a year ago, we introduced you [1] to the ZX-1 custom Corvette conversion built by Bennett Coachworks [2] in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We recently came across this video promoting the car, so we thought it was high time to give this “tuner” C6 another look, especially in light of the coming 2014 C7.
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The first thing that you’ll notice, no doubt, are the changes to the bodywork. Contracted to Prototype Composites [5], a molding company best known for their work on an all-carbon Lotus Exige [6], the panels are available in fiberglass or carbon fiber, and add some sharpness and flare to the C6’s rounded fenders. Up front, the nose takes on a Ferrari-esque aspect, and the taillights maintain the classic Corvette quad oval layout, though not without changes that will be sure to displease some fans as much as the suspected “Camaro” taillights on the upcoming C7.
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[10]Like most bespoke “tuner” Corvettes, the ZX-1 is available in a range of different stages [11] limited only by your personal taste and checking account balance, from bodywork-only all the way up through versions utilizing the customer’s choice of an Eaton twin-rotor or ProCharger centrifugal supercharger to make north of 600 horsepower, and a fully adjustable Pfadt coil-over racing suspension. Bennett claims that with their carbon fiber replacing more than 80% of the original Corvette composite, they achieve a 40% reduction in body weight – combined with ZR-1-level power, it should make for sprightly performance.
Of course, taste is an individual thing, and whether or not you prefer the ZX-1 to any of the factory versions of the C6 depends on its personal appeal. We’re safe in saying, though, that it’s a first-class effort to reimagine the look of America’s sports car.
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