Like the rest of us, Don Herbal is a fan of full-blooded speed. When itcame to finding a proper performance package of potent power, thisLakewood, Colorado, resident did the obvious; he turned to one of the"Big Five" for a true Corvette experience. In 1991, Don found theperfect groundpounder--a nearly one-of-a-kind '88 plastic fantastic withthe RPO B2K Callaway Twin-Turbo option. Don, the car's second owner,purchased the Vette with a mere 6,000 miles on the odometer--a distancethat eventually grew to its current count of 26,000. Back in the day, aCallaway Corvette was quite a rare thing. The B2K "regular productionoption" numbered only 509 total (according to the Corvette Black Book)with convertibles numbering around 1/5 that number. "I got enthusedabout Callaway after reading an article in 1988 about the SledgeHammer,"Don told us, "Callaway had taken their supercar to the Ohio test trackand turned 254 mph and then drove the car home to Connecticut." Donwanted that type of power.
When it came time to uncover his new beauty, the hopeful owner turned toCallaway dealer Purifoy Chevrolet in Ft. Lupton, Colorado. With the keysto his new toy in hand, Don did what came naturally, "I autocrossed,open track raced, dragged, and solo trialed." That is, until 1996, whendisaster struck. Little did Don know, not only was this to be the finalyear for the Fourth Generation of Corvette, it would also nearly be thefinal year for his.
Living at 5,400 feet creates some interesting breathing andengine-heat-management problems for cars. During the search for asolution, an electrical fire started while testing a new radiator. Tomake matters worse, when parked at the shop that was to take care of therepair work, the building caught fire and nearly totaled the Callawayyet again. Not wanting to scatter the ashes of his car to the wind, Dondecided to have it rebuilt in Denver and have the paint and body workperformed by Purifoy Chevrolet. While he was at it, Don purchased anAeroBody kit through Callaway and had it installed and repainted theoriginal Dark Blue Metallic. After some slight engine modifications,like a more aggressive cam, a rise in compression, and a CallawayWonderBar, the output jumped to 465 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque at theflywheel. Don mentions, "Those turbos give me a real thrill when theykick in!" And while Team VETTE equates the sound of those Callawayadditions "kicking in" to lighting a fire under your competitor at thetrack, you can bet Don needed no coaxing when it came to GM's newesthigh-horsepower offer. So, whether it'll be in his Callaway Twin-Turbo,or the new ZO6 he's waiting to take delivery of, you can bet Don will beburning up the track!