Reeves Callaway, Founder Of Callaway Cars, Dies At 75

年代oon, the famed Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette was born. The 402-horsepower vehicle was a rocket compared to the 245-hp base one, and soon he signed a deal with GM to sell the kits through dealers, making him a true Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer.

年代oon after, Callaway was finally able to show the world what he could really do, and in1989, "The Sledgehammer" was born.An absolute monster in every metric, the 898-hp and 772-lb-ft Twin Turbo Corvette was piloted to 254.76 mph by his friend John Lingenfelter. This set the production car's top speed record (its claim may be dubious given the McLaren F1 was the world's fastest car at 240.1 mph), and it wasn't broken for 21 years until the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport came around.

From there, he launched the Callaway Competition racing unit, which successfully competed at Le Mans and in European GT Racing, but his love always remained with tuning road cars. He did projects with Aston Martin, Land Rover, and Mazda, but theCorvettebecame his muse. Every Corvette after the C4 has seen a Callaway tune, and the C7 even received theshooting brake version it always deserved.

"Dad's passion for making beautifully designed and crafted machines can be seen in each and every project, and we remain devoted to executing to the highest standards, in true Callaway fashion," says his son Peter Reeves Callaway, the company's President. "He was rarely found doing anything other than working towards the next milestone for the company. He was a charismatic leader with a sense of humor that we will all remember through various "Reeves-isms". I feel fortunate to have grown up working with him and the company."

The company's efforts have never ceased, with many other GM vehicles receiving attention over the years, and it's all thanks to Reeves Callaway's hard work, ingenuity, and determination over the years. He will be dearly missed.