30 Years Ago, The Callaway Sledgehammer... Record Setting Corvette, and the video:

Discussion of Corvette based Callaway Cars including: 1987-1991 RPO B2K Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes (C4); Callaway SuperNatural Corvettes (CL-1/CR-1); Callaway C12; Supercharged Corvettes; Callaway C16; 6th Generation Callaway Corvettes (SC560, SC580, SC606, SC616, SC620, SC652); 7th Generation Callaway Corvettes (SC627/SC757); NEW Callaway C8 Corvettes - and more!
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Callaway Chris
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30 Years Ago, The Callaway Sledgehammer... Record Setting Corvette, and the video:

Post by Callaway Chris »

30 Years Ago, The Callaway Sledgehammer... Record Setting Corvette, and the video:

​​​​​​​30 years ago today the #sledgehammer project departs the factory in Old Lyme and is driven to TRC in Ohio, where it would achieve the long-standing record of 254.76 mph. What’s in a name? Here’s an excerpt from the files:

“Das Ist Der Hammer”
Corvette was never on the European short list of favorite cars. Ferrari, Aston, Lamborghini, Alfa, and Mercedes, definitely. Corvette, not so much—until Callaway in 1988.
Europeans referred to the AMG Mercedes as “Der Hammer”, obviously implying the biggest/baddest #*@# in the room. However, after the European press drove the Callaway, one appeared on a German magazine cover with the headline—“Das Ist Der Hammer.” This was a not-so-subtle statement that Mercedes had just been displaced. And by a “normal” twin turbo 350 HP Callaway Corvette, at that.
Since the Germans nicknamed it “The Hammer”, Callaway wondered what it would be called if they built a really powerful one-off version. Maybe the Sledgehammer?
The strategy? Engineer a car with 1,500 HP capability and detune it to a “manageable” 900 HP. During a private test run, the Sledgehammer reached 254.76 mph.
Imagine covering the length of a football field every second with both the air conditioning and radio on. This accomplishment is a significantly important endorsement of Corvette’s platform engineering post-Duntov.”

Watch the recently-digitized version of the entire story of “The Genuine Article” on our YouTube channel. 



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Jeroenvgfn
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Re: 30 Years Ago, The Callaway Sledgehammer... Record Setting Corvette, and the video:

Post by Jeroenvgfn »

Few days to the anniversary :h6 :beer
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toofast80
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Re: 30 Years Ago, The Callaway Sledgehammer... Record Setting Corvette, and the video:

Post by toofast80 »

Chris,

A while ago I posted my car with pictures 1988 #104. You said that this car was actually pictured in this video of the Sledgehammer, is that correct? If so is there any way I can get any type of documentation or where exactly (what magazine advertisement) it was in.

Thank you for any help
Matt
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