1998 Callaway C12 Corvette Coupe

The Callaway C12 Corvette was produced from 1997 through 2001 and were production cars built to compete in the GT2 class at Le Mans. A C12 took pole position at Le Mans in 2001.
The C12 was constructed with the assistance of German engineering and development company IVM. It was fitted with a 346 cubic-inch dual overhead cam aluminum V8 engine capable of producing 440 horsepower. There was a six-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel Alcon disc brakes. There was an independent suspension via traverse leaf springs, coil springs and tubular shock absorbers. The aerodynamic bodywork was formed from carbon fiber and Kevlar. The interior was completely new.

This Callaway C12 is the first example ever constructed. Before being sent to its original owner, the car served as Reeves Callaway's personal development, engineering and road-test car. It was featured in a number of road tests for the automotive magazines. It was on the cover of the 1998 Road & Track and Motor Trend. Its first owner was Otis Chandler, who later purchased a second C12 car - this time a convertible.

The car has currently covered fewer than 1,000 miles since new and is still capable of racing from zero-to-sixty in just 4.2 seconds. The top speed is achieved at nearly 190 mph.

In 2009, this supercar C12 was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Scottsdale, Arizona where it was offered without reserve and estimated to sell for $80,000 - $110,000. The lot was sold for the sum of $57,200, including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2009