Corvettes are like denim jackets: intrinsically American, and vacillating in and out of style since their inception. But sometimes you find one collecting dust in a garage, take a long hard look and think to yourself, “Why the hell haven’t I been wearing that?”
The anwer is that it probably just needed a little update.
Enter the Throwback from Equus Automotive, an attempt to bridge the gap between old-school ‘Vette clout and modern performance. In their words, it’s “the ultimate American performance car.”
If Equus rings a bell, it’s because they’re the Frankensteinian gearheads behind the Bass 770: the luxury muscle car that mashed up elements of golden-era Challengers, Mustangs and Camaros. For numbers guys, some were dismayed at that build’s $534K price tag for 640-HP and a 200 MPH top speed. But that was their debut, and after a steep learning curve, Equus is pulling no punches with the Throwback.
The Corvette tribute also draws inspiration from various old-school models, but the performance is thoroughly contemporary. The top-of-the-line model boasts 1,000-HP, 882 lb-ft of torque, a top speed exceeding 220 MPH and a 0-60 time of 2.5 seconds. And the starting price is a much lower, albeit still hefty, $130K.
For comparison, Chevrolet’s new 2019 Corvette ZR1 comes in at 755-HP, a top speed of 210 MPH and a cool $120K.
Details beyond that are limited, but Equus describes their process this time around (and going forward) as similar to that of Brabus and Alpina. But instead of offering high-performance customization on European cars, they’re “focused on providing American sports car lovers the ultimate interpretation of todayʼs designs.”
American-focused, eh? In that case, see if they’ll give it the ol’ stars-and-stripes paint job.
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