Over the last 12 months that the C7 has been on the market, the car has gone from a hard to tune, love-it-or-hate-it new kid on the block to a coveted and well-respected all-around performer.
With tuners finally cracking the code in the OEM software, things are really starting to get interesting. From simple all-motor applications to twin-turbo standing-mile cars, shops all over the country are putting their own twist on the latest Corvette, and C7 owners are having a ball being the hottest things going.
Just the other day, our friends at Late Model Racecraft (LMR) have built and tuned a 2014 C7 Stingray Z51 to the tune of 1200 hp – enough to put in right at the top of the list of fastest Stingrays on the road today! As it stands, the C7 owned by Scott Brown of Oklahoma is the official fastest example out there – clocking in at 9.39 at 155 mph in the 1320′!
Wanting to get a closer, firsthand look, we stopped by LMR’s shop in Houston, Texas to see what it takes to build a record-setting C7. LMR’s President, Steven Fereday, gave us the tour and filled us in on the details.
Featuring LMR’s latest C7 performance upgrade package, the Corvette utilizes a 416ci. bored and stroked LT1, stuffed with an LMR-spec’d custom-grind turbo camshaft, and LMR CNC-ported heads fastened down with ARP head bolts. The boost is adjusted through an AMS 2000 boost controller that Scott can dial in 650-, 750-, 850-, 1000- and 1100-horsepower settings!
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- There are a few subtle hints of the power within throughout the car.
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- Gotta flaunt it!
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- At first glance, the interior look completely stock…
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- This C7 is equipped with the Z51 Performance Package.
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- …it slides down like other C7s, but in the hidden compartment is the AMS 2000 boost controller.
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- If you look closer at the NAV screen…
Not stopping there, is an LMR twin-turbo kit paired with an air-to-water intercooler. Sitting directly behind the stroker LT1, is a Circle-D 3200-stall converter, Century Transmissions-fortified 6L80E, and a set of Driveshaft Shop CV axles. In the rear hatch, you’ll find the fuel cell that partly consists of the LMR-exclusive 1500hp-capable “custom fuel system.”
Scott’s C7 also relies on a custom exhaust system that utilizes the OEM mufflers, that when installed, helps the Stingray remain just as quiet as it had when it left the dealership. to only does it add a “sleeper” effect to the car’s persona, but it also helps keep the constables off your back. Well, as much as any other red Corvette would, anyway.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the run was made on stock front wheels and Toyo 888 tires, with a pair of C5 Z06 wheels wrapped in 305/35/18 Mickey Thompson Drag Radials out back. For normal street driving, Scott switches them out for the stockers and 888s.
No matter what form of racing you’re into, or if you just want a quick street car in the form of a C7, Late Model Racecraft has multiple performance packages available for you.
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
