For a hunkered-down look with a dropped coefficient of drag, MSI adjusted the factory suspension a half-inch lower by adding longer bolts for the rear monoleaf. Behind those chrome-plated Z06 rims are Baer Eradispeed Plus rotors, measuring 13.8 inches in front. The rear rotors are stock sized but slotted, drilled, and zinc plated. Both wear Friction Z-rated pads, bringing the whole shebang to a crisp stop. Goodridge stainless brake lines ensure a firmer brake pedal feel when running hard.
To give the slippery C5 lines a more provocative bulge, Katonis swapped out the stock hood for an ACI Radical High Rise piece. At the suggestion of his wife, Sharon, he also added a complementary MSI rear spoiler and trimmed out the body with duct screens and polished lettering. Kniesel's Auto Body did all the exterior embellishments.
As for the cartoon character, credit that to daughter Tracy, and the artful airbrushing of Offbeat Productions. There's a play on words with this lively imagery, since "Looney Tunes" could refer to both the sound system and the sweet sounds of a blown engine at full chat. Speaking of sounds, Rolling Audio owner Neil Kostka provided a few tech tips on what it took to upgrade the fidelity of this C5.
"Corvettes are actually pretty loud," he notes, "so we insulated the entire car with Dynamat Xtreme. We also had to open up the original radio area of the dash, to get the head unit and monitor to fit, and re-texture it to match the factory finish. We also had to fit two speakers inside the vent system."
Other challenges included maintaining a steady 14-volt current, so as not to interfere with the performance mods. That meant adding a Kinetik battery behind the passenger seat and low-resistance, heavy-duty, 0-gauge cables as thick as your thumb. This audio/video setup boasts a pair of Diamond Hex amps rated at 1,400 watts each-one for the two 10-inch subs, and the other for a component set of woofers and tweeters. A crossover filters out the signals to the woofers and tweeters for a more discrete, studio-grade sound with a true 5.1 Pioneer DEQ-P8000 Sound Processor. Fitting all that equipment without sacrificing trunk space took a bit of head scratching, but the wine rack was easy by comparison.
So how does Katonis handle all this power and style? Well, he enjoys bombing through the winding roads of the Sierra foothills near Sacramento. Occasionally he lifts off the throttle to coast into a vineyard for some wine tasting-but not too much, so he gets home all in once piece. After all, we've seen this buttoned-down company exec get as crazy as that "looney" whirling dervish on his engine covers, firing off some fishtails and frying the hides. That all might sound like an oxymoron to some folks, but it makes perfect sense to us.