Italian coachbuilder ARES Design is a well-renowned name when it comes to creating stunning cars with a balanced fusion of craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology. The 2020 Corvette C8 Stingray is their latest canvas to show-off the creative prowess – turning it into a high-performance speedster which is more than just a superficial facelift, the kind we usually associate with custom body kits. According to Danny Bahar at ARES Designs, the motivation for the artisanal craftsmanship is “to create a car that combined the design of a hypercar, the performance of a supercar, and the accessibility of a sportscar.”
After a short stint on the S1 Project with the new Corvette – that, by the way, is too precious to be driven with the fear of destroying it – Bahar decided to come up with a design that looks even better. Hence came to life the topless Barchetta version of the Corvette C8 – the S1 Project Spyder that reminds one of the Ferrari Monza SP2 or even the McLaren Elva! Look closer at the bodywork and you’ll instantly say, it resembles the rare Lamborghini Aventador J, as the hood flows into the cabin – morphing into the stem of the infotainment system and the center console. Powering this beauty is the Corvette’s 6.2-liter LT2 V-8 that’s tweaked for prime performance courtesy of the custom exhaust and an ECU tune.
The windshield is gone in favor of an airy cabin, but the tradeoff is the presence of dual wind reflectors popping out from the all-carbon-fiber body, directing the airflow towards the intakes that sit just behind the driver and the passenger seat. We bet you’ll have messy hair once you hit speeds beyond the usual highway limits. The inside of the speedster takes a detour from the C8 Corvette design – there’s a handcrafted cockpit that’s embellished in Nappa leather and Alcantara – matching the fat alloy wheels.
ARES Design emphasized that they wanted to “bring the experience of driving a supercar back to a more authentic and visceral level, an experience that uses today’s technologies and materials to rediscover sensations of yesteryear.” Truly S1 Project Spyder is a car that’s pure emotion and the build looks stunning. Once S1 Project Spyder hits the roads (ARES Design hinted on a limited run at an unknown price) it’ll get those surefire oohs and ahhs!
Designer: ARES Design
