$18,500
Des Plaines, Illinois
Category
Coupe
Mileage
21687
Posted Over 1 Month
This car was built by Doug Rippie for my father who used to be a SCCA competitor (Four Time National Champion). It has never seen the track and has been driven for a couple weeks a year. The work done to this Corvette is the Doug Rippie Motorsports 450 package which is very similar to the DRM 500 package that was done to our Z06 we listed recently. The following is an excerpt from an article written about the DRM 500 package that was done by Doug Rippie. The only difference between whats written below and this car is 450hp versus 500 and it doesn't have the brake kit. Rippie says his engine pumps out 500 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. "Basically, there are no stock parts left in the block. We start by installing a longer-stroke crank for an added 36 cubic inches of displacement, 382 total. Then we go with lighter and stronger connecting rods, pistons, valve springs, and bearings. This car also has Z06 heads, which we ported. Then we balance the rotating parts, reprogram the computer, and install a lighter aluminum flywheel. And finally, we install a high-capacity radiator with an integral oil cooler and a tranny and differential cooler. Vettes get hot once you start upping the power, and the coolers make the thing bulletproof." For suspension, he removes the stock leaf springs and installs coil springs, a move he says makes for easier chassis tuning. He also replaces the stock Goodyear run-flat tires with BFG g-Force tires mounted on HRE aluminum wheels. Next, he swaps the Corvette brakes for six-piston front and four-piston rear AP calipers, a setup that Rippie says "will not fade. It all goes to my vision of an all-day track car. With the coolers and these big brakes, you can pound on the car all day and don't have to worry about making it home at night." Thankfully, the big brakes did not turn the brake pedal into a hair trigger and the new springs are not so punishing that we would hesitate to drive the C500/RSR on the street. The braking distance was three feet better than in the last Z06 we tested, stopping from 70 mph in only 157 feet. There's a small bump in skidpad grip over that of the Z06, 0.97 g versus 0.96 g. The DRM car feels stable and not spooky and is less bothered by midcorner bumps than is the stocker. At the skidpad, Rippie noted, "Understeers, doesn't it? We can dial in any sort of handling balance we want, but we find that a touch of understeer is safer without being significantly slower."
Trim Indianapolis 500 Pace Car Convertible 2 Door
