Not many people have the opportunity to build their dream car. Butch Szollosy always loved the look of C1 Corvettes built as gassers, so when he got the chance to create his own, he did. The “Squirrel Town Screamer II” is Butch’s dream car that he was able to bring to life.

Butch became enamored with the classic C1 Corvette gasser at a very young age. When Butch was just 19 years old he purchased this 1961 Corvette, the car he always wanted. But, a year later he sold the ’61 so he could purchase a 1963 split window Corvette, this was back in the day before they literally became worth their weight in gold. That wasn’t the end of Butch’s affair with this ’61 Corvette, he bought the car back from the person he sold it to 38 years later. During that 38-year period, the owner only drove the car three times because it rode too rough.

“After I bought the car back, I started to build it into what you see today. I put the spacers under the front suspension to raise the front end like an old gasser. I added the roll bar to the chassis myself along with the fenderwell headers. The goal was to build a gasser that I could drive on the street and race,” Butch says.

The Squirrel Town Screamer II is powered by a 327 cubic-inch L79 small block Chevy that came from a 1967 Corvette. The engine already had the 375 fuelie camshaft and solid lifters in it when Butch purchased the engine. Butch added a set of WCFB carbs to the engine that looked more correct. A set of ACP Headers expel the exhaust gases, and are connected to an exhaust system that can easily be removed at the track. The small block is backed by a four-speed Muncie transmission and posi rearend that’s filled with 4.11 gears.

Butch plans on changing the 50-year-old valve springs out before he takes the Corvette to the track. Also on the agenda is a 9” rearend to replace the stock unit for more reliability and strength.

Now, if you expect to see the Squirrel Town Screamer II trailered to shows you’re going to be disappointed. Butch built this Corvette to be a driver and he really puts some miles on it whenever he can. The Corvette can be seen at local car shows, cruise nights, and fun runs on a regular basis. Butch also plans to really beat on the Corvette at the track when he’s done with the last few upgrades.

“This car turned out exactly how I wanted. My favorite parts are the stance of the car and those fenderwell headers that hang out the side. To me, the car just looks cool sitting still and it’s a blast to drive,” Butch explains.

It’s always great to see people enjoy a build they put a lot of effort into. When you talk to Butch Szollosy about his Corvette it’s obvious he’s very proud of the vehicle he created, and he should be. You don’t get to see many C1 Corvettes roaming the streets that have been built like this, and we thank Butch for making his dream a reality so the rest of us could enjoy it too.