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C5 Corvette “Shorty” Looks Like the Plymouth Prowler’s Small-Block V8 Cousin

When Chrysler was designing the Plymouth Prowler, the plan was to shoehorn a V8 under the hood of the retro-styled roadster. But as we all know, the bean counters at Chrysler couldn’t make a case for anything larger than a V6 with 3.5 liters of displacement and 253 ponies on deck.
C5 Corvette “Shorty” 16 photos
Photo: r/shitt_car_mods on Reddit
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Although it’s a different beast under the skin, there is a C5 Corvette that looks as if someone wanted a Chevy small-block V8 wrapped around a Prowler-like body shell. Heaven knows what this car wants to be and how it’s called, let alone who is driving the damn thing, believing that he looks cool doing so.

Uploaded by a Redditor on r/shitty_car_mods, the mystery car we’ll refer to as “Shorty” has a smaller trunk than you’d expect from a C5 as well as arguably the most hideous exhaust system we’ve seen on a ‘Vette. The front fascia is somewhat of a hit and miss, featuring quad headlamps in addition to the original pop-up headlights thay may or may not pop up and down.

Chopping the Corvette to such an extent certainly translates to less curb weight, but then again, less weight over the rear axle translates to less grip and traction as well. There’s no mistaking Shorty won’t win any autocross race despite the diet it went through, but then again, there is something that makes this C5 a little more special than its fifth-gen siblings. How special?

Well, just take a minute to look at it! Imagine seeing it driving down the street or parked at Walmart. This thing turns heads like nothing else, though not in the same way a Ferrari LaFerrari does. Better still, don’t forget that the 5.7-liter engine can make a ruckus at the simple tap of the loud pedal.

The C5 ran from 1997 through 2004 as a coupe, convertible, and a hardtop with the LS small-block in two versions. LS1 is how the naturally aspirated engine is called, and the LS6 leveled up to 385 horsepower (390 PS) in the Z06 with the same displacement of 5.7 liters as the LS1. From the 2002 model year to its demise, the C5 Corvette Z06 was upgraded to 405 horsepower (411 PS) and 400 pound-feet (542 Nm) of torque without forced induction.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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