Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Callaway C12 Coupe is for Sale
Former Dale Jr.-owned C5 Corvette-based Callaway C12 Coupe is a limited-production boutique sports car and it’s looking for a new home.
You’d be forgiven if you’re unfamiliar with the Callaway C12 Coupe. You might be familiar with the name Callaway as the company has been upgrading Corvettes for generations. However, the C12 Coupe is much more than performance upgrades. Though it’s based on the C5 Corvette, virtually only the cabin area and roofline remain in terms of bodywork. Inside and out, this is a boutique performance car.
This C12 Coupe is currently for sale on Bring A Trailer. According to the listing, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. bought it in 2004. He then sold it to the current owner in 2015 and even signed it with the sale. It comes with a recent Callaway service record and a box of accessories from its original sale. Let’s take a look at what makes the Callaway C12 Coupe stand out from its C5 Corvette starting point.
Extra Power and Performance
Under the hood sits a 6.2-liter “SuperNatural” Callaway V8 engine. It puts out a whopping 482 horsepower and 466 pound-feet of torque. Safe to say, it gets down. Even more good news for enthusiasts is that it’s equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and, as one would expect, it’s rear-wheel-drive. Where the C12 excels, though, is putting that power down.
The C12 is equipped with a limited-slip differential and Alcon calipers with slotted rotors all around. It has a fresh damper rebuild and 295-wide Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires all around. So, this thing is ready to dominate race tracks with ease.
Signed by the Man Himself
Inside you’ll find two-tone gray leather covering the dashboard, steering wheel, and door panels. Accenting the gray leather upholstery is carbon fiber trim throughout. Above the occupants’ head is a removable roof signed by Dale Jr. Finally, the included box of accessories comes with a hat, jacket, keychain, tie, and shirts with Callaway and C12 branding.
At the time of writing, the high bid is already $72,000. So, we hope you weren’t expecting it to come cheap. That may seem like a lot for a Corvette-based car from 1999. However, the Callaway C12 is a lot more supercar than it is C5 Corvette. Adding the fact that it’s reportedly one of only 19 built makes that price start to seem fairly reasonable. We’ll definitely be watching to see how high it goes.
Photos: Bring A Trailer
