Discover the world of custom Corvettes from SEMA 2013 and get an up-close look at the incredible vehicles and vendors on display.
Today we are looking at the Vette Vues Magazine archives and Going Behind the Scenes of Corvettes at SEMA 2013. Wayne Ellwood covers the Custom Builds and Vendors from the 2013 event in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In this article covering Corvettes at SEMA 2013:
- 1964 CUSTOM by MANTIC – Miscellaneous outdoor display
- 1978 FORDETTE by FRP CUSTOMS AT SEMA 2013
- 2012 C6.R Race (press) Corvette
- 2013 C7 Bare Chassis Display
- 2013 Corvette “ATLANTIC” Convertible Concept
- 2013 Corvette GranTurismo Prototype
- 2013 Corvette “PACIFIC” Coupe Concept at SEMA 2013
- 2013 LSX 454 Crate Engine
- 1965 Corvette Custom: Allan Woodall Owner
- BONDURANT DRIVING SCHOOL
- CLASSIC REFLECTIONS COACHWORK
- EDELBROCK SUPERCHARGERS
- GOOD GUYS DISPLAY
- HAWK BRAKES
- HRE WHEELS
- LG MOTORSPORT AERO PARTS
- LINGENFELTER PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING
- NOWICKI MOTORSPORT
- STS TURBOCHARGER SYSTEMS
- TOYO TIRES
- TRANSFORMER MOVIE CAR # 4
- VOSSEN WHEELS
- WILWOOD BRAKES DISPLAY
Article and Photos by Wayne Ellwood as it appeared in Vette Vues Magazine in 2013.
1964 CUSTOM by MANTIC – Miscellaneous outdoor display
This yellow 1964 custom Corvette roadster by Mantic has only mild custom exterior touches, wheels from a C6, and a fully customized interior featuring a modified center stack. No additional details were provided.
1978 FORDETTE by FRP CUSTOMS AT SEMA 2013
1978 Candy Apple Red Corvette-Ford combo built by FRP Customs featured molded-in front and rear bumpers, with C6 headlights, C5 tail lights, and a diffuser. The hood is a modified high rise, and the doors open in a suicide fashion. Mechanically the car has Wildwood brakes, big MHT wheels, and matching tires in 255x35x20 (front) and 315x35x20 (rear). The engine is a 5.4 liter supercharged Ford modular engine with double overhead cams, a Tremec 5-speed transmission, and an 8.8 four-link Ford rear end.
2012 C6.R Race (press) Corvette
2012 marked the end of the C6.R for Corvette Racing. The new C7.R would be introduced to the racing community at Daytona in 2014. Despite being a lame-duck model, C6.R fans continue to gather around the banner.
2013 C7 Bare Chassis Display
The new C7 race car and the Z06 street car share the same production-based aluminum frame. However, the frames for the race car and production Z06 were built in-house at the Corvette’s Bowling Green (KY) assembly plant for the first time. The construction process leverages advanced manufacturing materials – such as laser welding, Flowdrill-machined fasteners, and a GM-patented aluminum spot-welding process – the production structure is significantly stronger than its predecessor
2013 Corvette “ATLANTIC” Convertible Concept
GM introduced the Blade Silver (convertible) Atlantic concept, featuring a new Carbon Flash Metallic front splitter, rocker extensions, rear lower diffuser, Fusion Gray headlamp housings, and hood accents. It is trimmed with a suede-wrap interior package. And, impressively, a fixed clear glass shield behind the seats to improve occupant comfort with the top down.
2013 Corvette GranTurismo Prototype
GM also revealed its Gran Turismo prototype….a tribute to the 15th anniversary of the Sony Play Station Gran Turismo driving simulation system. Painted in a dark flat blue paint and featuring more “add-ons” than a tweeny could hope for, this concept is not likely to find a home in the garages of customers; instead, its goal is to promote the brand among gamers.
2013 Corvette “PACIFIC” Coupe Concept at SEMA 2013
GM’s other geographically referenced concept was the Pacific coupe concept, equipped with a carbon fiber hood, a visible carbon-fiber weave on the removable roof panel, and a satin-black front splitter and rocker extensions. The Z51 rear spoiler is painted Carbon Flash Metallic with a Carbon Flash graphics package. The interior features a carbon fiber trim kit, along with the available Competition Sport seats and a flat-bottom steering wheel with a carbon fiber finish.
2013 LSX 454 Crate Engine
1965 Corvette Custom: Allan Woodall Owner
Allan Woodall’s 1965 Black Corvette was first seen at the Detroit Autorama in 2012. As with all the top-end customs, the features are too numerous to count but include the full custom treatment for both interior and exterior, center lock wheels, a big engine, and automatic transmission with paddle shift.
BONDURANT DRIVING SCHOOL
The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving is an American performance driving school specializing in instruction for high-performance driving, teen defensive driving, law enforcement and special forces driving, and open-wheel race car training.
CLASSIC REFLECTIONS COACHWORK
Classic Reflections Coachwork (CRC) introduced their newest product… a C2 body style on the C6 chassis. Owner Ken Marsden of Lakewood (WA) gave me details—the base version for $67 K, plus relevant taxes. The car shown was a customer car and was based on a new 2013 Limited Edition LS7 (Z-06) convertible and incorporates most of the CRC options, such as turbine wheels, side pipes, exposed carbon stinger hood, completely new interior, woodgrain steering wheel, etc., etc….total price adds to $135,000. CRC closed its doors in 2022, but some aspects of the business continue as smaller operations.
EDELBROCK SUPERCHARGERS
Edelbrock offers a series of supercharger kits at different levels of output and complexity. Using the Corvette as a display vehicle signals their confidence in using their powering enhancing systems in all levels of street and sporting cars.
GOOD GUYS DISPLAY
The Good Guys Rod & Custom Association is the world’s largest hot rod association and producer of America’s favorite car shows. They provide an annual event schedule that enables more enthusiasts nationwide to enjoy these automotive events.
HAWK BRAKES
Inside, the HAWK Performance Friction booth featured Mike Skeen’s # 12 SCCA World Challenge race car.
HRE WHEELS
HRE Performance Wheels used a Pearl White C7 to show off their wheels. One side of the car featured chrome wheels, while the other featured a bright Electric Blue set of five-spokes.
LG MOTORSPORT AERO PARTS
The LG Motorsport C7 was on display across the aisle from the ITT (Koni) booth…turns out that LGM has been contracted to help Koni with the prototyping of new shock absorbers for the C7, and Lou was emphasizing his new aero devices.
LINGENFELTER PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING
Lingenfelter Performance Engineering (LPE) is an American automotive engineering company specializing in high-performance automobile modifications, specifically engines and induction systems. Now headquartered in Brighton, Michigan, the company brings its latest creations to the annual SEMA show.
NOWICKI MOTORSPORT
The total Concept 7 package includes upgrades to the wheel, tires, brakes, and multiple carbon fiber enhancements, including a new heat extractor hood, carbon front grill center bar, fender gill inserts, rear taillight bezels, spoiler, lower diffuser, carbon A-pillar trim, rear quarter air intakes and carbon wheel house flares. The Brembo GT kit brake package is bigger, lighter, and gives more friction area. The wheels are 20 x 11 inch HRE Performance wheels on the rear with 9.5 x 20 fronts, and Michelin PSS (Pilot Super Sport) 305x30x20 and 275x30x20 front.
STS TURBOCHARGER SYSTEMS
Several smaller vendors/tuners were using Corvettes as their promotional vehicles. One of these is STS Turbo Systems. I took a moment to chat with some of the folks doing the development work for the C7. Not surprisingly, they report that it’s getting more and more difficult to package these systems on each successive stage of the Corvette. So, space seems to be getting tight.
TOYO TIRES
As one of the world’s larger tire manufacturers, Toyo sponsors many events at SEMA, including the Toy Walkway and their own tire displays.
TRANSFORMER MOVIE CAR # 4
The Corvette and Camaros used for the Transformer 4 movie by Michael Bay were on display in the Grand Lobby. This special green project was the culmination of the “transformer” series.
TS DIDIT DESIGNS: C7 WIDEBODIES
The original C7 widebody kit was designed by TS DESIGNS for FORGIATO Wheels and was their first show at SEMA in 2013. Since then, they have built several kits and full cars, but this style has remained fairly consistent throughout.
VOSSEN WHEELS
Every car model has different parameters and clearances for their wheels. For example, VOSSEN utilizes their Vehicle Tailored Engineering to optimize wheels for each vehicle, maximizing concavity and perfecting overall fit.
WILWOOD BRAKES DISPLAY
Wilwood Engineering designs and manufactures high-performance disc brake systems. Since the company’s inception in 1977 by Bill Wood, we have developed a substantial matrix of brake components and engineering techniques that allow us to quickly and reliably create brake systems for almost any application. Their core ability is rapidly developing custom-engineered brake systems using a combination of off-the-shelf and custom components.
We hope you enjoyed the Revisit of Corvettes at SEMA 2013 and explore the range of custom builds and vendors featured at the show. Stay tuned as we bring you more of Vette Vues SEMA archives over the next few months. Sign up for our e-News, so you are notified when the next segment comes out.
Check out Vette Vues’ latest blog posts, so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.
Enjoy Vette Vues’ Premium articles each month by subscribing to Vette Vues Magazine.
Every month, Vette Vues Magazine covers Corvette owners and Corvette events. Subscriptions are mailed right to your home or office. Stay up to date with all the latest Corvette news by Signing Up Today.
If you enjoy custom Corvettes, you are sure to enjoy our series, the History of Corvette Body Kits by generations:
- C1 Corvette Body Kits
- C2 Corvette Body Kits
- C3 Corvette Body Kits
- C4 Corvette Body Kits
- C5 Corvette Body Kits
- C6 Corvette Body Kits
- C7 Corvette Body Kits
While here, check out our online store for Corvette hats, T-shirts, bags & coolers, and books.