What do you think of this ad?

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Never_Lift
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What do you think of this ad?

Post by Never_Lift »

Admin Edit: wrote: Changed topic and text to a question vs. statement about a car.
What do you think of this ad?
I am selling my 1991 Callaway AeroBody Lingenfelter 383 Stroker convertible with factory hardtop. The engine specs are listed on a hand written note (pictured) from the world famous engine builder and drag racer, John Lingenfelter.

The mileage is approximately 49,450. It’s reliable enough to be a fun daily or a Sunday driver. Original 6 Speed Manual car.
18x10/11” forged CCW SP550 with new 275/35 and 315/30 Falken Azenis RT615k+ rubber. These are the widest wheels and tires you can comfortably fit under the stock, non-ZR1 or GS fenders. The brakes were also upgraded to Grand Sport calipers and Baer cross-drilled rotors - 13" fronts/12" rears.
The seat covers were redone by the last owner in black and red to break up the sea of red in the interior. This car was his baby and he used it as a show car for over 17 years (he polished it while it was on his car lift), winning numerous trophies along the way. I have all of the records dating back to 2003. He spent thousands on maintenance and upgrades, including updating the A/C to R134a.
The first owner was second in command at the Daytona Speedway and owned the car until 1999. It still has a sticker on the windshield from the 1999 Daytona 500.
I am the 4th owner and spoke with the 2nd owner (Corvette collector, Skeeter owned this car from 1999-2003) before purchasing it. I will include the Callaway Certificate of Authenticity and a copy of the Corvette Fever Magazine issue that featured this car.
Prior to my purchase, I had a PPI conducted by one of the top Corvette shops in the country. The compression #’s were incredible, at 210-220 for all 8 cylinders. John Lingenfelter built this motor and as you know, he was the top Corvette engine builder of his time. John also built the 898 horsepower Callaway Sledgehammer engine and driven it to a world record setting 254.76 MPH.
As a result, I call this car the “Mini Sledgehammer”. It has 447 hp and 491 ft lbs of torque and features the extremely rare combination of a Callaway AeroBody and Lingenfelter engine, at half the horsepower of the “Sledgehammer”. I will include the original note in the sale.
With just the unpainted/unfitted Callaway AeroBody kits going for almost $20k, you can’t duplicate this car for less than $50k. Numerous Corvette owners and local collectors have seen it in person and can attest to its excellent condition. It’s also much rarer than the B2K and Supernatural Callaway’s, as only a handful of Lingenfelter powered AeroBody cars are known to exist. You are guaranteed to steal the show wherever you go.

Another hard to find option that is also included is the matching factory hardtop. I haven't driven it with the top down once because I love the C5 Fixed Roof Coupe (FRC) look. I will include the hardtop stand in the sale. The convertible top is white and manual, like all C4's from this era.
Please contact me with any questions. Remember, this car is 30 years old, so it's not perfect, but it is pretty damn close.
The car is located in Orange County, CA. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it across the country on what would be an epic road trip.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

I think it's an incredible car. This is my car and it IS an authentic Callaway AeroBody car with a Lingenfelter 383 stroker engine. Is the Sledgehammer not a real Callaway because it also used an engine built by John Lingenfelter? Maybe the 254 mph speed record isn't legit because John also did the driving? There are only a couple hundred AeroBody cars in the world and with the Lingenfelter engine, it's an even rarer combination than the Callaway engined cars.

I'm not sure if you own a Callaway car, but striking down another owner's sale hurts all of our car's values. We should be supporting each other as a community because there are buyers out there that won't purchase cars due to the snobby nature of their owners (i.e. Ferrari).
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by kingforward »

Good looking car with legit provenance (Ligenfelter). Good luck with the sale!
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by Never_Lift »

Pardon me. I’ll clarify as the car (wheels aside) looks nice. :)

The LPE 383 is a good engine. Makes lots of power, but I don’t get it, why not buy a Callaway in 1991 and indulge with turbo power?

Good luck with the sale. John L. was a legend,
but he did not build the engine which was used in Sledgehammer for 254 mph. That’s pretty common knowledge. As reported, the two engines didn’t get past base testing. Might want to fix the ad ;) It was a Callaway engine which set the record.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

I've spoken with Reeves in person about the Sledgehammer and he didn't say anything to the contrary. I also have the Vette magazine from '89 with the article written by a writer that reported from the track when the car set the speed record. Both Callaway and LPE have "made it" and it's water under the bridge 33 years later.

Here's an article from Hot Rod magazine 1989:

https://www.lingenfelter.com/Sledgehamm ... 0Smith.pdf
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by bbvette »

I like Robert's car and think it looks great :thumbs It's well presented. It'll find the right home.

Any thoughts on BaT? They may want a low reserve though.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by *89x2* »

I've updated the thread and hopefully it'll stay more of a general question about history vs. the car :hi
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by *89x2* »

closingtime wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:54 am Thanks for the kind words, guys.

I've spoken with Reeves in person about the Sledgehammer and he didn't say anything to the contrary. I also have the Vette magazine from '89 with the article written by a writer that reported from the track when the car set the speed record. Both Callaway and LPE have "made it" and it's water under the bridge 33 years later.

The Hot Rod article you posted is an interesting one, but there's more to the story than what was written there. I've spoken with Reeves about the Sledgehammer, and other key employees who worked on the program, and all said the same thing: It was a Callaway Engine in the Sledgehammer.

At any rate, here's what I shared on the subject in 2008
*89x2* wrote:What an amazing C4 Back in late Oct. 1988, the record was set - 254.76mph!!!

While searching the "archives" I discovered something said by another person who was there during the era - This confirms (again) all I know about the car and the project.

Pretty cool stuff - The debate just keeps it in the limelight, right?
Just like many here, I have seen the debate over who build the Sledgehammer engine rage on for two-decades...

I have asked those involved at Callaway who built the engine and it all comes back to a Callaway Cars engine being, "the one"

Reeves was quoted as saying so in an interview and later, John Lingenfelter's rebuttal did nothing to correct that if needed... Interestingly enough, the foggy rebuttal now serves as JL's final word onthe mater, as posted on the LPE website

I found this quote by "turboboy" who worked at Callaway Cars during the era.
turboboy wrote:JL did indeed build the motor in the Sledgehammer.....but do you know the rest of the story???? When we got the engine back to Callaway, it was dynoed extensively, and REBUILT using our specs. The dyno book on that engine was as thick as a phone book. Trust me when tell you that it was not the same motor as recieved from JL when it finaly went into the car.
(I have seen the books, they are for real )

Here are the Tom Benford interview quotes from Vette:
T: Will Lingenfelter Performance Engineering be providing engines for the Callaway C5s as they did for the Sledgehammer’s historic 254+ m.p.h. run?

R: You know, I don’t know where that rumor came from. Perhaps now is the time to correct it and put the whole issue to rest. We contracted Lingenfelter to build a couple of short blocks to save us some time, which we turbocharged, but they didn’t survive our dyno testing, so they were never used in the Sledgehammer. That record was set with a Callaway-built engine, although John (Lingenfelter) drove the car to set the record, since we had a very busy schedule in Europe creating Aston Martin’s Group C effort at that time. So it’s appropriate to congratulate Callaway for building the car, and John Lingenfelter for driving it to its record speed. That’s the way it was.
...and the follow-up interview:
T: Your corporate website states that Lingenfelter Performance Engineering built the 1,200 HP engine that powered the Callaway Sledgehammer, but Reeves Callaway said your engine wasn’t the one used in the car on its over-254 mph run. Would you care to provide a rebuttal?

J: Well, the only thing I’d say is that the people that were there and the people that were involved know the real answers and what the truth is. That will suffice for me.

So there's the real story :cool
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by BIGJOHN »

People will believe what they want to believe!
John was a great person, engine builder and driver!
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

bbvette wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:58 am I like Robert's car and think it looks great :thumbs It's well presented. It'll find the right home.

Any thoughts on BaT? They may want a low reserve though.
Thanks for the kind words! These cars have cult followings, so I know it will sell to the right buyer.

I follow their auctions and haven't been impressed with the bidding on C4 Corvettes. My eBay auction is almost at the same price point as the yellow SN convertible that sold last year. For whatever reason, the red SN convertible didn't do well last year either, but was sold for a fair market price recently within the community. BaT rejected 2 auctions for my rare car items in the past. Plus, I would rather give the buyer a chance to not pay a 5% commission.

Let's see how it does, as the auction is up on Saturday at 6:28pm PST.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

*89x2* wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 3:59 pm I've updated the thread and hopefully it'll stay more of a general question about history vs. the car :hi
Thanks for the update! :cool
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

*89x2* wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 4:08 pm
closingtime wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 12:54 am Thanks for the kind words, guys.

I've spoken with Reeves in person about the Sledgehammer and he didn't say anything to the contrary. I also have the Vette magazine from '89 with the article written by a writer that reported from the track when the car set the speed record. Both Callaway and LPE have "made it" and it's water under the bridge 33 years later.

The Hot Rod article you posted is an interesting one, but there's more to the story than what was written there. I've spoken with Reeves about the Sledgehammer, and other key employees who worked on the program, and all said the same thing: It was a Callaway Engine in the Sledgehammer.

At any rate, here's what I shared on the subject in 2008
*89x2* wrote:What an amazing C4 Back in late Oct. 1988, the record was set - 254.76mph!!!

While searching the "archives" I discovered something said by another person who was there during the era - This confirms (again) all I know about the car and the project.

Pretty cool stuff - The debate just keeps it in the limelight, right?
Just like many here, I have seen the debate over who build the Sledgehammer engine rage on for two-decades...

I have asked those involved at Callaway who built the engine and it all comes back to a Callaway Cars engine being, "the one"

Reeves was quoted as saying so in an interview and later, John Lingenfelter's rebuttal did nothing to correct that if needed... Interestingly enough, the foggy rebuttal now serves as JL's final word onthe mater, as posted on the LPE website

I found this quote by "turboboy" who worked at Callaway Cars during the era.
turboboy wrote:JL did indeed build the motor in the Sledgehammer.....but do you know the rest of the story???? When we got the engine back to Callaway, it was dynoed extensively, and REBUILT using our specs. The dyno book on that engine was as thick as a phone book. Trust me when tell you that it was not the same motor as recieved from JL when it finaly went into the car.
(I have seen the books, they are for real )

Here are the Tom Benford interview quotes from Vette:
T: Will Lingenfelter Performance Engineering be providing engines for the Callaway C5s as they did for the Sledgehammer’s historic 254+ m.p.h. run?

R: You know, I don’t know where that rumor came from. Perhaps now is the time to correct it and put the whole issue to rest. We contracted Lingenfelter to build a couple of short blocks to save us some time, which we turbocharged, but they didn’t survive our dyno testing, so they were never used in the Sledgehammer. That record was set with a Callaway-built engine, although John (Lingenfelter) drove the car to set the record, since we had a very busy schedule in Europe creating Aston Martin’s Group C effort at that time. So it’s appropriate to congratulate Callaway for building the car, and John Lingenfelter for driving it to its record speed. That’s the way it was.
...and the follow-up interview:
T: Your corporate website states that Lingenfelter Performance Engineering built the 1,200 HP engine that powered the Callaway Sledgehammer, but Reeves Callaway said your engine wasn’t the one used in the car on its over-254 mph run. Would you care to provide a rebuttal?

J: Well, the only thing I’d say is that the people that were there and the people that were involved know the real answers and what the truth is. That will suffice for me.

So there's the real story :cool

Reeves' cars were on my wall and inside my book bag when I was growing up and I'm fortunate enough to have an AeroBody convertible. Either way, 2 of the best American car builders got together for an epic project and broke the world speed record...and then drove it home. It will never be done again. My ownership experience has been a dream come true.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

BIGJOHN wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 5:03 pm People will believe what they want to believe!
John was a great person, engine builder and driver!
Agreed on all points! I have never driven a B2K car, but the previous owner of my car has and said that this car is faster. What's the driving experience like with the TT motor?
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by SurfnSun »

There are many variations of B2k performance.

My B2k made at the wheels what yours does at the crank...440/575 However an 87 B2k was about 300rwhp. Too wide of a gap to generally compare across the board.

However the torque thrust is very similar to taking off in a jet but more so. It’s a very addictive feeling.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by closingtime »

SurfnSun wrote: Wed Apr 14, 2021 10:21 pm There are many variations of B2k performance.

My B2k made at the wheels what yours does at the crank...440/575 However an 87 B2k was about 300rwhp. Too wide of a gap to generally compare across the board.

However the torque thrust is very similar to taking off in a jet but more so. It’s a very addictive feeling.
Wow, that's huge power for the late 80's into 91. The previous owner was comparing his car to his friend's 90/91 AeroBody B2K.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by SurfnSun »

That 90-91 would be at the same performance level has mine with a simple exhaust swap. Turbo cars are on another level once you tinker with them the slightest amount. I picked up 40rwhp by going dual exhaust.
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Re: What do you think of this ad?

Post by *89x2* »

Having owned a car w/ an LPE 383 and also a couple of Callaway Corvettes, the Callaway's are more refined, and feel more drivable.

The LPE 383 was a bit more of a hot rod, but with the headers and big lift cam, it was loud, obnoxious (compared to the turbo cars) and crude. But fun! :thumbs I put over 50k mi. on the car/engine. Never an issue/problem outside of plug wires from those headers :frown
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