The Calloway Corvette  

    In the early 1980s, as Dave McLellan and his Corvette Engineering Group were evaluating a number of powerplant considerations for the future, they spent some time working with turbochargers. While the project was scrapped, McLellan was intrigued by the enormous performance gains derived from turbocharging.     The Corvette Engineering Group teamed up with rising star engine builder Reeves Callaway to put together a special program. Callaway had been working with turbochargers and had developed some very strong and reliable racing engines. With the help of the Corvette Engineering Group, Callaway developed a dependable supercharged version of the Corvette L98. It required extensive modification of the engine and wasn't a cheap option, but the results were worth it. The first Callaway Corvettes were released as 1987 models and could be ordered from any Chevrolet dealer as RPO B2K. The order was "interrupt shipped." After the car was assembled at Bowling Green, it was shipped to Callaway's facility in Old Lyme, Connecticut, where it was torn apart and modified. The conversion wasn't just a bolt on. It required extensive rebuilding of the engine and the addition of the turbochargers and other modifications including boost gauge,twin NACA hood ducts, Dymag wheels and Callaway badges.

    Thanks to the conversion, horsepower jumped from the stock 205 to 345 and torque jumped to 465 lb.ft. of torque. Top speed was just shy of 180 mph.

Once the car was completed, it was shipped to the ordering dealer and delivered to the customer. Just how much did all this extra performance cost, on top of the base price of a 1987 Corvette coupe $27,999.00 the Callaway option added an additional $19,995 to the sticker, along with any other options the buyer checked off. Chevrolet even warranteed the engine. Callaway built 184 B2K Corvettes in 1987 121 were coupes and 63 were roadsters. When the L98 engine was retired at the end of the 1991 model year, that was also the end of the Callaway option as well. All told, Callaway built 497 B2K conversions.