1964 Chevrolet Corvette - Magnum Opus

Robby Hooper's 1964 Chevrolet Corvette is a prime example of a masterwork in the automotive medium. As the owner of Corvette Masters, a performance and repair shop in Maitland, Florida, Hooper was in the unique position to build something truly special. At the outset, he built the car "to see what my shop could do with what we know." The end result of his labors is the over-the-top C2 seen here.

Hooper's relationship with this midyear began at the 1998 Super Chevy Show in Gainesville.

As purchased, the C2 was a show car that had been converted into a race car, so it needed some sorting out. Hooper set out to revamp everything and return it to street-machine status, with one notable exception: he decided to leave the car's striking finish alone. After all, his mission was to follow his shop's creed to build cars that are "show-car quality, Pro Mod fast."

This Corvette is immediately differentiated from its more conventional brethren by its Pro Street styling. The body is all-original from the firewall back, and it sits on a square-tube chassis. Its front end is a racing-style fiberglass piece with functional headlights in the bumper. The arresting custom graphics and hand-airbrushed emblems were painted by former owner Harvey. In the back, a wheelie bar and a cutoff switch serve to reaffirm this car's nature as a performer.

Fueling duties are met by a custom electronic fuel-injection system designed with the help of Craig Railsback from BDS. This trick setup implements 16 32-lb/hr injectors and a 12-gallon fuel cell, all controlled by a FAST computer. The result is massive power output that's still streetable: Hooper notes that the engine will idle at 850 rpm-with the air conditioning on.

Compressed air and fuel are force-fed into a pair of O-ringed Brodix Big Brodie 320cc cylinder heads with Ferrea valves. These are affixed with SCE copper head gaskets for a boost-friendly 9:1 compression ratio. The camshaft is a BDS solid roller with 274/284-degree duration at 0.050 and 0.646/0.663-inch lift. Rounding out the valvetrain are Comp Cams pushrods and solid lifters, as well as K-Motion triple valvesprings.

Supporting mods include an MSD 7AL ignition system and a Moroso anti-cavitation oil pump. Exhaust gasses are expelled through custom headers with 2 1/2-inch primaries and a set of 4-inch sidepipes.

Such bestial force necessitates a significantly beefed-up drivetrain, and this Vette's gear is up to the task. A Turbo-400 transmission with a reverse manual valve body transfers the power rearward. It's outfitted with a Turbo Action 3,000-rpm-stall torque converter with balloon plates and shifted with a TCI cheater shifter. A 3-inch steel driveshaft connects it to a Ford 9-inch rearend with a 4.56 spool center section to put the power to the ground.

The staff at Corvette Masters was tasked with not just setting up this Corvette to go fast in a straight line, but also making it usable for street driving. To achieve this goal, the chassis features Strange struts up front as well as a custom four-link rear suspension. Billet Specialties wheels are wrapped in Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires at all four corners, with notably massive 33-inch meats out back. Wilwood front and rear disc brakes help rein in the fun on the street, and steering is controlled with a rack-and-pinion system, implausibly sourced from a Ford Pinto.

The definition of what constitutes a "streetable" car is often stretched to include all manner of vehicles. However, this C2 is exceptional for its state of modification in that its street time is not limited to the occasional trip to and from the trailer. "This is a street car, not a piece of automotive jewelry," explains Hooper.

Hooper claims that, if he can keep his foot out of the throttle, his midyear can achieve fuel economy as high as 8 mpg. He even has plans to convert his current setup to run on pump gas to be even more street-friendly.

Robby Hooper's '64 Corvette surpasses others not just because of its performance and appearance, but also because of the spirit in which it was built. Above all, the car is the product of a passionate Corvette devotee who drives and enjoys it, making it a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.