Jackrabbit in Black

From the Corvette’s earliest days as a prototype developing in Flint, Michigan, the Corvette has been a natural to hot rod since the day it was born.

- John Gilbert

In 2017, the tradition of the hot rod Corvette is alive and well in Louisville, Tennessee, at Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop. “The same but always different” describes the uniqueness of a Corvette built to Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop’s timeless specifications. “It’s a signature stance that’s almost cartoonish,” yet very functional, stated George Lange, owner of the 1972 Corvette coupe gracing this month’s cover of Vette. George Lange is a longtime friend of Bobby Alloway and owner of several cars that Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop has constructed, and has described the creative process as follows.

“Bobby starts with an empty body shell, minus the chassis, positioned exactly at the desired stance on wood blocks and then rolls fat tires on wide wheels underneath.” Alloway’s ritual of allowing weeks or even months with the big ’n’ littles perched under a mockup to observe if the look is right is not unlike how Frank Lloyd Wright evaluated the livability of his iconic architectural designs.

After scrutinizing that the stance was right and determining exactly how to achieve it, the build order for the chassis went to Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) in Fife, (Tacoma) Washington, for the foundation of George’s 1972 Corvette. To accommodate the large, hooped, deep-dish wheels; extra wide tires and slammed nose Bobby likes it requires Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop to move the parallel front frame rails 4 inches closer together. The 4-inch squeezed front ’rails allow for maintaining a tighter turning radius while driving low.