Calaway Aerowagon

I would rather have the mazda wagon thing they are selling everywhere but the USA

My wife's grandpa worked his whole career at the Milford Proving Grounds. Started sweeping floors, worked his way up to technician, ended up being the guy who scheduled crash testing in their crash cells. Her great uncle was an endurance test driver for them during the 60's and drove corvettes among other things during their 24 hour high speed tests. Her grandpa still has some super slow motion crash footage of them crashing corvettes in the 70's in his attic. Despite all of that, they are a practical people and no one in the family has ever owned a corvette.

I love the idea, but I don't think they went far enough with it. Between this and this I'd like to see an even more squared-off back end. I Can understand how that would be pretty awkward without reworking the roofline, but as it is, I feel like it's a lot of money for a minor change.

Of course, this angle sells it better for those of us who like big butts and cannot lie.

The people at Callaway are very nice. The closest authorized Callaway dealer is in Oklahoma and I'm in Texas which makes things a little less than convenient. They did start taking orders officially last night, so this is a real thing.

Awesome. I love that.

Ignore the peons in the forums. It's an aesthetic question, and it pushes your buttons. If Callaway can do justice to the implementation, go for it. It'll keep its resale, stand out from a crowd and you dig it. Those are three good reasons right there.

And I dig that look as well. Has it had any aero testing or was it just styled? With the performance of that car, it's not an idle question.

I don't know about the aero testing though the order form clearly says that if you sign up now the final product may be different than what you've seen so far. You can send a car you have to Callaway, but it sounds like the preferred method is to have the car come directly from GM. At that point you can pick up the car from your dealer, directly from Callaway, or from the Corvette museum in Bowling Green. All of this is to say, it looks like they have some good blessing from GM and it wouldn't surprise me if the car ends up in their wind tunnel before it's all finalized. That's just speculation of course.
I'll remember to ask when I talk to them again.

True, and Callaway has been around for a long time. I don't see anything with his name being sub-par.

For reference sake:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8dI-47Z2hI

They were also the constructor for the FIA GT3 C6 corvette and have been approved by GM to do the same for the C7. Somebody working for them must be good at this whole car thing.

What I find the most endearing about the 'shooting brake' design comes from the form-follows-function increase in useful space. And that's where I kept hitting a wall in trying understand this car. But I have subsequently realized that as long as I think of it like stanced cars and brodozers, it makes a lot more sense. As purely an image and styling statement derived from functional ideas, but without necessarily possessing the original functionality, it certainly makes a strong visual statement. And while it's sometimes difficult to admit, that characteristic alone is something worth enjoying...Especially when everything else about it is still a Corvette.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Meh, it's kinda cool. I like shooting brakes, but the extra price wouldn't be worth it for me. I love the C7's appearance and stats. I'd go for Stingray with the performance package and call it a day. The bang for the buck factor is pretty good.

I'm looking at just the performance package and the sport seats. I'm a skinny guy.
My GM dealer contact is out of town until next week. He's the husband of a co-worker of my wife and I've bought from him before. I'm going to see if I can order a car through him that can get shipped to Callaway or if I really have to go through a Callaway dealer. If I was getting one of the cars that has the engine heavily breathed on, it might make sense, but this is just a mild rebody. A re-hatch really.
I can't tell you why this car stirs me so emotionally that I'm trying to buy one. I appreciate the Stingray, but I didn't want to buy one until this.

That's great man...I hope you get it. Ordeing ANY new vette, much less a Callaway modified one, would be a great experience.

Damn son, that thing is awesome!!

Lemme see...by time the price of used ones drop to my affordability level, I'll be....well, probably dead. So much as for ever owning one.

Drool!!!!!!!! I like it.

I'll keep this updated as I try to work my way through the process. There's still a lot of ways this might not happen, but as of right now, they're going to build the cars, and I have the $ and the permission to buy one.
I'll have to work my way through an actual order form, but I'm not planning on a lot of options. I haven't decided about the magnetic dampers yet. It also sounds like I can take delivery at a dealer (boring) at either Callaway facility (interesting) or at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green (also interesting) Fly and drive just seems like the right thing to do quite honestly.

Never driven one, but I'd be very tempted by the magnetic dampers. The theory is excellent and I've heard good things.

I like it.

mazdeuce wrote: Her grandpa still has some super slow motion crash footage of them crashing corvettes in the 70's in his attic.

Must have had a pretty big attic.

mazdeuce wrote: I'll keep this updated as I try to work my way through the process. There's still a lot of ways this might not happen, but as of right now, they're going to build the cars, and I have the $ and the permission to buy one. I'll have to work my way through an actual order form, but I'm not planning on a lot of options. I haven't decided about the magnetic dampers yet. It also sounds like I can take delivery at a dealer (boring) at either Callaway facility (interesting) or at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green (also interesting) Fly and drive just seems like the right thing to do quite honestly.

I think picking up at the museum would be really cool. The museum alone is well worth visiting. If you pick up there you would more than likely have an audience of localish GRM members show up to watch if you don't mind. I know I'd love to see one of those in person.

What color are you thinking?

Build it and they will come.

I can't tell you why this car stirs me so emotionally that I'm trying to buy one. I appreciate the Stingray, but I didn't want to buy one until this.

Well, you've got til Jan.1 to see if your feelings change. Even if you still end up wanting it, i think that waiting period is a really great thing. I never regret taking the time to make a well-thought-out decision, even if it ends up looking the same as my original impulse.

No. Berk no.

Callaway would like me to go through the closest certified dealer, which is in Norman Oklahoma. I would prefer to go through a friend who is head of fleet sales at a very big local dealer here in Houston and has been really good to work with in the past. We'll see which option pans out. It looks like there is currently about a two month wait on having a car built by Chevrolet, and then there is whatever time it takes Callaway to bolt on their bits and pieces. Not a quick process.