Callaway Competition Is Developing a Track-Ready, Street-Legal C8 Corvette
Callaway Competition Is Developing a Track-Ready, Street-Legal C8 Corvette
Callaway Competition is pulling out of GT3 racing for a while to develop the special track-prepped C8.
Callaway Competition – the motorsports arm of Callaway Cars – has been competing in GT3 racing in the ADAC GT Masters series in Germany for years now in both C6 and C7 Corvette-based racers. Now, the company has announced that it will temporarily suspend those efforts so that it can develop a track-ready, street-legal C8 Corvette in a collaborative effort with exotic car dealer Autohaus Kramm out of Berlin.
“Callaway Competition will once again focus more on improving the performance enhancement and refinement of Corvette road cars,” Callaway Competition CEO Ernst Wöhr said in a statement. “Of course, we’ll continue to keep an eye on the racing scene and how it develops. Plus, we’re currently in talks with General Motors USA and we’re planning a return to the German GT Championship with the new Corvette C8 GT3 in 2024.”
The C7 Corvette GT3 racer that Callaway currently campaigns in was designed and built entirely in-house, and is not related to the C7.R built by Pratt & Miller, GM’s factory racing partner. It runs a 6.2-liter V8 versus the C7.R’s purpose-built 5.5-liter V8, and doesn’t feature the latter’s same aero work designed to maximize downforce. Regardless, Callaway enjoyed tremendous success in its time campaigning its C7 GT3 racer, even earning a driver’s championship in 2017.
When Callaway returns to the ADAC GT Masters in 2024, it’ll be behind the wheel of the new C8 GT3.R racer, which will be built by GM and sold to privateer teams such as Callaway. This means that it’s unlikely Callaway will go to the trouble of developing its own C8-based race car, though such a move can’t be ruled out at this time.
Regardless, perhaps the most exciting news from this release is the fact that Callaway is building a track-prepped version of the C8 that us non-professional wannabe racers will soon be able to purchase. The company didn’t reveal any sort of details about what we can expect from this special machine, but given their track record, we imagine that it will be well worth the wait.
Photos: Callaway Competition
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