Photo: Ares Design
It sure does a pretty good job at it. Not to take anything away from the latest generation of America's most beloved sports car, but this limited-edition Ares S Project looks to be in a completely different league than your ordinary Stingray.
That's what a price tag of over $500,000 a piece can do for you - have the wonderfully mundane Corvette transformed into a car that could wear the Koenigsegg badge without any eyebrows rising. That's because the only Corvette bits left are the ones that don't show - the chassis, the engine, the transmission, and the electronics - while everything else is custom made.
The creation belongs to Ares Design, a company known mostly for its Legends Reborn program where it takes current supercars and dresses them into the vintage clothes of iconic models, all with a touch of modern styling. It's basically doing in the real world what so many digital artists do using their software - putting a contemporary spin on the most legendary cars in the automotive history. Take a look at the Ares Design Panther ProgettoUno if you have any visualization problems.
Now, though, the company ran by Dany Bahar has plied its trade on something a little different. The S Project isn't a nod to any model of yore, but rather a modern supercar through and through, albeit one that's based on what most people would rightly describe as a "sports car."
To be fair, ever since GM decided to turn the C8 Corvette into a mid-engine sports car, the model was crying for a conversion like this. Talking to Top Gear, Dany reveals the brief for the project was simple enough: "Hypercar design, supercar performance, sports car price."
Well, at over $500k, that last point was surely missed, but considering the Chevrolet Corvette's starting price, it was never going to happen. But Dany can surely check the boxes next to the other two. We've already talked about the design and, anyway, you can check it out too in the picture gallery. It's definitely hypercaresque, like a mix between a Koenigsegg and a Bugatti.
As far as performance goes, things get a little trickier. No, the Ares S Project isn't down on power, it's where it takes it from that's quite mysterious. They say they use a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine producing 715 hp at 6,450 rpm (while revving all the way up to 9,000 rpm) and 715 lb-ft (968 Nm) of torque, but they also say they kept the Corvette engine.
As you know, the 6.2-liter unit in the Stingray only produces 495 hp. A more powerful version using an atmospheric engine will debut later in the shape of the Z06, but that's rumored to use a smaller, flat-plane V8 with a 5.5-liter displacement and a power output in the 600 hp region. What gives? Understandably, Bahar is tight-lipped about it: “That remains a secret between our supplier in the USA and us. It’s all mechanical modifications though, you can’t do this through software.”
The production plan is limited to 24 units, and given the looks, the performance, and the exclusivity, we can only imagine there will be plenty of people lining up to buy one. Bahar promises the engine will sound divine and, given the specs, we have no reason to question that. He also says the whole experience of driving it will be very friendly, making the S Project a viable daily driver. Well, you know, if you don't have any kids. Or back pains.
The creation belongs to Ares Design, a company known mostly for its Legends Reborn program where it takes current supercars and dresses them into the vintage clothes of iconic models, all with a touch of modern styling. It's basically doing in the real world what so many digital artists do using their software - putting a contemporary spin on the most legendary cars in the automotive history. Take a look at the Ares Design Panther ProgettoUno if you have any visualization problems.
Now, though, the company ran by Dany Bahar has plied its trade on something a little different. The S Project isn't a nod to any model of yore, but rather a modern supercar through and through, albeit one that's based on what most people would rightly describe as a "sports car."
To be fair, ever since GM decided to turn the C8 Corvette into a mid-engine sports car, the model was crying for a conversion like this. Talking to Top Gear, Dany reveals the brief for the project was simple enough: "Hypercar design, supercar performance, sports car price."
Well, at over $500k, that last point was surely missed, but considering the Chevrolet Corvette's starting price, it was never going to happen. But Dany can surely check the boxes next to the other two. We've already talked about the design and, anyway, you can check it out too in the picture gallery. It's definitely hypercaresque, like a mix between a Koenigsegg and a Bugatti.
As far as performance goes, things get a little trickier. No, the Ares S Project isn't down on power, it's where it takes it from that's quite mysterious. They say they use a 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine producing 715 hp at 6,450 rpm (while revving all the way up to 9,000 rpm) and 715 lb-ft (968 Nm) of torque, but they also say they kept the Corvette engine.
As you know, the 6.2-liter unit in the Stingray only produces 495 hp. A more powerful version using an atmospheric engine will debut later in the shape of the Z06, but that's rumored to use a smaller, flat-plane V8 with a 5.5-liter displacement and a power output in the 600 hp region. What gives? Understandably, Bahar is tight-lipped about it: “That remains a secret between our supplier in the USA and us. It’s all mechanical modifications though, you can’t do this through software.”
The production plan is limited to 24 units, and given the looks, the performance, and the exclusivity, we can only imagine there will be plenty of people lining up to buy one. Bahar promises the engine will sound divine and, given the specs, we have no reason to question that. He also says the whole experience of driving it will be very friendly, making the S Project a viable daily driver. Well, you know, if you don't have any kids. Or back pains.
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