VIDEO: 650 HP LS7-Powered C2 Corvette Restomod Is No Show Queen

By Brett Foote - April 14, 2025

Though it could easily rack up awards anywhere, this C2 Corvette restomod was built to drive – and the owner is happy to do just that.

In recent years, easily one of the hottest trends we’ve seen emerge in the automotive world, in general, is the rise of the C2 Corvette restomod. This makes sense, of course, as the concept of meshing what is easily one of the best-looking vehicles ever conceived with modern mechanicals and amenities creates what many consider to be the perfect car of any kind. Trouble is, these C2 Corvette restomod builds continue to get fancier and pricier by the day, meaning that most wind up being shown off and, well, never driven. However, that isn’t the case with this high-horsepower creation built by a fellow named Tony from the outfit known as American Legends.

In this video from AutotopiaLA, we get the full rundown on this rather impressive C2 Corvette restomod, which was designed from the start to be driven – and driven hard. The project actually began with nothing more than a 1964 Corvette body that had already been chopped up and fitted with a ’63 style split-window, so it was essentially a blank canvas for Tony’s creative mind. Thanks to its narrower chassis setup, the C2 rolls on a set of massive three-piece Avant Garde wheels measuring 19×10 inches up front and 19×12.5 inches in the rear, wrapped around massive 275/35 front and 345/30 rear tires.

Wider fenders and quarters help make room for those massive meats as well, and give the C2 a much more aggressive appearance at the same time. American Legends sharpened the lines of the car, doing quite a bit of fiberglass work in the process, including grafting a ZR1 insert in the front fenders. There’s also a carbon-skinned rear bumper for looks, while the side exhaust has been Cerakoted, and the body is covered in a custom shade of gray for a more modern appearance, while the interior features a nice mix of new and old, to boot.

In terms of power, Tony yanked an LS7 from a newer Camaro Z/28, which has since been built up by the folks at Texas Speed. The naturally-aspirated mill churns out 645 horsepower at the crank, and is mated to a TR6060 manual gearbox and a Ford 9-inch rear end with an IRS setup built by Roadster Shop. That latter company also provided the chassis that this C2 Corvette restomod rides on – its Fast Track IRS, equipped with Wilwood brakes to slow things down. American Legends fabricated its own impressive exhaust setup, which consists of custom headers and a crossover pipe that ultimately exits from the sides.

Weighing in at just 3,100 pounds, that fortified LS7-powered C2 Corvette restomod certainly rips – and that’s what the owner does with it, even though the car is clearly capable of winning its fair share of trophies on the show circuit. In fact, this build is a nice reminder of why we create things like this in the first place – to drive and enjoy, and not just display like some sort of immobile art piece.