Special attention to the body color and parallel import from the USA
American car enthusiast Mr. Aki switched from a Chevrolet Camaro to a Corvette, yearning for a large-displacement car. The Corvette, with its eye-catching bright orange body color, is a parallel import that he finally acquired after spending about half a year on a used car website in the USA, aiming for this color. Let’s look at the interior’s customization, which he finished in the same color.
Color change of the interior using can spray
Owner Mr. Aki took part in the all-genre American car meeting “K-Styles” held in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, on Sunday 14 April 2024, in a brightly colored Chevrolet Corvette.
“I’m after an orange-colored body, and probably only five Gran Sports are officially imported into Japan. I decided not to go for the Gran Sports because it’s a wide car and not easy to handle, and it also costs a lot of money for tire changes and other things. I stuck to American used car websites for about six months and asked the shop to import cars that looked good.”
He likes American cars and before this car, he was driving a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro (2L straight-4 turbo), but switched to a 2019 Corvette because he yearned for a large-displacement car. The car was stock when it was parallel-imported from the US. Still, in addition to aero parts purchased on eBay, lowered bolts, air clips, and a replacement of the intermediate pipe from the headers, he also made changes to the interior himself to match the body color.
“The panels are sprayed orange with a commercial can sprayer and then a further layer of lame and clear. The official name for the car’s body color is Sebring Orange, and I looked for the closest color to match that color. I have a lot of can sprays at home that I didn’t use because I had so many different types.”
Compared to the generous Camaro, the Corvette has a tighter feel
Mr. Aki is enjoying his Corvette, making it just the way he likes it. We asked him to tell us frankly what he thought of the Corvette compared to the Camaro he switched to.
“I had no complaints about the Camaro, which has a 2L turbo and just under 300 hp, but the Corvette’s displacement has more than tripled to 6.2L, the sound is different and the ride height and eye level are lower. The Camaro was rather generous, but the Corvette is relatively tight and feels like a true sports car.
I chose the C7 because I liked the shape the best, but the long nose means there is a large area in front and to the side that I can’t see, and sometimes it’s scary going into intersections, so I’ve installed cameras on the front and sides. I’ve added an extra monitor and usually switch to the side direction and only when entering an intersection do I switch to the front with the button on my hand to eliminate blind spots.”
As for the future, he is considering replacing the stock front and rear 19/20-inch wheels, which are currently surfaced with 5mm spacers, with external ones, but is still wondering whether to keep the same size, go up an inch or make the front and rear the same size. Otherwise, he is happy with the current situation and would rather focus on maintaining it.
translated by DeepL