Decades of changes separate the C3 Corvette and the C7 model. This custom 1973 Stingray sits on the bridge over that gap.
The owner of this C3, Johnny Burk, originally wanted to buy a C7, but a bad experience at a Chevy dealer led to him taking the engine-less and transmission-less ’73 out of his garage and customizing it to his liking. According to Corvette Online, Burk originally wanted to give his convertible “plexiglass bubble covers over exposed headlights a la vintage C3 racer,” but someone at the shop he was using convinced him to have C7 units grafted in to the front end.
Those modern headlights may be this ‘Vette’s most obvious anachronism, but they’re not its only one. The body around those peepers is covered in “a 1994 Corvette coppery gold hue with a burgundy tint on top” and finished off with ghost flames. There’s a carbureted engine – a 350-cid GM Performance ZZ5 crate motor with 385 horsepower – under the hood, but it’s connected to the six-speed manual gearbox from a 1998 C5. That fifth-gen shifter sits in the middle of a leather-wrapped interior with a C2-esque dual-cowl design and C4 seats.
Overall, the work performed seems to be of a very high quality. Whether you love or hate the finished product, Burk has taken a dusty paperweight of a ‘Vette and given it new life. He’s helped it cross a bridge – the one between the land of the dead and the land of the living.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
