Sledgehammer question.
 

I was looking up info about the Sledgehammer and some of the performance numbers caught my attention. Nearly 900 horsepower and 780 ft/lbs torque, but the 0-60 is only 4 seconds, with a 1/4 time of 10.6? It seems like it should be faster than that running those numbers. Maybe the gearing was more for the top speed?

Gearing for sure, and I'm sure it wasn't easy getting traction in the 1/4 mile.

:iagree:

Yeah, it's all about putting the power down. John Meaney's 91 with over 1000hp ran a low 11 1/4 mile...at 154mph though!

Are there any specs on what exactly they did to the sledgehammer to give it those power numbers? Tire width, etc. Curious, for perhaps a later in life goal.

This is a great video, check it out! Really sums up their project!:thumbs:

Cool vid. Good info! :thumbs:

Start with a 6k tpi corvette... Add turbo then.... i donno lol

It's real easy to over rev a turbo engine in first gear. It's often best to get it rolling and then go for second gear. The turbo takes over in the higher gears.

love that video:thumbs:

10.6 for a street car that they drove to the track and then went 250 MPH with is amazing if you ask me.:thumbs:

Absolutely amazing, no doubt. Makes the Veyron look less impressive if you ask me, I just personally thought the quarter time seemed low.

My only question to the whole sledgehammer project was if it was so great of a car why was only '1' made and why did callaway instead mass-produce the much slower aerobody TT car?

We didnt have the internet to discuss mods so this kind of performance was more 'mysterious' and difficult for us backyard mechanics to figure out and achieve. Especially the computer re-tuning part of it. I wouldnt have known where to start back then.

Callaway claims they offered to build another one, at a cost of 300k or 400k (cant remember). In 1988, people were plucking 400k on slower-performing ferrari f40's that were supposed to retail for 250k. So people had the money and would have paid it for that kind of unbelievable streetable performance (think cats, A/C).

The fact that I, a diehard corvette guy, never heard of this car until 1991 is evidence that it was not marketed properly. Had it been marketed properly, especially in the boom-time economy of the late 80s, seems like they could have sold hundreds. Look at the Bugatti Veyron. Ballers, professional sports figures, entertainers, actors, executives, etc. idolize those and have the means to get one.

Had Callaway mass-produced this vehicle, their sales would have continued strong instead of fizzling out as the c4 zr-1 hit the market.

I think it was because nobody wanted to pay that for a corvette.
And it is a tpi vette so its only worth 6k like all the others's lmao

I know the look has been copied, but has the performance?

Dude... you have some sort of tpi inferiority thing don't you? :leaving:

Ive seen you beat this "poor marketing" drum to death and you honestly have no idea what youre talking about. Even the slower B2k Aerobody TT was still close in top speed to the F40 for $330k+ less money. 191 vs 200mph

You must not have been reading magazines back then. That car was EVERYWHERE.

Are we forgetting the stock market crashed in 87...not exactly boom time. Sell hundreds of $400k cars? :lol: Right.

Exactly how does a very small company that builds 100 cars a year market against billion dollar GM? Funny to even think about especially considering they were both selling Corvettes. Go surf eBay a little and look at all the magazine ads and dealer brochures that were available around 1988. Considering the size of the company they did very well.

Callaway cars were and are built to order. Yes they will build a car and use it as a marketing tool, but what private business owner in their right mind would build a bunch of unsold $400k cars and hope they sell? Oh I can think of a big name builder that did......they are out of business now.

I agree. I personally love my TPI L98. Value is in the eye of the owner. If he's all pissy he doesn't have an LS1 in his C4, that's his issue. All C4s have engines with pros and cons.

Mine is a tpi im just being an ass.
Because everybody seems to think the value of all tpi vettes are 6k
No matter what shape there in.