True to his word, Vint waited one year to the day and then took the C5 to the masterminds at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering for some unique fabrication. Keeping the epidermis of the Corvette the same, a LPE prefabricated mini-tub kit was installed, opening up the rear wheelwells considerably.
Once the Z06 returned home, a set of HRE wheels allowed for massive meats in the rear and a more aggressive stance, setting the Electron Blue coupe apart from the crowd. Wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sports 275/30/18s in front and 345/30/19s in the rear, Vint had Baer Eradispeed two-piece rotors slipped on with the factory Z06 ceramic brakes to handle the stopping. The ride height was lowered both front and back, dropping the Corvette into the weeds.
With the outside tweaked only slightly, Vint opted for some custom highlights in the interior. Lloyd's embroidered Z06 floor mats, a custom-crafted dual gauge pod featuring Auto meter Cobalt fuel pressure and boost gauges adorn the driver's A-pillar, as well as a FJO wideband O2 meter that keeps tabs on the engine's many vitals. Blue LED lighting illuminates the cabin as well as the lighted stainless door sill guards with the Corvette logo. Vint shelled out extra bucks for the XM radio option from the factory. The remainder of the factory interior was left alone, as the original black leather seats and panels were tastefully done the first time. The manual M6 six-speed transmission didn't require any reworking, so he installed a Breathless Performance Products shifter marked by a shorter throw and topped with a Momo contoured knob.
When it came time to make this Vette a bona fide street screamer, Vint wanted to do it all himself. Pulling the Corvette into the garage, he began pulling apart the top end of the LS6. He had already acquired a pair of signature Lingenfelter valve covers when he had the mini-tubs installed, but it was a newly ordered Magnuson intercooled supercharger that would now reside betwixt the new rocker covers. The factory intake was extracted and shelved and replaced with the beautifully polished blow-dryer. Following the factory instructions word-for-word, he secured the intercooler to the core support, plumbed it to the intake, attached the new wire looming, and connected the aforementioned gauge pod to the newly reborn powerplant.
Some of the more meticulous fine-tuning had to be done by professionals, so Vint took the Z06 to a nearby tuner shop, where the final result rendered an additional 140 hp to the rear wheels with the boost only turned up mildly.
Now there was only one problem: the hood wouldn't close over the roots-style supercharger. Jim Bayne of Killer Ridez in Seagoville, Texas, was contacted for help in giving the blown-LS6 some more headroom. A new hood was crafted, painted to match the factory paint, and bolted to the clam-shell hinges.
The stylish marriage of classic Sting Ray and new-generation Corvette is seamless on Vint and Katrina's Electron Blue Z06. but it's not the aesthetics that turns so many heads, it's the roar of the big exhaust and the big fat tires hazing sticky trails down the boulevard.