CHEVROLET CORVETTE (C7)

Dart aluminium full-skirt race LS block, Callies 4340 forged-steel H-Beam rods, Wiseco forged pistons, ARP main studs, Comp Cams custom-grind billet hydraulic roller camshaft, Morel high-rpm race-tie-bar hydraulic roller lifters, Cloyes billet Hex-A-Just timing set, heavy-duty Z-chain (C5R), Brodix CNC-ported LS7 heads, 2.25-inch Manley stainless-steel intake valves, 1.6-inch Manley stainless-steel exhaust valves, Manley Nex-Tek valve spring kit, Manley titanium retainers, hardened locks, Viton seals, ARP head bolts, LS7 rockers, trunnion kit, Comp Cams hardened 0.080-inch pushrods, MSD AirForce intake, billet fuel rails, Nick Williams billet 102mm throttle body, modified Kooks C6 headers, ATI balancer, custom four-stage billet reversemounted dry-sump pump, Injector Dynamics 850cc fuel injectors, MagnaFuel Prostar EFI 750 fuel pump, custom fuel tank with in-built surge tank and quickfill system, Holley fuel-pressure regulator (FPR), billet fuel overflow tray with overflow tank, MSD coils, MSD ignition leads, Holley Dominator ECU, custom radiator, 16-inch electric fan, custom shroud, powersteering cooler, MoTeC power distribution module (PDM), MoTeC eight-way keypad, custom catch-can

HGT six-speed sequential transaxle, custom billet mounting kit, carbon-fibre driveshaft, custom twin-plate clutch, custom 4130 flywheel, factory C7 eLSD, VE Commodore right-hand-drive conversion, custom collapsible chromoly steering column, hidden power-steering pump

BC Racing coilovers, custom 7075 billet front top arms, custom 7075 billet front bottom arms, 3D-printed knuckle adapter, 25mm rack spacers, bearing assembly bushes

(F) Wilwood calipers, custom 12.7-inch floating rotor and 5x114.3 conversion hat, medium compound pads; (R) dual Wilwood calipers, custom floating rotor and 5x114.3 conversion hat; dry-brake quick-release system

(F) 18x9-inch (+15) Touchdown TD132 and 18x10.5-inch (+12) Work Emotion D9R wheels, 245/40R18 Falken Azenis RT615K and 265/35R18 tyres

Custom 100mm wide front guards, custom Kevlar-lined doors, custom 50mm wide rear guards, custom front splitter, custom side skirts, carbon-fibre removable roof, polycarbonate side windows, billet wing-mirror mounts

Eight-point chromoly roll cage, pivotbar rear section, carbon-fibre tub delete

Sparco seats, Wilwood pedal box, Spark steering wheel, Sparco quick-release, Racepak IQ3 Street Dash, HGT six-speed gear indicator, custom billet black anodized handbrake

697hp, 620lb·ft

and bolted to the chassis and the cage built from there. Being chromoly, it also had to be completed by a registered MotorSport New Zealand (MSNZ) constructor and then signed off to a high standard in order to pass homologation.

While that was going on, everything rearwards of the rear subframe was chopped off; carbon-fibre composites were swapped with easily replaceable alloy panels internally. The guards are custommoulded fibreglass units that were designed in-house as a one-off widebody — the moulds have been retained so multiple examples can be reproduced when the current set inevitably gets damaged in battle. In fact, the only original panels that remain are half of each sill, the bonnet, and the front bumper. Everything else is custom, including the fibreglass widebody front guards, the fibreglass doors that are Kevlar lined for strength — to protect from an opponent’s front wheel attempting to enter the cabin — and the removable carbon-fibre roof panel. As a discipline, drifting is notorious for causing wear on a car, so having quickly replaceable panels was a must, and, of course, they had to look tough too.

Much like the bodywork, all the underpinnings had to be created from scratch, as at the time there was next to nothing available for the C7 off the shelf. After being told to “go away” in a few different words by an overseas suspension company, Blair said, “Screw it, I’ll do it myself then.”