One thing’s for sure: You won’t see another 1963 Corvette quite like this one.
Known as “Solar Flare,” this wild yellow SEMA show car combines the unmistakable shape of a C2 Corvette with carbon fiber, modern suspension technology and a 660-horsepower 427 under its custom hood.
And if it catches your eye, it can be yours.
Solar Flare is currently being offered on Hemmings.com with an asking price of a whopping $350,000.
The Corvette was acquired in 2019 by the founder of Muscle Cars By Bob in Ohio and subsequently underwent a multi-year transformation. Virtually nothing escaped attention, from the body and interior to the drivetrain, suspension and brakes.
The finished product made its debut at the 2022 SEMA Show, where it was among the Top 15 nominees for the HRIA Design & Innovation Award. It was also a Top 5 finalist for Street Machine of the Year and a Goodguys Muscle Machine of the Year finalist. Hot Rod magazine featured the car in January 2023.
While Solar Flare remains recognizable as a ’63 Corvette, the body has been extensively reworked.
Changes include a hand-formed hood, custom trunk, revised nose and tail, widened wheel openings and unique side vents. Fiber Forged Composites fabricated numerous carbon-fiber pieces, including the removable roof panel, front splitter, rear spoiler, bumperettes, door handles and trim.
Among the most distinctive touches are slender recessed LED headlights surrounded by billet-aluminum bezels and custom side-exit exhaust.
Under that custom hood is an LS-based 427-cubic-inch V8 built around an RHS aluminum block. The naturally aspirated engine reportedly produced 660 horsepower and 596 lb-ft of torque before installation.
Power is sent through a Tremec T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission upgraded by Bowler Performance to Stage II specifications. A twin-disc clutch and GearFX Hammerhead rear end with a 3.55 Truetrac differential complete the drivetrain.
The chassis received equally serious attention.
Detroit Speed SpeedRay front and DecaLink rear suspension systems are combined with Viking double-adjustable coilovers and Hyperco springs. The Corvette rides on 18×11.5-inch Forgeline wheels and uses 14-inch Baer slotted disc brakes backed by a Bosch motorsports ABS system.
Inside, there’s little resemblance to a stock 1963 cockpit.
Trick Labs fabricated the custom dashboard and door panels, while Recaro seats were covered in black leather and gray suede with yellow stitching. A 12.3-inch Holley digital display, racing harnesses, roll bar, fire-suppression system and modern audio equipment complete the transformation.
Solar Flare is certainly not a Corvette for the purist.
But that was never the point.
Instead, its builders – who insist Solar Flare “represents the type of build that is difficult to duplicate at any price” – took one of Chevrolet’s most recognizable designs and reimagined virtually every part of it, creating a 660-horsepower C2 that looks as much like a concept car as something built more than six decades ago.
Now the question is whether someone thinks that one-of-a-kind look is worth $350,000.
Source:
Hemmings
Related:
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Corvettes for Sale: Non-Original 1963 Corvette Split Window with Questionable Body Mods Offered for $79,500 on eBay
Corvettes for Sale: 1966 Corvette Convertible Project Car on Bring a Trailer
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Interesting build, lotsa skilled work, but c’mon, it hardly “resembles a ’63 Corvette”. 😉
At least it justifies the asking price, unlike the average ’63.