Ely Reeves Callaway, Sledgehammer Genius, Passes Away
Automotive legend behind the C4 Sledgehammer, Ely Reeves Callaway III, passes away due to injuries sustained from a fall.
July 14, 2023 will go down as one of the saddest days in automotive history, as the genius behind the Sledgehammer C4 Corvette passed away. Callaway sustained severe injuries from a fall in his Newport Beach home that Friday, and later succumbed to said injuries. He was 75 years old. A Formula Vee champion turned self-taught aftermarket legend, Callaway’s first mark of success as an aftermarket genius was a turbo kit for BMW. From there his talents only expanded, collecting praise from Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Mazda, GM, and even Land Rover.
Though, of course, the Sledgehammer was inarguably one of his greatest achievements. The twin-turbo powered ‘Vette was developed back in 1989, and dropped jaws all over the world by setting the speed record for production vehicles of the time — 254.76 mph. Which, incredibly, held steady until Bugatti’s Veyron Super Sport topped it with a speed of 267.85. With a car holding a record for more than two decades from 1989? Callaway was well ahead of his time.
The Sledgehammer was granted that incredible top speed from an incredibly modified 5.7 liter V8, with both turbos working to churn up 22 lbs of boost. Working in tandem, the mighty Vette made an astonishing 880 hp and 772 lb ft of torque. Which, for the time, was insane. Even with today’s production vehicles rarely making as much power to weight ratio, it’s still an incredible figure.
Today, the Sledgehammer has shown up at several top-tier actions as an item, though the reserve has never been met. Callaway’s brilliance has also been displayed at the National Corvette Museum several times, and has since been induction into Bloomington Gold’s The Great Hall as one of the 50 most influential Corvettes. Maybe at some point, it will reappear and be snatched up by a lucky buyer who will drive it like it’s meant to be driven.
