I know I discussed a restomodded Corvette just the other day, but when I saw this one come up in my news feed, I needed to write about it. As I’ve previously discussed, I think the C2 Corvette is easily the best-looking Corvette, and one of the finest muscle cars ever made. That being said, however, I’m never against the weird: if someone wants to take a C2 and make it utterly unique, changing it completely, I’m all for it. We need people like the fine folks at ARES Design in this world. Based in Modena, Italy, the firm specializes in coachbuilding, creating restomods possessing that unearthly Italian grace you normally only see in Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Sophia Loren. When the company turn their hand to the already-elegant C2 then, you know we’re in for a treat.

This 1964 Sting Ray was stripped down to its chassis for the project. The reason for such a substantial rebuild? Well, some small mechanical modifications have been made. Just a modest engine upgrade in the form of a 6.2 liter LS3 V8, producing 525 horsepower, along with a bevy of other mechanical treats. The suspension has been swapped with that from a C7 Corvette, pop-up white LED headlamps have been installed, and the braking system has been modernized, among many other upgrades.

The original carbon-fiber panels have all been repaired and retained, but have been resprayed in gloss black paint. Noticeably, the wheels have also been changed, with beautiful turbine wheels supporting the Corvette’s beautiful body. If you’re lucky enough to be able to step inside the car, you’ll notice that the interior’s also received a complete facelift. Bespoke burgundy leather covers every surface, and new interior panels have been fitted at the rear. A modern A/C system has been installed, as has an Alpine 500W audio system with concealed speakers and an eight-inch subwoofer. According to ARES, 3500 hours of work went into this Corvette, and that’s easy to believe. I’m sure the project cost an ungodly amount of money, but it was worth every cent.