Inside Out

The cover of this book does not match what’s inside

The Chevrolet Corvette has long been a beacon of what is to come. Fiberglass body panels, fuel injection, independent rear suspension, drive-by-wire throttle control; the Vette has always been the future. On the other hand, hot rodding is often expressed by adding late model components to a vintage vehicle; engines, wheels, interior components and the like. Keeping these statements in mind, it’s no surprise that classic Corvettes are often packed full of late model goodies from their younger brethren.  

RMR Dream Cars in Florida has been building top of the line classic cars for over 20 years, and this ’64 Corvette is one of their most recent triumphs. On the surface, it looks like a super clean 1963 split window on billet wheels, but let’s take a deeper look at this jet black iteration of America’s sports car.

A custom built chassis was designed to accept the front suspension form a C7 Corvette, while the rear makes use of a 4-link system from Ridetech. Building their own chassis allowed RMR to get the ride height down where they wanted, as well as make room for the Chevrolet LT4 crate engine. This is the engine that comes in the Z06 Vette, so you know it’s a serious piece; 640hp is on tap, thanks to the 1.7L Eaton supercharger stuck to the top. A 4L70E transmission was bolted to the engine to try and make heads or tails of the 630lb-ft of torque coming from the modern marvel. There’s plenty of custom work under the hood to make the LT4 at home, such as hand-fabbed radiator hoses and cold-air intake ducting. Wilwood discs at each corner are actuated by the billet master cylinder that gets a helping hand from a hydroboost system. 18 and 20-inch Boze wheels help finish off the aggressive attitude and allow the chassis to really flex its muscles.  

The body was largely left as GM intended; its aggressive lines still command attention and draw the eye. Even the original badges are still in place, as are the door handles. What RMR did change, is the glass; the windshield and rear windows now sit flush. That’s right, rear windows in a ’64; during the construction of this car, the crew added the center divider from a ’63 “split window” Corvette. The black paint was buffed to perfection, which is a feat in itself considering how finicky fiberglass can be.

Red leather was selected to sharply contrast the black exterior, with the seats, dash and door panels getting covered in the stuff. The plush carpet is a similar brilliant shade of red, as are the painted glove box and gauge bezel. Artfully tucked behind the stock bezel, is a VHX-63C-VET instrument system, fleshed out with carbon fiber face styling and what else, but red LED backlighting. A matching clock can be found in the center, just about the Rockford Fosgate PMX-3 source unit. That’s a super trick way to add Bluetooth music connectivity and satellite radio to a vintage car, or anything else you like. A vertical,  billet aluminum three-knob controller for the Vintage Air AC/heat system is also in the center section, while a push-button shifter from Powertrain Control Systems rounds out the modern updates inside. 

While the “mid year” Corvette was a modern wonder-machine in its day, 55-plus years of advancement and vehicle development cannot be ignored. Seems to me that combining the best of both; the incredible styling of the ‘60s with the unmatched engine and suspension designs of today, into one stunning wrapper, is the only way to go. The car people bogged down with romanticizing the past may shun this Corvette, but others who want classic muscle car styling with late model performance, realize this is pure hot rodding.