Dubbed the Callaway Corvette C7 GT3-R, the new race
car made its official debut at the Hockenheimring track in Germany as a
successor to the Corvette C6-based Callaway Z06.R GT3.
Set to hit the track in official racing events in
2016, the GT3.R was built to meet all FIA rules and regulations, meaning it is
eligible for the GTLM class of the United SportsCar Championship, the Blancpain
Endurance Series, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Per GT3-R rules, the car retains some of the
features of the stock Corvette C7, but it only takes a peek to realize that the
GT3.R was built with track performance in mind. Much like Chevy’s very own
racer, the C7.R, the GT3-R employs an aggressive aerodynamic kit consisting of
heavily modified bumpers, fenders, side sills, and a massive wing atop the
trunk lid. However, Callaway’s version is significantly different than the C7.R
at close inspection. While the latter retains the road car’s bumper
configuration, the GT3-R features an entirely different grille that extends
farther to the ground. The headlamps bear a closer resemblance to the road car.
Callaway Competition had nothing to say about the
car’s interior, but the photos reveal an FIA-spec cockpit stripped of all the
convenience features you’d find in a stock Corvette. Sure, the dashboard and
the center console are still there to remind us the GT3-R is based on the C7,
but other than that, it’s a full-fledged racing cabin.
While the GTE-class C7.R has to use an updated
version of the C6.R’s 5.5-liter V-8, Callaway’s Vette has a 6.2-liter V-8 under
its hood. The mill is based on the standard Corvette’s LT1 small-block, but has
been tweaked to deliver 600 horsepower. All that oomph travels to the rear
wheels through a six-speed, X-Trac sequential gearbox operated with paddle
shifters placed behind the steering wheel. Not much else is known about the
drivetrain, but the GT3-R should be incredibly fast on the track. Probably the
quickest race-spec C7 developed as of yet.
