National Corvette Museum Highlights Callaway Supernatural 450

The Supernatural is a one-of-a-kind, Callaway Corvette Grand Sport, and a formidable early-’90s supercar.

Chris Chesnoe of Callaway Cars is back to talk to us about some of the most historic Callaway Corvettes. Part of an impressive lineup of Callaway models currently on display at the National Corvette Museum, this Supernatural 450 flipped the script for Callaway fans. This C4 Grand Sport is the first featured car without turbochargers used for increasing horsepower. Instead, it uses the traditional hot-rodder method of increasing displacement. The “CL1” engine, a development of the standard LT-1, made use of 383-cubic-inches to crank out 450 horsepower.

Today, 450 horsepower is available in the base Corvette (and Camaro SS for that matter). Which isn’t particularly impressive. In 1992, however, 450-naturally-aspirated horsepower was unheard of. At the time, the factory LT-1 was rated at 300 horsepower, giving the Supernatural 450 an extra 50% power boost.

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In addition to the increased displacement, the Reeves Callaway-developed engine also had a larger throttle body, cylinder head work, tubular exhaust manifolds, and specially-tuned software. All of that extra engine work makes for what must be an incredibly fun-to-drive C4 experience, especially in Grand Sport guise. Of course, no Callaway would be complete without some special Sledgehammer-inspired aerodynamic work.

This car is the only one of its kind ever built. So the fact that you can see it at the National Corvette Museum right now is truly special. Throw in another 14 unique Callaway cars to celebrate the brand’s 30-year heritage with Corvettes, and you’ve got a recipe for a really interesting way to spend a day. The exhibit is running down to the final few weeks of its run, so make sure you get there before the cars go back to their respective collections.