There’s a value to the opinion of the layman. If you’re the manufacturer of a product, it can certainly give you a boost of confidence. However, to companies such as Caravaggio Corvettes, the judgment of people who actually own and buy Corvettes is more useful and valuable.
Supporting vendor and forum member John@CaravaggioCorvettes recently showed one of his latest projects to you all, a knowledgeable group of Corvette enthusiasts. The response he received to his company’s Z06 conversion was overwhelmingly positive.
Caravaggio’s creation features a ton of great mechanical parts, such as an Edelbrock E-Force supercharger, ported heads, a different cam, and headers.
Even though the Z06 exterior is made up of a matte-black version of Caravaggio’s Stage 2 aero kit, a proprietary Z06 hood, and a “big mouth vent,” it has a certain European touch: its Ferrari-inspired creamy white paint. In fact, John said, “We used a 599 Aperta that had the same color combo as the bench mark.”
You can clearly see that prancing horse’s influence on the design of the seats. They’re just two eye-catching parts of a beautiful brown and cream cockpit that’s accented with carbon fiber and Alcantara carpeting. Those attractive colors, high-end materials, and Caravaggio’s craftsmanship came together to get a good deal of the praise for this special ‘Vette. We have no trouble seeing why.
Now we want to see what kind of power this stunner puts down. Please let us know, John!
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
