A 1964 Corvette is one of the twelve custom-built rides that organizers of the SEMA360 show have selected as a finalist for this year’s Battle of the Builders award.
This ’64 Corvette is known as Ballistic Beige and was built by Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts out of Creswell, Oregon. It’s no surprise to see that Ballistic Beige caught the eye of SEMA judges this year, as this no-expenses-spared build is extremely high quality and is jam-packed with impressive performance parts.
The car rides on a full Art Morrison chassis and features double adjustable coilovers and six-piston Wilwood brakes at all four corners with massive 14-inch rotors. Forgeline LS3 three-piece wheels with real knock-off tri-bars retain the car’s vintage appearance and are shod in sticky Michelin tires measuring 345/19 in the rear and 295/19 out front.
Under the hood of Ballistic Beige is a GM 6.2L LT4 V8 crate engine, which is paired with a 4L75E four-speed automatic transmission. There’s no word on engine output or upgrades, but with 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque from the factory, the LT4 crate engine produces plenty of power for most applications. In this case, the LT4 engine sends its might to the rear wheels through a lightweight QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft and Strange S60 differential.
Like most SEMA Battle of the Builder finalists, the craftsmanship and attention to detail are the truly impressive parts about this 1964 Corvette. From the beige-painted supercharger cover, to the under-hood gauges and custom fabricated headers, there seems to be something new to appreciate on this car almost everywhere you look. We also appreciate that Kuhnhausen Metal Concepts wanted to keep the car’s original vintage charm with this modern-day transformation.
In an Instagram post showing the 1964 Corvette being loaded into a hauler, KMC owner Kyle Kuhnhausen said he is “so excited,” to see what the other Battle of the Builders finalists have in store for this year and said he was “so pumped to be included,” in the finals this year.
Last year’s winner of the Battle of the Builders award was a 1969 Camaro built by Ringbrothers. Dubbed ‘Valkyjra’, the Camaro featured a supercharged 6.8L LS V8 engine producing nearly 900 horsepower. This year’s award will be a bit different for competitors, as the SEMA Show is not being held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Show organizers are hosting the SEMA360 online show in its place, which kicked off earlier this week.
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Comments
Not impressed. Beige? I know that true color doesn’t always appear accurately in photos but that looks remarkably like Saddle Tan. Automatic trans with a super tall manual looking shift lever. ’63 hood. Steering wheel looks way to small for a vintage Corvette. Here’s the funny part-sidepipes are installed but it still has the holes for the tailpipes under the rear bumpers! The good news? Hasn’t been butchered to a point where it can’t reasonably be returned to stock.
Not impressed. Beige? Although color doesn’t always show accurately in photos it looks remarkably like Saddle Tan. Automatic trans but the shifter resembles a super tall manual trans lever. That and the tiny steering wheel look funny in a vintage Corvette. ’63 hood on a ’64….odd looking too. For the most part attention to detail appears excellent. Then again-car has sidepipes but the holes for tailpipes still appear in the panel below the bumpers! The good news is that the car isn’t so butchered that it can’t be reasonably returned to stock.
Nice to see all the Chevy haters leaving comments here. It’s a classy build fitting for a classy car.