1970 Chevrolet Corvette GT ‘Shark’

Considered one of the most iconic custom Corvettes from the 1970s, the GT Three-Window 'Shark' started out as a factory original 454-cid, four-speed pavement-pounding machine right out of the box. It was the pride and joy of New York owner Vinnie Russo. That is until around 1975, when the Stingray was nearly totaled. While the chassis and drivetrain survived, the rear end of the car was pretty much wasted. In hopes of bringing his coupe back to life, Russo turned to John Riedel, owner of Custom Corvette Enterprises located in Babylon, New York, with hopes of bringing his baby back to life. Known in the Corvette world as the largest provider at the time of aftermarket fiberglass panels for Corvettes, this project would be given carte blanche to create a handsome vehicle that would end up being a show winning car that would become a bit of a trendsetter in its own right. First, with the help of Joel Rosen, founder and owner of Motion Performance, creators of the legendary Baldwin Motion Chevrolets, the original 454 V-8 was removed to be totally rebuilt. It was decided to convert this big block monster into the legendary 427 through the installation of a crankshaft from a 396-cid V-8, as well as numerous other performance oriented modifications that would give this Corvette even more get up and go than when it left the factory. The main focus for this reconstruction was the extensive amount of bodywork needed, especially for the rear of the car. Up front, the hideaway headlights, a Corvette standard since the 1963 Stingray, were deleted and a custom housing was created for the new style lights. The grille opening below the bumper was enlarged a bit and a total redesign of the hood with a streamlined air scoop was incorporated. Due to the damage from the rear-end accident, the T-top portion of the roof had to be restored and, for the main event, a total redesign for the coupe's rear backlight. A pillared fastback design featured a beautifully tapered back glass with innovative hand-crafted side windows. The final effect reflected the original Stingray roof design with the quarter panel wheel openings flared to accept a set of extra-wide rear tires. With the bodywork completed, Riedel then applied a pure white coat of paint and then a center stripe of gold metallic with a similar application of gold to the side panels. A set of True-Spoke wire wheels with BFGoodrich radial tires were installed along with a pair of custom chrome plated side pipes that looked cool and sounded great. A hand-stitched custom black tufted leather was installed and updated electronics were fitted as needed. During the late 1970s, Russo campaigned this car and took numerous awards whenever it was shown and, in March 1977, it would be the cover car for Cars Hi-Performance & Custom magazine, with a feature article on its build and unique features.