MotorWeek opens up the Callaway shooting-brake to let 757 horses out.
Every Corvette is special. It’s America’s sports car, after all. A shiny Corvette is often a life-changing motivator for young kids and a retirement present for kids at heart. However, not every Corvette is unique. Despite the popularity of Corvette owners customizing their cars, there are still quite a few identical Corvettes out there. For those seeking a Corvette that looks like no other, there’s the Callaway Corvette AeroWagen.
You can also call it a shooting brake, as MotorWeek‘s John Davis does in the video above. “Now the term ‘shooting-brake’ dates back to early 19th-century Britain. It described vehicles equipped to carry guns and dogs for hunting.” The only thing the car in the footage hauls is ass.
The AeroWagen package is available on the C7 Corvette Stingray, Grand Sport, and Z06 Coupes and replaces the original rear hatch, using the OEM hardware and latching mechanisms. Conversion parts include the hatch assembly, upper and rear spoilers, halo bar, tempered glass, and AeroWagen badging.
MotorWeek got the opportunity to test a 2017 Z06 model turned into a Callaway SC757 Z06 Corvette AeroWagen at the Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. As its mouthful of a name implies, the awesome oddity has a supercharged engine with 757 horsepower. Davis said, “Just breathe on the gas and the 757 horsepower pours out of the supercharged V8 for insane acceleration. Handling is phenomenal around the high-speed corners.”
It seems as if this breadvan can cook. Getting it requires quite a bit of dough. According to Davis, “Callaway’s dynamic AeroWagen treatment is available now, adding about 15 grand to a Corvette’s price, but the result is uniquely priceless.” Callaway offers a kit version of the AeroWagen for $13,115.
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.
