Jet Corvette Is One Wild Ride

In stock form, a 1978 Corvette honestly provides lackluster performance. But when a mechanic with wild dreams and a huge budget gets to work, such a sports car from the days of malaise can become a brutal track weapon like no other.

C8 Corvette submarines under a semi trailer.

The secret to this ’78 Corvette’s ability to hit 180 mph and accelerate like a jet lurks under the hood. Instead of a V8, there’s a Pratt and Whitney ST six-speed turbine engine. That’s good for 880-horsepower and makes the sports car sound, well, like a jet.

Accelerating from 0 to 60 takes less than three seconds, definitely a respectable time by today’s standards.  

Using compressed gas to turn the turbine blades, the engine doesn’t move the Corvette by thrust like on an airplane. Instead, that energy is transferred to a shaft which connects to a driveshaft, a surprisingly traditional approach to an otherwise unconventional powertrain.

When we’re talking a big budget to create this wild ride, we’re not exaggerating. The whole project cost about $800,000 or more than you’d shell out for most modern supercars, putting it squarely in hypercar budget territory.

Is it really worth spending that kind of cash to have a car like this? Everyone will have their own opinion on that, but a lot of it comes down to the built vs bought argument which has raged in the car hobby for a long, long time.

For some, having something they built to be great is the ultimate. They hate the idea of commercially fast cars, like that’s some form of cheating. Plus, they love the thought of having something not everyone else can get.

But for others, the amount of performance per dollar spent doesn’t justify builds like this.

Currently at the Rock ‘n Roll Car Museum located in Austin, Texas this raucous Corvette is legendary in certain circles. It’s not difficult to see why that’s the case.  

Image via Ridiculous Rides/YouTube