Liam White 
Jack Wendel has turned a lot of heads recently due to his one of a kind C8 Corvette hotrod build, which is still far from a finished project. The pictures of the project originally popped up this week on Corvette Forum and have given us some insight into the man and the idea behind the venture. Wendel isn’t taking the “easy” route for his C8 Corvette build by purchasing a pre-made bodykit from a company like Pandem, Speedkore, or Sigala. His coach built Stingray hotrod design is 100% custom fiberglass body work, done by him right in his own yard.
C8 Corvette: Bodykit In The Backyard
Wendel is a huge fan of art deco design, especially in automotive applications. Back when cars were designed without the hindrance of federal regulations or mandatory safety features, manufacturers could really pour most of their time and effort into making beautiful automobiles. Wendel’s love and fascination with 1930’s-style automotive design can be understood by visiting his two coach building companies, Deco Ride and Delahaye USA. You’ll see recreation kits available for cars like the 1937 Bugatti Type 57s or a 1936 Maharaja Duesenberg Tribute. You’ll notice that elegant, beautifully-flowing design lines are a common theme.
C8 Corvette Coachbuild Project Is Something Completely New
The best part about this art deco C8 Corvette coachbuild project is that it isn’t following a traditional script. Even though Wendel had the project planned well before he received his Sebring Orange C8 Corvette, the coach built Stingray hotrod isn’t supposed to be a recreation of any specific car. Even so, he’s done all the pre-fabrication grunt work like building a clay model and designing multi-dimensional computer renderings.
If you’re interested in learning what’s involved in designing and building a custom fiberglass body kit for a C8 Corvette, Wendel regularly uploads videos detailing his work and progress on his YouTube channel. According to the forum thread, Wendel said that the undertaking is at least 100 times more difficult than he ever thought it would be. While the final product of the coach built Stingray hotrod probably won’t be completed for a while, we’re looking forward to keeping up with Wendel’s unique build. You might be able to purchase the kit someday.
