The art of coachbuilding has taken a downturn since unibody construction conquered the automotive world. But some people are still out there doing it old school.
Meet Jack Wendel, a car buff who has engaged himself once again in the lost art of coachbuilding with the help of some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease and a healthy amount of fiberglass. Although the project is far from done yet, it is complete enough to give us a good idea of what’s going on.
Just because what’s happening is fairly clear, doesn’t mean that it’s easy to understand, though. The artisan coachbuilder is turning a brand new C8 Corvette into a unique creation that’s partly inspired by what a C2 Corvette would look liked had Chevy chosen a mid-engine layout in the 1960s and partly from the Art Deco movement, which may give some onlookers pause.
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Obviously, that’s not an easy task as the eighth-generation car places its engine in the middle, rather than in the front, as Chevy opted to do for the second-generation of its most famous sports car. Ignore the fact that even the attempts to turn late-model front-engine Corvettes into older model lookalikes aren’t always really that successful. And worry not about production delays for people who actually want to drive their C8 as is; the world needs nuts like Jack Wendel to make oddball cars and to keep car culture weird.
The concept, though odd, isn’t completely mad. Mid-engine vehicles from the ’60s, such as the the Lamborghini Miura, aka the OG supercar, were still very much interpreting that layout through the lens of long-hooded, front-engine design language and no one would call that car ugly. The proportional strictures of the C8 Corvette this creation is being based on may mean, though, that this DIY car is less universally-adored than Lamborghini’s efforts.
Perhaps the most stunning aspect of this project, which the channel claims is being accomplished solely in the maker’s spare time and will require no special equipment. In any case, we can’t wait to see what the finished item will look like.
While looking into this story, we had the chance to talk to Jack Wendel and pick his mind on the Corvette project and how it came to be. It’s a pretty interesting read so make sure to check back over the weekend. Thanks to Jack for sharing the material!
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