2007 Chevrolet Corvette C6 Hardtop - Signature Beast

When John first saw the '07 Corvette, it wasn't quite love at first sight. But then, the car wasn't finished yet. His office is located near Corvettes of Dallas' Carrolton, Texas, dealership, and he's been a customer there for some time (John also has a '99 C5, by the way). "I went in for something there one day, and they told me, 'You've got to see this car. Here's what we're going to do to it. There's going to be a big unveiling at the Texas Motor Speedway,'" John recalls. "And I said, 'That thing? Why are you going to waste your time with that thing?' They said, 'Oh no-it's going to be amazing!' And I'm like, ah, whatever-just give me my stuff; I'm getting out of here!'" He says he forgot about it until he stopped in again a few weeks later. "I walked back in, and I walked right past it. I didn't even see it!" But, once he did, he says his jaw hit the floor. "I couldn't believe it was the same car. My first question was, 'Is it sold?' They said 'No,' and I asked, 'Can I buy it?' I bought it the next day."

The Signature Series Corvette did get its public showing, to a great response at the 19th Annual Lone Star Corvette Classic show at the Texas Motor Speedway. As mentioned previously, the company built another, based on a C6 convertible, and it can build one for you in about three weeks' time. Once it does, what's it like to drive? "It's insane," John says of driving a car with nearly 700 lb-ft of torque on tap. "They built an awesome machine. I took a guy for a ride the other day-he was telling me, 'Man, I know all about cars, and I've been driving this car and I've been driving that car'-and I've never seen somebody look more scared in my life! He grabbed for anything he could hold on to, and he couldn't stop smiling!' John adds that on a recent round-trip between Dallas and Killen, Texas, "The Beast" delivered 28 mpg. "That six-speed is really meant for touring," he says.

Does he have any advice for anyone who's thinking about getting a Signature Series C6 of their own? "Just do it. For the amount of money that Corvettes of Dallas wants for that car, it has come up with an option for the everyday guy." "This car puts you in a perfect place. It's faster than just about everything else on the road."