If you had a brand new, shiny C4 Corvette back in 1990, you were hands down, the man! Since its arrival on the scene, the Corvette has pretty much been the yard stick of comparison no matter what era you’re looking at.
Needless to say as times change, so does what is considered “fast.” In the scheme of things, the 245hp L98 power plant that the ’90 Corvette was fitted with off of the assembly line isn’t really a competitive force in today’s performance landscape. Many commuter cars make close to that in a much more efficient manner now in 2015.
In the name of bringing the classic up to speed to once again make it the respected beast that it was in 1990, the car would receive an LS7 engine, GM’s most powerful naturally aspirated, mass-produced configuration.
To sweeten the pot, a few other goodies like a Katech Torquer 110 camshaft with only the best supporting mods and Melrose LSX swap stainless steel headers with a full exhaust were included in the build. Behind all of the power sits a 6-speed T-56 Magnum which is also among the best there is for a manual shifting GM application.
To keep the heart of the beast cool, oiling and cooling upgrades include ARE Stage 1 dry sump system with a custom dry sump tank and Katech high capacity scavenge topped off with CNC ported oil pump. At the front of the car, a heavy-duty radiator and dual fans aid in the constant battle with high temperatures.
Needless to say, after all of this work, this machine is far from the Corvette that it once was in 1990. Check out the insane swap gallivanting about, terrorizing the streets in the video above. If you’re thinking about making your own bad boy C4, it also goes into a bit more detail on what the owner added to make this conversion a monumental success! While we’re not given an exact power figure, we would imagine that this build makes over 500hp to the rear tires, not bad when you’re looking at 1990 in the rear view.
Jesse is currently a senior at the University of Delaware and has been around cars his entire life. From a GTO and a C5 Corvette, to a CTS-V and a C6 Z06, he’s always seemed to have his fingers in LS performance. He is a student by day and a YouTuber and automotive journalist by night!
