Callaway Cars Inc. is an engine design company who is notable for their modification of Chevrolet cars, the Corvette sport cars in particular, especially their twin-turbo kit that became a dealer option and their record breaking Corvette Sledgehammer car. Over the years, Callaway developed turbocharger kits for BMW, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. He also developed the HH IndyCar V8 engine and later a twin turbo kit for the Alfa Romeo GTV6. The company would become famous in 1987 when they developed a twin turbo kits for the Corvette. As they were dealer options, Callaway sold 500 of them over a preiod of five years.
Callaway was also commissioned by Aston Martin to build the 5.3L V8 engine from the newly launched Virage for its AMR1 Group C racer. Callaway Cars headquarters is in Old Lyme, Connecticut with West Coast facilities in Orange County, California, and European facilities in Leingarten, Germany. Its current project is the C16, a supercharged C6 Corvette.
The Callaway C16, based on the C6 Corvette, is the road going version of the GT3 racing car and is the second Callaway Corvette to be built by Callaway. The C16 is marketed as an alternative to the Porsche 911 GT3, the Lamborghini Murciélago, the Ferrari F430 or the 599 GTB and is offered in three different body style, Cabrio, Coupé and Speedster. It was unveiled at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show in 2006. The car is sold with a host of options and like numerous supercars, it offers carbon ceramic braking systems and semi-automatic paddle-shift transmission. Like the C12, the only body part the car retain of the standard C6 is the roof panel and the rear hatch as well as its lights.
After the Car and Driver test event, which Callaway drove a specially modified Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette (C4), known as the "Top Gun" project to the best of 231 mph (372 km/h), winning the test run. A production Callaway managed a best of, 187.95 mph (302.48 km/h). As Callaway wanted to take the record further into 250 mph (402 km/h) with the car being docile during traffic, he developed the SledgeHammer Corvette, to allow airflow into the engine, he commissioned Paul Deutschman of Deutschman Design to develop the Callaway Aerobody for stability. The engine was extensively hand built with its turbo intercoolers being relocated from either side of the intake manifold to the front, behind the bumper. Overall engine power was rated at 898 horsepower @ 6200 rpm with 772 ft·lbf (1,047 N·m) of torque @ 5250 rpm. The car retained its road car amenities such as power windows and locks, Bose radio, electronic air conditioning and, power sport seats with all necessary race car modifications such as roll cage. Driven by John Lingenfelter, the car reached 254.76 mph (410 km/h) mph at the Transportation Research Center, Ohio and was driven back to Old Lyme. The Aerobody would become commercially available this would become the first of tis partnership with Deutschman, in which he also designed its later models such as Speedster, SuperNatural, C7 and C12.
