First Corvette Station Wagon
The custom Callaway Aerowagon adds style and storage space to the Chevrolet Corvette.
The Callaway Aerowagen is appropriately-named.
The Chevrolet Corvette ‘shooting brake’ conversion reduces the performance coupe’s aerodynamic drag while adding some station wagon-like practicality.
Think of it as the anti-SUV.
The functional, if slightly bizarre creation is a longtime dream of Reeves Callaway, the renowned Corvette tuner whose company has been turning out some of the world’s fastest Chevys for the past 40 years.
Despite the added utility, however, Callaway really just thinks it looks cool.
Although it dramatically transforms the style of the Corvette, and makes it an even better golf cart, the Aerowagen is simply a redesigned hatchback that’s installed onto the car’s stock hardware and weighs within a pound of the factory equipment.
OK, ‘simply’ might not be an entirely accurate description, as it is made from carbon fiber by Callaway in California. But it’s such a straightforward swap that the installation can be done a garage by any Corvette owner handy with a set of tools. Do that, and you can save $2,500 off of the $14,990 Callaway or authorized Chevy dealer-installed price.
It’s compatible with any current Corvette Stingray, Grand Sport or Z06 coupe, and can be combined with one of Callaway’s performance upgrade packages. The top Z06 version sports a supercharged V8 with 757 hp and 777 lb-ft that can run a 10.8 second quarter-mile and goes for about $130,000 fully-loaded.
CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 TEST DRIVE
A short trip around NYC in one confirmed it’s a head-turner and conversation piece. If you’re not a people person, you’ll want to leave your windows up, avoid stop lights and basically never park in public.
Callaway doesn’t mess around with the suspension of the Corvette, which can handle the extra power just fine. More important, in regard to the Aerowagen, the new hatchback feels like its factory-equipped.
There are no shakes or rattles, and it doesn’t even add a noticeable boom in the cabin. With a full-width rear window (with defogger), visibility isn’t significantly worse than a standard Corvette’s, either.
Thanks to a cozy relationship with Chevy, the car maintains most of its original warranties, while Callaway adds three-year/36,000-mile coverage to any of its modifications.
Perhaps best of all, unlike most cosmetic surgery, the Aerowagen part of the procedure is easily reversible, or can be swapped to a new Corvette.