Body & Interior – Callaway Corvette

The Future is Carbon

Since the 1980′s, Callaway Competition has designed and manufactured composite race car parts for winning teams worldwide and award-winning production body panels for European OE manufacturers. Now, our new Callaway Carbon facility, located in our Santa Ana factory, is advancing the technology still further, manufacturing the Callaway Corvette’s louvered carbon hood bulge.
Extreme speeds need an aero assist. The Carbon Rear Spoiler is the first of several optional carbon products planned for the Callaway Corvette using the Kramer RTM Process*. This key component was developed from the knowledge gained in Callaway’s GT4 race program. Here is a genuinely effective part that is a good solution for street and track, yet stops short of an actual rear wing – the only thing that would be more effective, but perhaps overkill for road use.

This air management device is unique. It produces 125 lbs of downforce at 200 mph. This is accomplished by having a slightly higher kick, 13mm more, than the Corvette ZR1 rear spoiler. Note also that the effective parts of the spoiler are the outer ends; the middle part remains low to minimize drag – not to mention that the center position of the spoiler is “aerodynamically hidden” by the coupe’s back light. The spoiler is a true carbon fiber skin that surrounds a foam core, all completed in one step, in closed mold tooling. Fit and finish are Class-A.

“It is most satisfying to produce these parts to such a high standard, so efficiently, and in one step. I could not have imagined this was possible ten years ago.  In fact . . . it wasn’t.”
Reeves Callaway

 

Fits Like a Very Fast Glove

Callaway offers a variety of interior options for the Callaway Corvette. All of them are designed to create an environment to enhance the driving experience, addressing both functionality and aesthetics. Manufactured by German craftsmen, with the finest materials available worldwide.
Callaway’s Leather/Alcantara Steering Wheel is reshaped for improved hand placement and grip. It promotes proper driving technique and allows for miles of fatigue-free driving. Its high gloss carbon fiber rim sections contrast with the supple leather and Alcantara surfaces for unequalled beauty. The carbon fiber center spotlights the Callaway logo and adorns the matching Alcantara air bag cover. The air bag remains fully functional.

The optional Center Console Kit adds Callaway’s leather and carbon shift knob, leather shift boot, leather parking brake handle and boot, and leather console lid. Available for manual transmission applications only.

Our SportSeats option provides additional lateral support for improved driver control without sacrificing comfort – even on extended trips. They’re constructed with premium interior leather, with or without Alcantara accents, with or without slots for optional harnesses. These single shell seats retain GM power controls.

The Deutschleder Interior is our interior masterpiece. Hand-made to Callaway specifications by the world’s best trimmers, the Callaway C16 inspired interiors are full German leather appointments for the look, feel and smell of a car crafted to the highest standards. The client chooses the color palette to complement or contrast the exterior color. Detail embellishment may be specified at this point. Optional carbon fiber trim is also available for the Deutschleder Interior in the client’s choice of tint color.

“. . . and the craftsmanship of the stitching and fitment wouldn’t look out of place on a Maybach.”
Jason Kavanagh, Edmunds InsideLine

 
 
* Callaway uses a production method for making carbon parts that is a version of Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) developed by our partner, Dirk Kramer. This system produces structural carbon skin/foam cored structural components, remarkably, in one step. We use a closed mold and inject the resin under precisely controlled temperature and pressure to achieve a part integrity generally found only in medical and aerospace components. A Class-A surface condition is achieved, with all hard points integral, so that the part is removed from the tool “ready to wear”. We use this part as a demonstration of the the process when potential clients visit the Callaway Carbon facility in Santa Ana, California.