Detroit Speed Takes a C3 Corvette From a Craigslist Ad to Autocross Glory

By: Todd Veney l Images by Gary Bohanick & Alex Stivaletti10/05/2017 < Back to Blog Home

Kyle Tucker's amazing Detroit Speed C3 '72 Corvette has been a winner since it debuted last year. Completed just hours before its official unveiling in Raleigh, N.C., Detroit Speed's Ryan Mathews drove it to victory at the 2016 Goodguys Rod & Custom North Carolina Nationals taking top honors in the Autocross Pro class. His time? 33.307 seconds – more than a half-second ahead of the rest of the competition.

Purpose-built specifically for Autocross competition and – believe it or not – discovered in Georgia from a Craigslist ad, the lightweight red, white, and blue retro-styled beast is powered by a MAST Motorsports-built LS3 with a complete Holley Dominator EFI system. The 416 cubic-inch engine began life at 376 cubic inches and with MAST Black Label cylinder heads and a stock LS intake manifold now puts out just short of 600 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 575 foot-pounds of torque at 4,700 rpm.

Holley aluminum valve covers keep everything looking good; a dry-sump oil system ensures maximum lubrication, seal, and reliability; and a coil-near-plug ignition provides the spark. Spent gasses exit the combustion chamber through 1-7/8-inch stainless steel headers, stainless side pipes, and 4-inch Hooker mufflers.

Built as a development vehicle for Detroit Speed's all-new C3 suspension kit, the Corvette's rear suspension features a unique rear cradle system that employs CV joints instead of fragile, ordinary U-joints and both the front and rear suspension are infinitely adjustable. It may be Tucker's everyday driver in the heart of NASCAR country in Mooresville, N.C,, but it doubles as an in-house test mule for Detroit Speed to develop new C2 and C3 suspension components.

Tags:Blackheart, Corvette, detroit speed, Dominator, Dominator EFI, EFI, Holley, Hooker

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