![]() To make the latest ‘Vette appealing to his wealthy clientele, Jankel took it apart to its bare chassis and redesigned nearly everything. To meet demand for a coachbuilt luxury sports car, Jankel needed something more “ affordable.” So in 1990, he turned his attention to the convertible version of America’s favorite sports car, the C4 Corvette. It was meant to be a daily driver for the ultra-rich, but even those customers were hesitant to pay over $800,000 ($2,034,420 today) for the privilege of owning one. The English designer didn’t give up on his dream and founded a new company, Jankel Group, which specialized in ultra-luxurious customization of premium cars from the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley, or Mercedes-Benz – most tailored for celebrities and heads of state.Īpart from lavish armored limousines or 4x4s, Jankel ventured into the world of sports cars during the late 1980s, creating a turbocharged, Bentley-based grand tourer called Gold Label. Although he designed and built some interesting retro-inspired vehicles, Jankel’s brand didn’t do too well and, just five years later, it declared bankruptcy. In 1972, he decided to leave fashion behind and focus on his passion, founding a manufacturer called Panther Westwinds. Robert Jankel, the man behind this outrageous project, had a successful career in the fashion industry during the 1950s and 1960s, but he always had a soft spot for cars. Probably the most popular example was Callaway’s 880-hp (892 ps) SlegeHammer, a rocket on wheels that reached 254.76 mph (410 kph) 35 years ago.īut, apart from established American tuners who tweaked it to perfection, the C4 also became a thoroughbred supercar in the UK, thanks to a coachbuilder, which was not known for developing these types of cars. In addition to the factory-built ZR-1, the fourth generation was transformed into a supercar killer by various tuners. Powered by a marvelous Lotus-designed V8 dubbed LT5, it initially made 375 hp (380 ps) but by 1993, the output jumped to 405 hp (410 ps) thanks to several improvements. The pinnacle of performance came in 1990 when the ZR-1 was introduced. While it maintained the long nose and short rear deck styling of its predecessors, it introduced a host of innovations such as the so-called “ uniframe” chassis and transverse mono-leaf springs on the front suspension.Īt first, it was available with an underpowered small block but things improved in the years that followed. Unleashed on public roads forty years ago, the C4 was the first modern iteration of the Corvette.
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