Lingenfelter Performance Engineering is one of the country’s premier LSx and LTx aftermarket performance specialist, but how will their C7 Corvette fitted with a nice little blower stand up to a C4 Corvette? That’s an easy one right? Well, what if we told you that this particular 1985 C4 Corvette was something a bit out of the ordinary and would actually prove to be a challenge for the young, muscular C7?
This particular C4 has been a project for a long while now and is currently stripped down to the bare frame and has been transformed into a 2,100-lb. handling machine, much like a go-kart. The old 350 that used to reside in the ’85 has been replaced with a bone stock ’91 truck bottom end with high-flowing heads and a COMP cam making 350 hp and 361 lb-ft.
It’s a simple build, but when combined with the weightlessness of its new home, the power will more than suffice. After slapping a cage on the car and beefing up a few minor things such as the brakes, the C4 Corvette-Kart was ready to roll out with new life and see how it would do against the beast incarnate in the Lingenfelter C7.
Now, you’re probably thinking that such a light platform would have a definite power to weight advantage over the newer, much heavier C7, but that most certainly isn’t so. The Lingenfelter car belts out 640 hp via the use of an Edlebrock supercharger making 6-psi. with full bolt-ons. Even though it weighs in at about 2,000-lbs more than the hacked-up C4, making twice the power still gives the healthy young steed a slight advantage in the power to weight category.
Now that you know what lies beneath, all that’s left to do is get this duo out on the track. The C7 would go first to set the bar. A couple of laps around the track yielded a best 1:34.50 lap time. Will the modified remnants of the C4 be able to stand up to the Lingenfelter Super-‘Vette?
We won’t spoil the surprise for you. Check out the episode of “Roadkill” above to find out for yourself. Stay tuned after the showdown for some tire slaying burnout madness and a little bit of Corvette off-roading like you’ve never seen before!
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!
