Like its silver-hued stablemate, the red '02 is definitely for experienced drivers only, as Steve heard from its previous owner, who drove it home after it was built. "He had it built at Lingenfelter, then shipped to Barrett-Jackson for show," Steve says. "He drove it from Barrett-Jackson in Arizona to his place in Palm Beach, Florida, and displayed it in his living room until he sold it. He never drove it." Steve says that's because of a high-speed "misadventure" that could have been worse. "He said he was doing 100 when he hit it, and it broke loose on him. So, he put the fear into me. He said, 'Do not drive the car, Steve! Do not drive it!'" Steve adds that it really isn't as tricky to drive as that prior owner made it out to be, but-just like the silver wide body-you can get sideways in it real quick.
Speaking of stablemates, these two Corvettes are just two of four serial #001 cars that Steve owns. "I've got the first wide body, the first Lingenfelter 427, the first Guldstrand Nassau Roadster, and the first BMW Z8." That Guldstrand car is even rarer than the one-of-seven wide body Lingenfelter Vettes-it's the first one of only three built by Guldstrand."
Does the sight of either-or both-of these serial #001s pique your interest in ultra-high-performance Corvettes? Steve says these kinds of Corvettes have to be experienced in person. "The advice I have is, get in one if you can, somehow, and experience it. Because, as soon as you do, you're hooked on it. There's really no way to describe the power, because even if you're in a 400-500hp car, it's not even close! The red one's got 922 hp with the boost up and 885 lb-ft of torque. It's a six-speed-if you grab it just a little too hard, you can be in trouble quick!"