Callaway Cars Inc. is an American specialty vehicle manufacturer and engineering company that designs, develops and manufactures high performance product packages for cars, pickup trucks and SUV's. They specialize in Corvettes and GM vehicles. New GM vehicles are delivered to Callaway facilities where these special packages and components are installed. Then the vehicles are delivered to GM new car dealers where they are sold to retail customers, branded as Callaway. Callaway Cars is one of four core Callaway Companies, including Callaway Engineering, Callaway Carbon and Callaway Competition.
C4 (RPO B2K Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette)
The special edition Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette was available from 1987 to 1991 as Regular Production Option (RPO) B2K and could be ordered from select dealers in the US. Corvette orders with the B2K option selected were shipped to Callaway Cars in Old Lyme, Connecticut, for the Twin Turbo conversion directly from the Bowling Green assembly plant.
Once converted and tested, the Callaway Corvettes were then shipped to their ordering dealers for final delivery to their respective owners. Dealer repairs of the Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes were covered by the standard GM 12 mo./12,000 mile warranty, with Callaway Cars, Inc. reimbursing dealers for time and materials on repairs to the added components. This was the only time where GM has allowed a factory orderable non-GM performance enhancement on the Corvette.
The ultimate Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette is known as the Sledgehammer Corvette. Until 1999, the Callaway Sledgehammer Corvette held the World Street Legal speed record of 254.76 mph (410.00 km/h). It is an emissions compliant, street legal vehicle, with all the creature comforts like Air Conditioning, Radio, etc. that customer would find in any production street Corvette. Built using production chassis 1988-051, it achieved its World Record Title in November 1988 at the Ohio Transportation Research Center (TRC). In addition to Callaway's engine performance improvements, the Sledgehammer Corvette used modified body panels to reduce drag and improve stability.
This body modification, known as the Callaway AeroBody was designed by Automotive Designer Paul Deutschman. The Callaway AeroBody was later available as an appearance enhancement option for Callaway Corvettes beginning in the 1989 model-year.
On the performance side, the 1987 production version of the Callaway Twin Turbo, B2K option provided 345 hp (257 kW) and 465 lb⋅ft (630 N⋅m) of torque, with a top speed of 178 mph (286 km/h), at a price of just over $50K. In those days, this brought the Callaway Corvette into the performance category of Ferrari and Lamborghini which cost in the range of $100–$175K. According to National Corvette Museum records, 188 Corvettes were built that model year, with the Callaway Twin Turbo (B2K) option on 167 cars.
As a footnote to 1987 production, one 1986 Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette was built at the very start of production. This sole 1986 Callaway Corvette, was built using one of the (fifty) Malcolm Konner Commemorative Edition Corvette Coupes (RPO Code 4001ZA) built that year and counted under 1986 Callaway Corvette production.
For 1988, Callaway increased the stock performance of the Twin Turbo Corvette to yield 382 hp (285 kW) and 562 lb⋅ft (762 N⋅m) of torque. That year, 125 Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes were built, with 105 ordered with the RPO B2K option.
The 1989 Callaway Twin Turbo option provided the same power output as the 1988. However, after the World Record run of the Callaway Sledgehammer, the AeroBody became an option for the Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette. A total of 51 (B2K) Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes were ordered that year with a total of 68 cars produced.
In 1990, GM finally introduced their ZR-1 Corvette which obtained similar performance characteristics as the 1989 Callaway Twin-Turbo option. Although power was up to 390 hp (291 kW) and 562 lb⋅ft (762 N⋅m) of torque, 1990 saw the lowest number of (B2K) Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes ordered with 59 with only 58 actually built.
To counter the ZR-1, for the 1991 model year, Callaway was able to bring up the output of the B2K option up to 403 hp (301 kW) and 582 lb⋅ft (789 N⋅m) of torque. 1991 would be the last year of the L98 engine which was the base engine of the Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette. There were 62 ordered in this last year of Twin Turbo production. In total 497 (B2K) Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes were ordered through the normal sales channels. However, before the Callaway Twin Turbo option went away, Callaway and Deutschman went to work to provide yet a more powerful and stunning car, the Callaway Speedster. A small amount of the final twin turbo cars and the Speedsters (10 Series 1 Speedsters w/ L98 Twin Turbo) were designated 500 Series Callaway Twin Turbo Corvettes. These unique cars came with OZ Racing wheels and Bridgestone Potenza tires, a "500 Series" dash plaque, "500 Series" intercooler badge, special car bra, car cover and floor mats.
Regarding the "production" of the Callaway Sledgehammer, Reeves Callaway used a production Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette, 1988-051, to be precise. The car was, in fact, a production car, with all options found in other Corvettes the same model-year.
Source: Wikipedia
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