With a top speed of nearly 255 mph, the 1988 Chevrolet Corvette Callway SledgeHammer was one of the fastest cars you could buy during the Reagan years. The modified Corvette was just listed on Bring a Trailer, and the price has already climbed well into the six-figure range by the time of publication.
Connecticut-based Callaway Cars was already an established tuner in the late 1980s when it launched Project SledgeHammer, with the goal of breaking production-car speed records. This car started out as a stock 1988 Corvette coupe, but was shipped directly to Callaway for modification.
The 5.7-liter V-8 got twin turbochargers, a blueprinted block, forged pistons, a dry-sump oiling system, and other modifications. That boosted output to 880 hp and 772 lb-ft of torque. The car currently has a ZF 6-speed manual transmission, which is not the gearbox originally installed by Callaway.
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The SledgeHammer stood out from other C4 Corvettes thanks to a sleeker front fascia incorporating vents and the Corvette logo, functional front-fender and rear quarter-panel vents, and a new rear fascia incorporating a rear spoiler and quad exhaust. These elements were later put into limited production as the AeroBody for Callaway C4 customer cars.
The car rides on 17-inch Dymag magnesium wheels with Goodyear Eagle tires. However, these tires aren’t suitable for extreme speeds, as Goodyear manufactured special tires for the 1988 top-speed run, the listing notes.
Upon completion, the Corvette was driven from Callaway’s shop in Old Lyme, Connecticut, to the Transportation Research Center’s 7.5-mile test track in East Liberty, Ohio, where John Lingenfelter drove it to a 254.76-mph top speed. It was then stored in a museum environment for most of the next three decades, and got a refresh from Callaway in 2018, according to the listing. Now it’s ready to make you the most popular person at Radwood.