The number on the side of...
The number on the side of the trick rear wing tells it all.
Although the team failed to qualify at that event, Jim and Fred agree that their "mail order" Vette has plenty of potential and are confident that with a little work it will be quicker and faster than the record-holding '53 Vette they raced last year. When you consider the fact that this Summit-sponsored machine was built on another continent with parts being shipped from this one, we'd say that's not too bad at all.
The team of Pro Mod kingpin Jim Oddy and his driver, Fred Hahn, have campaigned a series of very fast, very pretty Corvettes over the last 15 years. In fact, Corvettes are the only body style the team has used with the exception of the '37 Chevy that they competed with for a couple of years as a Super Chevy Series Nitro Coupe.
For the past couple of years the Summit Racing Equipment-backed team has been racing a slick '54 Vette with enough success that they managed to win the 2000 IHRA Pro Mod World Championship. At the end of last season, Jim and Fred decided it was time to get a new car, and, of course, they wanted another Vette. But this time they wanted a body style that was more current and aerodynamic, which led them to use the current C5 body style because of its good looks and inherent slicing-through-the-wind capability.
On-track excitement is what...
On-track excitement is what this Vette's all about.
Jim has always looked for innovative car builders because his machines are never of the "cookie cutter" variety. With that in mind he turned to legendary Australian car builder Murray Anderson to build his latest ride. Murray has assembled some of the quickest and fastest slammers on the earth and is credited with developing and perfecting the swing arm suspension that Jim employed on his last two cars.
Jim worked from his Elma, New York, shop, and Murray worked out the chassis design that includes a unique rear suspension. Jim wouldn't say much about the rear links other than to say it was "trick."
The chassis incorporates a double framerail and from outward appearances looks fairly standard. Amazingly, despite the fact that Fred never had the opportunity to have the car "fitted" to him in the traditional manner (since the car was being built in Murray's Australian shop), Fred says the car fits him like a glove.
While the chassis is certainly innovative, the body itself is where the casual observer will notice the aerodynamic innovations incorporated into the C5 design. Murray went to great lengths to retain the stock appearance of the body while improving its slipperiness. A look at the rear wheelwell and the position of the back window in relation to the wing emphasizes this point.
The thing we like best about Jim's new Vette is that it retains the stock look of a Fifth-Generation car. Instead of looking like a C5 on steroids, it looks more like a C5 that spent time in the gym.
Jim, Fred, crew chief Billy Leverentz, along with Jim's twin sons, Dan and Dave, were just able to finish the car after its delayed boat trip from Australia to New York in time to take it to the IHRA season opener in Rockingham, North Carolina. With no time for practice runs or to get used to the car, the Corvette's maiden voyage was the first qualifying lap of the '01 season.
The team suffered the "new car blues" at Rockingham, however, but still managed a solid 6.39/217 on its second lap.
Driver Fred Hahn sits inside a "funny car" style roll cage. Power from the 2,500hp supercharged Rat motor is directed through a two-disc clutch and a Lenco three-speed transmission. Notice that there is no tach, just a shift light. Fred doesn't need one.