Feature: Golden Bullet
April 1, 2004
Dick Guldstrand has been racing and modifying Corvettes for 48 years. Though his
business interests have widened considerably, he can still be found at his
Guldstrand Motor Productions shop, dressed in a white lab coat and getting his
hands dirty as America’s foremost Corvette tuner.
; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Guldstrand’s idea of a 50th anniversary Corvette needed at least 500 hp
extracted from 427 cubic inches. (Click image to enlarge)We met over iced tea in
his office, where he was signing copies of his book on Corvette racing history,
Corvette Thunder: 50 Years of Corvette Racing 1953–2003. “We started in 1998,
talking to the factory about what their plans were concerning the 50-year car.
You know that that is a major milestone, and the car should be something
special, but the factory had no plans!” he says. “There were the usual budget
and time-constraint excuses.” The factory version of the 50th anniversary
Corvette had only special badges, colors, and shocks—not much of a celebration
in Guldstrand’s eyes. “This is America’s most famous car. We wanted something
that would be noticed and enjoyed: the way it feels, sounds, smells; the fit of
the seats. All this is part of the performance of the car, and when you drive
it, it should put a big grin on your face.”; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Built on the capable Z06 as the
base, Guldstrand’s task was to improve the Corvette’s performance without
compromising it in any way. This was quite a challenge when the starting point
just happened to be one of the best-performing sports cars available at any
price. But Guldstrand did not need a numerologist to know what the Z06 needed to
celebrate 50 years of production: 427 cubic inches and over 500 hp. (Click image to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Working
with Katech Engineering—the engine builder for the factory racing
Corvettes—Guldstrand saw that the Z06 350 engine was sleeved, bored, and stroked
to 427. Of course, the engine had to be 50-state legal, it had to idle in
traffic without overheating while running the air-conditioning, and it had to
produce 500 hp. With all criteria met, the engine was installed into a nicely
modified Corvette Z06 chassis. (Click image to enlarge)
Driving this Guldstrand Anniversary Corvette is a special experience. The
Z06’s personality has been amplified and given an edge. With a world-class
horsepower rating and over 500 ft lbs of torque available from 1,800 rpm through
5,700 rpm, driving the car is very easy. You can run around in town all day
without ever leaving third gear, should your left foot become too lazy to push
the low-effort clutch pedal. However, this is no big, lazy engine. With a very
lightweight flywheel, it revs willingly and quickly. Hammering the throttle
requires careful thought and good depth perception, as acceleration is immediate
and brutal. Sixty mph arrives in less than 4 seconds and the quarter-mile in
12.4 seconds, accompanied by a sonorous bellow that only comes from a big block
V-8.
advertisement
