C5 Corvette Goes Completely Carbon Fiber, Loses 287 lbs.

Do you think it’s outrageous to spend $100,000 to mod a $20,000 C5 Corvette? What if that $100,000 is spent swapping all the car’s fiberglass body panels for carbon fiber pieces?

Even if you still think it’s outrageous, come on, admit it — it’s pretty damn cool, isn’t it?

Still unconvinced? Alright, let’s take the money out of the picture for just a minute, and focus on some other numbers. C5 Corvettes weigh about 3,245 lbs. This carbon fiber conversion lifts 287 lbs. away from the C5 like OxyClean lifts ghastly stains. If you were reading that last sentence while doing the math (and maybe thinking about your laundry), then let me just confirm it for you. This beast is feathery at 2,958 lbs.

Imagine that: a sub-3,000-pound Corvette. Excuse me while I clap like this for 47 seconds:

A Greek company called Carbon Fiber Customs is responsible for this conversion, and the redness in my hands. In addition to their C5 getting carbon fiber body panels, the A- and B-pillars get carbon replacements, too. It all comes together in a package that the fifth-gen Corvette wears well.

How long does it take to carbon-fiber the hell out of a C5? Oh nothing. Just 800 man hours over the course of three months. Multiply that by $100 per hour, and that’s 80 Gs in labor. Forum member nskyline34 has calculated a parts cost of $24,320, so my $100,000 estimate may be somewhat conservative. Scratch that. It’s more like wishful thinking.

Enlighten the discussion on the forum. >>