At Covercraft’s 2018 SEMA booth, Heartland Custom’s showed off its stunning 1958 restomod Corvette. This car looks vintage but is far from fuddy duddy in how it handles and feels. The Corvette from Heartland can be equipped with different LS-based engines depending on your performance goals. It uses a laundry list of top notch restomod components and won GM Designs’s “Car Of The Year” at SEMA in 2018!

Our man on the scene Brian Petty talked to Jeff Page, head-honcho of Heartland Customs, about this crazy restomod 1958 ‘Vette and how they brought it to fruition.

Jeff talks about HC’s SpecVette program, where a guy or gal can have a 1953-1972 Corvette modernized to their specification. They offer various levels of performance, from mild-to-wild, and the possibilities are only limited by a customers imagination and pocketbook.

According to the company website, “SpecVette is the most technologically advanced and high-performance classic Corvette ever built. Each car is coach-built by hand with luxury-car quality and materials, super- car performance, and is fully modernized while still retaining the unmistakable pedigree of a classic Corvette.

“Since Heartland Customs opened, we have had the opportunity to build some of the nicest custom Corvettes ever built and have earned the reputation for being the top custom Corvette builder in the world. From our experience with Corvettes, we know Corvette enthusiasts love the looks and style of the classic Corvettes, but demand modern performance and comforts.

“We have spent years designing and engineering a line of custom, classic Corvettes that are built to perform at today’s supercar level, with the comforts and reliability that a driver in todays modern automobiles are accustomed to.  These vehicles are known as SpecVettes.

“These aren’t thrown together cars with a hodge-podge of off-the-shelf hot rod parts bolted on like you see so many shops turning out.  These are fully engineered and tested modern supercars.  Thousands of hours have gone into the design and engineering of these cars to insure they are the absolutely finest modernized classic Corvettes on the road.

“All C1 SpecVettes are roadsters and C2 and C3 SpecVettes are available in coupe and roadster configurations. Roadster models feature a modern cloth material convertible top instead of the original vinyl.”

The 1958 used to be shunned after the super clean 1957 model. The washboard hood and twin spears on the trunk were considered overdone and were banished for model year 1959.  These days, the 1958s are coveted —and more valuable — for their once derided mid-mod jewelry.

This 1958 ‘Vette comes with a cammed 480 hp LS3 sitting in a Roadster Shop chassis and the company’s Fast Track independent rear suspension. The body has been smoothed, perfected, and sprayed out in a killer “Black Diamond” color. We especially dig the retro, yet hi-po, wheel and tire combo that complement the perfect lowdown stance.

Lastly, kudos to the guys at Covercraft for hosting this killer build and as I can personally attest, Covercraft is the place to go for the best in car covers, seat protection and sunscreens.  I have a Covercraft ViewShield car cover for my C4 ‘Vette and a Sun Shield for my RV and I love the quality, fit, and look of their products. For more information, visit Covercraft.

Heartland Customs walked off with GM;s SEMA 2018 “Car of the Year”