Legendary Corvette Builder Reeves Callaway III Has Died at Age 75
Legendary Corvette Builder Reeves Callaway III Has Died at Age 75
Reeves Callaway III passed away due to injuries suffered in a fall at his Newport Beach, California home.
Callaway Cars announced today via social media that Founder and CEO, Ely Reeves Callaway III passed away on Tuesday, July 11 after falling in his home. Sometimes, especially after a tragic and unexpected passing, tributes can overstate accomplishments. But in the case of Callaway, that is impossible. The man was a legend in the automotive world and of course has deep connections to the Corvette and the Corvette community. It is impossible to be a fan of the Corvette and not know about Callaway. His twin turbo Corvette, dubbed “The Sledgehammer” set a production-car top speed world record that stood from 1989 until 2010. And that is just the beginning.
Callaway III was born in November 1947 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He was raised in Darien, Connecticut. His father founded the Callaway Golf Company in 1982. Callaway III was always into cars. He raced go-karts as a kid and won the SCCA Formula Vee championship in 1973. In 1976 he was an instructor at the Bob Bondurant driving school. He loved to modify cars and his first product was a turbocharger kit for the E21-generation BMW 320i. Callaway III founded the Callaway Cars company in 1977 from his garage in Old Lyme, Connecticut. The rest is history.
Early Years
The BMW turbocharger kit was well received and that lead to Alfa Romero reaching out for a turbocharger kit of their own for the GTV6. He also worked with Aston Martin, Land Rover, and Mazda on various performance projects. But Callaway III became best known for his work with Corvette. It was a relationship that began in 1987. The Callaway twin turbo Corvette could be ordered directly from GM using order code “B2K” which indicated that GM provided the stamp of approval for these cars to be distributed via the Chevrolet dealer network.
Callaway Corvettes
There may have only been one Sledgehammer Corvette, but all the C4 Callaway Corvettes were special. In 1989 the Callaway Corvette put out a staggering 382 horsepower and 562 pound-feet of torque. In that year nothing that Ferrari or Porsche offered made that much power. Car and Driver tested a 1989 Callaway Corvette and got a 0 to 60 time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 191 mph. Those a simply staggering numbers for 1989. And here in 2023 you can order yourself a supercharged C8 Callaway Corvette. Power figures are not available but figure on it putting out close to Z06 levels of grunt.
Callaway Racing Corvettes
In 1994, Callaway III launched a Germany-based racing unit, Callaway Competition. The Callaway SuperNatural Corvette raced in Le Mans in 1994 and 1995. “Currently, Callaway Competition campaigns its own GT3 race team and sells Corvette GT3 race cars and support parts and equipment to leading race teams throughout Europe. GM has expanded Callaway’s exclusive authorization to homologate, construct and sell Corvette GT3 race cars worldwide, including North America.” Callaway III was a visionary that will be greatly missed by the Corvette community as well as the automotive industry as a whole. But he will be missed by his family the most. He was a father of four and grandfather of two. His son Peter Reeves Callaway is President of Callaway Cars and will continue his father’s legacy. We at Corvette Forum send our condolences to the family.
Images: Callaway Cars
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