I didn’t even know you could get a Corvette in Sweden. However, when Editor in Chief Pedey asked me if I was interested in writing about a 1,200hp time attack Z06, I agreed without even seeing a single photo.
I don’t care how you slice it up – a 1,200hp time attack anything is bound to be cool, and such is the case with Marcus Östlid’s 2007 Corvette Z06. If you’re a regular reader of Speedhunters, you might recognise the livery on the car, because when Marcus isn’t on the circuit he’s heading up Team Insane Racing, which also campaigns a Chevrolet Monte Carlo street racer in the Stockholm illegal racing scene.
You see, being born and raised in America, Corvettes are simply an automotive staple to me. They’ve always been the go-to for a fast domestic car. It never occurred to me that a guy like Marcus would be flogging one around at Gatebil, yet here it is – an American monster tearing up tarmac on another continent.
Now, 1,200hp for drag racing I can wrap my head around, but those sort of numbers running on a road course is a different story. It takes a skilled driver to modulate that much power while struggling for traction in every turn.
Hence the stickies. Eighteen-inch tall and 12-inch wide OZ Alleggerita HLTs are bolted up for track duty with 280 and 310 section slicks.
Marcus’s street setup is similar, running OZ Superleggeras in a 19×12-inch fitment with 305-wide Toyo Proxes R888. Yes, you read right – he runs the Z06 on the street too.
Maybe we should back up though, because you’re probably wondering where all that horsepower is coming from. Well, it’s coming from a Chevrolet 383ci LSX augmented by a cog-driven ProCharger centrifugal supercharger.
This is where things get interesting in Marcus’s story, because he had this engine before he had the car. In fact, his LSX didn’t even start life in a C6 Corvette at all…
The Blown LSXWhen Marcus described his car he referred to it as a C6 Zo6 chassis, which I thought a bit odd. I mean, wouldn’t you usually say ‘it’s an ’07 Z06?’
After further probing, I learned that Marcus raced a previous-gen C5 for seven years, all the while updating it to be more and more competitive. Once he had wrung every last bit of performance out of it he started looking at the newer C6.
Rather than go out and buy the whole car though, he just bought this Z06 chassis and swapped in the engine you see here. He already had a proven powerplant, but the updated chassis brought with it a whole new generation of improvements, including a lightweight aluminum structure.
The main attraction under the hood is the ProCharger with custom cog drive, but of course it takes more than a supercharger to make well over one thousand horsepower and keep it reliable.
AFR CNC-machined heads, forged JE pistons, an Eagle stroker crank and H-beam rods are just the start in making the LSX a stout screamer.
American Racing 2-inch headers direct gasses into a custom exhaust.
The induction side of the engine has been maximized for flow as well, with a 102mm Nick Williams throttle body mounted on a matching 102mm FAST manifold. 1,000cc T1 Dynamics injectors pour on the fuel as fast as the LSX can burn it and water/methanol injection keeps the charge cool.
Widebody By LomaThe single exhaust tip is surprisingly anti-Corvette, but it’s also undeniably the work of a racer who’s looking to shave every last ounce.
Besides gobs of power, Marcus’s track-spec Z06 has one more feature that blends so nicely with the Corvette lines you might have not noticed it (unless you’re a Corvette guy). The fenders are flared, sitting 80mm wider than the Z06’s stock body lines.
They’re actually 120mm wider than a standard C6, but the Z06 and ZR1 models are a little wider already. The Loma GT2 widebody kit is made of carbon fiber and bolts directly in the place of the stock panels, front and rear.
What it gets you is an extra wide track to cover the meatiest of tires, which is something Marcus was definitely in need of.
I guess that’s one benefit of building a plastic car – you can bolt up a widebody kit and then unbolt it at will should you desire a return to stock.
A functional front splitter keeps the nose down.
And a massive APR carbon fiber wing matches the composite quarter panels.
AP Racing 6-pot calipers are up front, with matching 4-piston units in the rear. The slick Hankooks are for track use only.
Inside, Marcus built himself a chromoly rollcage, and a Sparco seat and harness are about all else he needs.
So when you saw ‘1,200hp Time Attack’ in the title, was this what you expected? I didn’t know how butchered or brutal the thing might have been, but while Marcus certainly had his way with this chassis it all stacks up into a fine, sorted machine. And one that has no problems deconstructing tires.
So far, Marcus has only had one shakedown season with the new car, and while everything went well, he is already in the process of refining and improving his Z06 over the cold, dark winter, with the goal of turning it into the ultimate Swedish track weapon. If you’ve ever checked out the calibre of vehicles that this part of the world produces, you’ll know that that’s no easy feat.
Keith Charvonia
Instagram: SpeedhuntersKeith
keith@speedhunters.com
Photos by Peter Kelly
Instagram: speedhunters_pedey
pedey@speedhunters.com
Marcus Östlid’s C6 Z06 Chevrolet Corvette
Numbers
Max Power: 1200hp, Max Torque: 1546Nm, Weight: 1,400kg in full race trim
Engine
Forged steel block LSX V8, 3.905-inch bore, forged JE pistons, forged Eagle 4-inch stroker crank, Eagle 6.125-inch H-beam rods, AFR 210cc CNC heads, custom cam from Extreme Sportcars, ARP Pro studs, SLP oil pump, Evans waterpump, GM Performance hydraulic lifters, FAST 102 mm intake manifold, Nick Williams 102mm throttle body, American Racing 2-inch headers with custom exhaust by Extreme Sportcars, Procharger F2 supercharger with custom cog drive from Extreme Sportcars, front intercooler, twin TiAL 50mm valves before and after intercooler, secondary Weldon 2035 racing fuel pump and 2-lifer catch tank with regulator for racing, AN8/AN10 fuel lines, T1 Dynamics 1,000cc injectors, methanol/water injection system, Motul 20W60 oil
Driveline
Tremec T56 6-speed transaxle, RPM heavy-duty main shaft, Tick Race adjustable master cylinder, Race slave cylinder, Spec Super Twin clutch, DTE driveshaft, DTE differential strut, DTE Stage 5 3.42 differential, Redline gear oil
Suspension/Brakes
Coilovers, adjustable swaybars, polyurethane bushings, camber kit, Pfadt Race Engineering gearbox and engine mounts, AP Racing front 6-piston calipers with 14.5-inch rotors, rear 4-piston callipers with 14-inch rotors, spacers from Manton Racing,
Wheels/Tires
Street: OZ Racing Superleggera 19×12-inch with Toyo Proxes R888 305/30R19 (front/rear)
Track: OZ Racing Alleggerita HLT 18×12-inch with Hoosier slicks 280/680-18 (front) 330/710-18 (rear)
Exterior
Loma GT2 carbon fiber widebody kit (80mm wider), custom hood, APR carbon wing, OMP hood locks
Interior
Chromoly rollcage, Sparco Evo seat, Sparco harness, Snap-off steering wheel and hub, Extreme Sportcars short shifter
More Gatebil related stories on Speedhunters
Cutting Room Floor
I remember seeing videos of the old c5 from Team Insane a long time ago, so I was excited to see a write up on the new car. That crew knows how to build some serious machinery!
Been waiting for this article since it was teased... Now to go read.
The very first thing I noticed was the grammatical error on vinyl on the wing... C'mon man.
Anyway, this thing is a beast!
Quite the beast. The appearance matches the 1,200hp figure. It's also pretty cool to see something like this that's outside the USA... way outside.
Seriously, though, driving on the street...!
Good lord man that's a beast and a track car too!
Love to see this and the new Hennessy 'vette go toe to toe.
Awesome read guys, keep em coming!
1.2k hp on a turn...well, screw all of Six Flags, then.
Am I the only one who thought of Webster, the #5 driver on Rockport's black list? This 'Vette is the stuff of dreams, truly awesome!
Me likey…a lot.
I don't really get the exhaust. Looks like one center pipe with a centered silencer, but the tailpipes seem to go into the wheel well? What's going on there?
I don't really get the exhaust. Looks like one center pipe with a
centered muffler, but the tailpipes seem to go into the wheel well?
What's going on there?
Sweden is one of the country's with most Americans made cars "outside of USA". So not sure why you would be surprise to see a Vette here
ssawatsky Just please peel the apostrophe out, then perfect car!
that engine sound surprisingly smooth for that power level
"Suspension: Coilovers"
That narrows it down!
It's a really nice car, but something about it just seems a little underwhelming. I suppose if the same amount of effort was put into aero as the engine, then it'd be a lot more imposing.
That being said, it is a street car, and I can't imagine going any further with the body and still driving on the road. It still looks like a corvette too, which is a win in some ways.
Im a die hard Japanese car guy but I could see myself in a black C6.
ssawatsky love the car but that apostrophe is like a splinter in my eye
lets shoot a black car from the shadow side........is the finish that bad? one of those 20 footers? or just shitty pics?
Would someone care to further elaborate how that curious tailpipe design saves weight? I've seen some endurance racers route their exhaust to the right side of the car or run silencers only on the left side, because the noise levels were measured from the left side of the track. Something similar going on in here?
JCmelik The point is, they dont know how to build! There is not 1200hp in this car and the man ho built it is a scam!
Vittorio Jano Yes thats correct. Its for the noise level
Floz The car was built under 5 month from clean frame last winter.
This winter we are building aero and more:)
D1RGE ssawatsky are you guys not a fan of apostrophe's?
Wirenfeldt Jr D1RGE ssawatsky mostly just grammar as a whole....even with auto spell check I still make the goofiest grammar and punctuation mistakes. Maybe it's a interweb thing? In college I don't remember any grammar nazi's, where do they (we) come from?
Team insane racing
Oh, I didn't know it was such a short build time! That's pretty amazing then! I definitely look forward to the results and labours of this winter on the aero (definitely an aero>horsepower fan right here if you didnt guess).
cutterjones13 get the sand out of your vag.
I'm not a photographer, but the lighting of these photos bothers me. That and "Dent's."
Isn't it not cool to shoot into the sun?
Beast mode: ON
Team insane racing Floz looking forward to the result of this!
Haha, how could you interpret adding length to the exhaust as an effort to reduce weight?
Beast car. Must be unreal to drive.
@FlatBlack I like it. They've previously done an article where someone points out that they'll shoot into the sun if they want to and it looks good. I like it!
@yotafan I thought exactly the same with the exhaust...
@FlatBlack Why is that not cool? I think it worked really well.
Do you want to test that monster's speed in greece ..? greek highways is a big challenge specially if you run with over 80mph ...you know... hidden cameras,police motorcycles ..etc.. xD
:))))))
Anyone know what happened with this car? i cant find anymore videos or anything of it