[VIDEO] Building Dave Kindig’s V12-Powered ‘Cadillac Corvette’ CF1 Fastback

Mar 29, 2026

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[VIDEO] Building Dave Kindig's V12-Powered 'Cadillac Corvette' CF1 Fastback

Car customizer Dave Kindig was the star of the TV show Bitchin’ Rides and for 11 seasons we watched as he was able to make his customer’s dream cars come to life. He also found time to work on his own dream car, and that became the start of his series of customized C1 Corvettes called the CF1.

While we tend to group cars like the CF1 into the growing Corvette restomod segment, these highly specialized custom Corvettes are actually much more than just taking an old worn-out Corvette and reviving it with modern mechanics. Dave took the CF1s to the next level with a custom chassis, a fully carbon fiber body which was enhanced for taller (and larger) drivers and he added all the high-end customizations for the engine bay and interior that his show cars were known for.

While he’s done a number of CF1 roadsters, his greatest achievement was a four-year build which culminated in winning the prestigious Ridler award with the “Twelve-Air” at the 2024 Detroit Autorama. That car was based on the 1954 Corvair Motorama concept and is powered by a stunning 650-horsepower V12.

In this recent video posted to YouTube, we see his crew now working on another CF1 Coupe project and this one will be powered by a Cadillac V12 engine. Dave shows off some drawings of this “Cadillac Corvette” as he calls it and says the following:

“GM was known for doing different concept vehicles for like Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and they actually even did some Cadillacs. Pretty ugly if you ask me. But what I wanted to do is create if they had done a concept Cadillac on the platform of Corvette, what might that look like?”

Car guys like Dave Kindig and Chip Foose have an almost uncanny ability to visualize their dream cars and then do all the custom fabrication and design work that brings them to life. Check out this new video from the Kindig-it Design’s YouTube channel for a glimpse of just how much thought and then work goes into these custom builds.

From Kindig-it Design Official via YouTube:

V12 engine in a Cadillac styled Corvette, with help from Dave’s Auto Center? Yes, this is episode has a lot going on. Dave Kindig is always changing things up and his production line of Carbon Fiber Corvettes are top of the market, but he is ready to start customizing