If you haven’t already started watching the video, make sure you do have some time as it does run around a half-hour. That being said, we thought it was well worth the time as it continues to both impress and entertain throughout the length of the video, brought to us by the ROADKILL team.
The chop-job on the C4 may not be the best scene for the C4 lovers among us. Although, once you see the detail shots of the interior and the basic overall condition it’s fair to say that this Vette had seen better days. It started out as a simple project but once it had undergone its full transformation, it impressively weighed about 2,100 lbs. even while sporting the V8 built with and iron block and heads.
Once all of the plastic and wiring was stripped, and the exposed steel chassis was ground clean it was interesting seeing what exactly the Corvette of this era was structurally comprised of. Once the roll cage was fully welded into place, it really began taking on a go-kart type persona. Despite being an open cockpit, once the rest of the safety gear had been attached, it became a relatively safe vehicle.
Clearly the C4 lacks all of the luxuries and arguably many necessities that the C7 is able to carry around, while still being a very impressive track car. While it isn’t exactly realistic to use the C4 as a driver, it just goes to show that you don’t need a giant checkbook to build a high performing track car.
Shedding weight not only adds “free horsepower” but can also really aid in the handling characteristics, and braking ability of a vehicle. We can only imagine how beautifully the C4 must have felt under braking combining the EBC rotors and pads with a car that light.
Lingenfelter certainly could have delivered a higher horsepower car, but considering the road course was lacking a lot of long, high-speed straits we don’t know that it would have made a large difference. Handling was the most valuable feature and welding a roll across the Corvette chassis is one way to ensure a stiff, responsive chassis. With some more suspension tuning, track tires, and perhaps an aerodynamic body this could be quite the competitor.
While clearly not the intended purpose of either vehicle, the burnout scene made for some excellent footage. Seeing a slow-motion clip of that dense smoke rolling off the treads just never seems to get old. While the supplied Continental tires are capable of much more, they certainly seemed to stand up well to the initial abuse.
While off-roading or even using the C4 as a rally car was not the intended use of the car, it seemed to provide hours of fun for the ROADKILL team and appeared to handle relatively well so long as the terrain didn’t get too rough or soft. No matter the use, we were happy to the C4 brought to new life and would expect nothing left the creative duo.