The Snowvette is a Modified C3 Corvette Masterpiece

Who said Porsche gets to hog all of the Safari-build fun?

You’re stuck in Pennsylvania, in the middle of one of the worst winters in decades. Snowfall totals are well over 10-feet, and you decide you need a rig that is equal parts useful and badass. For Matt Loncki, it is that exact set of circumstances that led to the creation of the Snowvette. Just one look at the photos and you know this Corvette is unlike most builds we feature on Corvette Forum, which is why we love it so much.

Loncki is the owner of Vintage Modified Restorations, so he was in a better place than most folks to make this unbelievable dream a reality. He went to work mining Craigslist for a donor car when a damaged 1976 hit his screen. The price was right, and he set off on the five-hour drive to retrieve his new machine. The fiberglass nose was trashed, and most of the interior was missing, but the drivetrain was fully intact. What followed after was a month-long flurry of activity to get the Vette into shape.

First came a new nose for the car. Then it was a small warehouse full of roof racks, lights switches, and off-road modifications. It started with spacers for the suspension to get the belly out of the slush, snow tires for added grip in the cold stuff, and extra batteries and cutoff switches for all the new accessories. Final touches include a front receiver for a winch and side pipes, because as Loncki put it, “side pipes are awesome.” Visually the car looks stunning. The Gulf livery looks great on the C3 body, and the aggressive off-road modifications give the entire car a presence that is equal parts menacing and playful. Like if Pennywise the clown designed a car.

Side pipes are awesome, but for our money the real star of the show is the full audio system that includes marine speakers mounted to the car’s roof rack. With a set of Christmas lights and a strong Bluetooth connection, the Snowvette turned into something resembling a cross between Santa’s rescue crew and an ice cream truck. Lonkci said that during big snows they’d drive around with Christmas tunes blaring and snow shovels strapped to the rig. They were out looking for anyone who was stuck or needed help.

Can you just imagine being stuck in a ditch, and then in the distance you hear the sounds of Feliz Navidad on the wind. Moments later a vintage Corvette on massive tires comes blasting over a snowbank. It is silliness of the highest order, and we greatly approve.

As for actual performance, Loncki was quick to state that the car’s original 350 V8 was making far less than the 180 horsepower that GM sent it home with. The modifications made to the car added extra weight over the rear end, so it handles the snow better than you might expect. To really test it, Loncki says he even went to play in some farm field with 3-feet of standing snow, and the Snowvette took it like a champ.

In the years since he built the car, there have been some changes. When you beat a machine this hard in this kind of weather, there are bound to be casualties. The 350 started making noises that sounded more like gravel than a growl, so a fresh 283 sits under the hood. The demons of rust also made quick work of the side pipes, so the car is now on set number two. Beyond that, Loncki says the car is still entirely intact. With a quick wash after a day in the snow and a cozy heated garage to store it, we expect the Snowvette to make it many more seasons at least.

This level of automotive idiocy and magic is the reason we love cars so much. Folks who are not afraid to be bold and different keep this industry and community vibrant. As for what comes next, Loncki didn’t share much beyond “we have plans for the next Corvette creation already.” With that in mind, he did say that he might be interested in parting with Snowvette to fund the new project, if any of you are interested. No, we didn’t ask him about a price. We’re terrified it might be in our price range, and then we have to explain to the spouse why we are in the backfield jumping a Corvette over the horses.

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Photos: Matt Loncki and Jesse Cornwell 

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