Italian-American Pride: Corvette-based SV 9 Competizione
SV 9 Competizione – Click above for high-res image gallery
Reclothing Corvettes with Italian coachwork is a time-honored tradition; one that sadly lapsed for years in between the age of classics and the modern era. But in an industry where old designs and old badges are resurrected with increasing regularity, this is one practice we're glad to see come back. Following such recent examples as the Castagna Aznom and Bertone Mantide comes the SV 9 Competizione, a re-skinned C6 Corvette with a touch of Italian flair.
Imagine a cross between an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione – from which this creation clearly draws its inspiration (as well as its name) – and a contemporary Corvette and you're well on your way towards summing up the SV 9 Competizione's design. And while we have some reservations over the front-end styling with its protruding snout, overall, the design strikes an intriguing balance between American muscle and Italian style. And when you consider the price of many contemporary coachbuilt customs, the $99,995 sticker price – including the donor Vette – doesn't seem all that outlandish.
Along with the carbon fiber bodywork, SV has tweaked the interior, fitted a new intake and exhaust for a 14-horsepower boost to 450 and fitted a new set of wheels with Pirelli Pzero Rosso tires, giving the SV 9 Competizione a claimed 0-60 time of four seconds flat, a 12-second quarter-mile sprint, a braking distance from 60 of 107 feet and 1.03g of lateral grip. Not too shabby by any standard. And with configurations based on 25 exterior colors, five interior trims and four wheel choices, SV figures there's no reason any two of the 1,000 units to which production is limited will ever need to turn out the same. We wouldn't mind seeing one up close ourselves; the first example is set to debut in San Francisco this weekend ahead of its unveiling at the local Concorso Italiano next month, but in the meantime you can check out the computer renderings in the gallery below.
Gallery: SV 9 Competizione Corvette
[Source: SV via Corvette Blogger]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
groundZ 8:13PM (7/21/2009)
Not too shabby, except for the front end which is just hideous with its awkward egg bulge and ridiculously forced headlights.
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gerbick 11:35PM (7/21/2009)
Totally agree. Loved the lines and look... all but the front end.
tuxchown 2:47AM (7/22/2009)
Good god are you people blind? The front end and sides are nice. It's that ugly ASS that ruins it!
Mr.Oak 8:34AM (7/22/2009)
That's another 1000 'vettes sold by GM. I'd be curious to know if there is another car on the planet that is used as much for this purpose as the Corvette?
Tomac 8:39PM (7/21/2009)
Definitely an improvement, but unfortunately it still looks like a Vette.
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happyfun86 8:43PM (7/21/2009)
I don't like the odd bulge in the hood, and I don't really like how they kept the original creases above the wheels; they just don't flow with the rest of the car's design. It looks especially bad coupled with the headlights. I think if they hadn't made the creases as sharp as they are (à la the Alfa Romeo 8C), the overall design would work much better. It's not bad, but it has the potential to be so much better.
And fill out those wheel wells! What are those, 17's?
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zamafir 11:54PM (7/21/2009)
Yup, the front end is a mess. Also, I'm not sure we've ever seen press photos more sophomoric than that. So much noise. Maybe they were shooting at 6400ISO for fun? hoping all the noise would distract everyone from that front end, or the oddly placed side vent/square indicator? or the myriad of other ill fitting details.
xtasi 8:52PM (7/21/2009)
Those wheels don't work on the car. They don't look proper.
the tail lights remind me of 60's Ferraris
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fixitfixitstop 9:01PM (7/21/2009)
Yeah......no.
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Taglane 9:01PM (7/21/2009)
Hideous front end, but the rest is well done.
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Josh 12:00AM (7/24/2009)
True, buuuuuut it definitely looks better than that ugly-ass ZR1-based Mantide. Bleh. =]
- Josh
Taglane 12:02AM (7/24/2009)
that's for DAMN sure.
mjkyano 9:11PM (7/21/2009)
This is sad
Its probably a good car yes, but its an insult toward the GORGEOUSNESS of the 8C and the subtlety of the Corvette. It just doesnt work styling wise
Its like a stripped rocker shirt with soft, bland, sensitive shoes
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RayJ 9:28PM (7/21/2009)
The Vette is already perfection but I love what they did to it.
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wienekec 10:13PM (7/21/2009)
Front is totally Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and rear is definitely Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. This is an insult to an iconic American automobile.
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Dan 10:14PM (7/21/2009)
Great idea with flawed execution.
It looks like a kit car, like they decided to add a bunch of cheap aftermarket parts onto a 'vette.
The only thing that says Italian to me is the nose: it looks like an Alfa.
Everything else is just... Bleah!
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Brian 10:14PM (7/21/2009)
Is the interior still crap like in every other Corvette?
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Protzenegger 10:15PM (7/21/2009)
The quality of that model is almost as bad as the drawing, and the design fails in that it doesn't look anywhere as good as any of the cars it's derived from.
Ugur Sahin's Z03 concept worked infinitely better than this.
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2009/r-z-0-9/2009-USD-Mallett-Corvette-Z03-Red-Side-1280x960.jpg
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JDM Life 10:38PM (7/21/2009)
Looks worse.
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vetteracer 10:45PM (7/21/2009)
Quote"the $99,995 sticker price – including the donor Vette – doesn't seem all that outlandish. "
Yea right, take a $45,000 Corvette, double the price, hang some wazer crap on it and a whooping 14 flywheel HP and everyone will line up to buy one :-(
The nose has that Eurosnob look and belongs on Fiats or BMWs.
Only thing right in this writeup is taking the pictures in the dark for as we say you never go to bed with a dog but you wake up with one.
Tell Italy to stick with screwing up Dodge and leave real American sports cars alone.
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