Man stumped by car at traffic lights, but the mystery is quickly solved
- A man asked for help after he was left stumped by a mystery car
- The car turned out to be a super rare Callaway C12
- The beefed up sports car is based on Corvette
Published on Sep 06, 2024 at 11:34 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 06, 2024 at 1:41 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A man asked for help after he was left stumped by a vehicle he spotted while out driving in the US – but the mystery was soon solved.
Taking to Reddit – and the aptly named ‘What is this car?’ subreddit – the man shared a couple of snaps of a slick-looking silver sports car.
The somewhat blurry photos showed the car parked up at a red light on a US street.
It wasn’t long before several car enthusiasts chipped in to tell the man it was a Callaway C12.
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The mystery car is a super rare Callaway C12
It turns out that Reddit is a handy place to go when you need help identifying a mystery car – one man who turned to the platform asking for the make and model of a recent barn find was quickly informed that it was a super rare Canadian sports car.
In this instance, the car was a similarly rare Callaway C12 – one of only 20 ever made.
So, we can forgive the original poster for not knowing what it was.
“I call myself a car guy but then see something like this and I’m clueless,” the man joked in response to one commenter who shared the answer.
Produced by Callaway between 1998 and 2001, the C12 was based on the Chevrolet Corvette C5 and was designed to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, the bodywork had been given a hefty rework from the Corvettes – with a full custom carbon Kevlar body.
It’s a powerful car
Engineers working on the C12, took full advantage of Le Mans dimensional regulations and made it a staggering two meters wide.
The suspension was given a rebuild, with Callaway adjustable coilovers and stainless-steel upper-and-lower suspension arms, while the brakes were also upgraded.
Under the hood, the C12 was fitted with a Callaway 5.7 liter, all-aluminum V8 that produced 440 horsepower at a 6300rpm peak.
what is this ?
byu/derinpadir67 inwhatisthiscar
The C12 can do 0-60mph (0-96.5km/h) in just 4.2 seconds – a hair faster than the Corvette at 4.8 seconds.
The C12 had a similar boost to its speed over the Corvette, too, with a top speed of around 192mph (308km/h), compared to 174mph (280km/h).
Given that just 20 street-legal versions were made, it’s pretty unusual to see one out in the wild.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
