Callaway C16

Motoring Channel Staff - 4/Dec/2006

Los Angeles, USA — Callaway Cars is a specialist engine tuner in the United States, and has just released it's latest take on the Chevy Corvette, called the C16. This supremely powerful new sports car was unveiled at the L.A. auto show, and with its specially tuned LS2 V8 engine it can surpass a top speed of 330km/h (206mph).

Callaway has a proud history of modifying the engines of Corvettes of all types, and had also given some past iterations of the Australian HSV GTS its 300kW V8 power output, back when HSV still used the 5.7-litre LS1 engines.

Reeves Callaway is man behind the company, whose motor racing career was cut short due to the high cost of competing. After his racing career went kaput in 1973, he decided to become a driving instructor, and after driving a lot of BMWs, he decided to use his engineering knowledge to tune the car's engines, and before long people were placing orders for cars tuned by Reeves Callaway.

And thus Callaway Cars was born.

The latest creation to come from the Callaway Cars garages is not simply an engine tune-up, such as the crate motor it provided to HSV. This is entirely new vehicle, with new bodywork, new chassis and new powertrain. The new bodywork was modeled by Canadian designer Paul Deutschman, who has a twenty-year portfolio of designs with the company, says Callaway.

"He is the architect of the Callaway look—from the 254mph Sledgehammer and our C4-based Le Mans race cars to the C7, the C12 and now the C16,” mentioned Reeves Callaway, the founder of the company.

The car tuning and creation company has revealed that that the car’s handcrafted bodywork replaces every panel of the standard C6 Corvette body to achieve the look you see here. "In making this car we went from CAD design straight to tooling, bypassing a full-sized model—a first for us," noted Callaway.

"It’s tools like PTC’s Pro/ENGINEER software, our technology partner, that make such efficient car design possible," said Reeves Callaway.

Based on the current (C6) Corvette platform, the C16 takes performance and style to the next level. The standard 6.0-litre V8 engine that comes with the Corvette coupe makes 400hp, or about 298kW, but Callaway takes this engine and milks another 216hp, taking total power output to 616hp, or about 459kW.

This 459 kilowatts of power (@ 6200rpm) is unleashed via supercharging, which also elevates the torque output. Instead of the standard 540Nm of torque, the new Callaway C16 pumps out 788Nm of torque @ 4750rpm, which is enough to propel the car from 0-100km/h in the same time it takes the new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 -- just 3.4 seconds. With a top speed of 206mph with a manual transmission, or about 331km/h, this American exotic has the kind of muscle to keep pace with the most exclusive sports car from Germany and Italy and the UK.

Incorporates Callaway's race-proven technologies, the C16 is a rocket ship on wheels, and can post quarter mile times in the high tens (10.9 seconds)."The C16 says exactly what we want to say about the capabilities at Callaway Cars: it’s gorgeous, it has class-leading performance — and it’s a true daily driver based on one of the best sports car platforms ever made," enthused company founder Reeves Callaway.

There are three transmission options on the Callaway C16: a pair of 6-speed manual transmissions (one incorporating the Z51 Performance Package's shorter ratios in the first four gears), or a 6-speed automatic with paddle shift. The Callaway C16 delivers the feeling of a fully integrated driver's car, maintaining the company's legendary hallmark of easy-to-drive, super high-performance road cars.

The C16's Callaway exhaust system is manufactured from stainless steel and features Callaway's signature Double-D exhaust tip design. As demonstrated by the car's horsepower throughput, the exhaust system is the least restrictive and is generally known as the best-sounding solution for C5- and C6-generation Corvettes.

Yokohama 'AdvanSport' tyres on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheel rims begin the chassis upgrades, measuring 295/30 ZR19 (front) and 345/25 ZR20 (rear). "The secret to this level of road-holding starts with the tyre," explained Callaway. "As a specialist manufacturer, we are honored to have Yokohama be our exclusive tyre partner, which gives us access to technology that results in our extraordinary performance numbers."

The anchors on the curvy new Callaway had to be strong, because slowing a 1.5 tonne vehicle down from 300km/h+ is no mean feat. Therefore, Callaway's own 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers grip 355mm diameter rotors front and rear, while super-lightweight Callaway Dymag wheels (the lightest road wheel in the industry, according to Callaway), are fitted in sizes 19-inch x 10 front and 20-inch x 12 rear. The Dymag wheel features a remarkable hybrid of forged magnesium centres surrounded by carbon fiber rims - another example of Callaway bringing their race experience to their road cars.

According to the American company, the car's excellent handling and ride are courtesy of the newly developed Callaway/Eibach Multi-Pro coil-over suspension, which ensures that track days are competitive, while the daily drive to work is also comfortable. This advanced spring/damper system features ride height, corner weight, and pitch angle adjustability, and the aluminium-bodied dampers feature 10-click-position compression and rebound adjustability and have remote mounted reservoirs, which allows the driver to control a range of ride stiffness settings for track or road.

Inside the C16, Callaway has also worked on the cockpit, which is completely retooled in German leather and Alcantara. Also fitted are Recaro Pole Position seats with a choice of harnessing styles. Door sill panels, steering wheel and passenger dash area also carry signature Callaway badging and each automobile is serialised and identified by its build plaque. But as Callaway pointed out, these C16s are built to order - they cannot be bought from a new car dealer, but as a result of this clients have more control over the finished product, able to choose body color and interior appointments to suit their tastes.

Callaway C16 automobiles are built by Callaway facilities in California, Connecticut, and Germany. The Callaway C16 is available exclusively through Callaway Cars’ authorised dealer network in North America, Callaway Competition in Leingarten, Germany, and CorvetteTotal, Bonstetten, Switzerland. The pricing for a well equipped C16 coupe is about $US120,000 ($A152,000).

All Callaway C16 components are available individually, for both new and currently owned Corvettes, through Callaway authorized retailers and installers.

Related articles:
- Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
- Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
- HSV Y Series (2003)
- HSV GTS Coupe (2002)