Et Tu, Brutus
Brutus is a brute.  When Dave and Sue G. got Brutus, their 1956 Corvette, thirty years ago, it was a “gasser” (running on gasoline as opposed to alcohol or nitromethane fuel) race car.  It had a Ford rear end, the fenders were flared and it wasn’t very pretty inside or out.  But Dave knew what he wanted.  He restored the body to its original shape, painting it red with white coving.  The interior was put back to an original look.  He changed the engine, putting in a fresh Chevy 350 CID that now puts out 386 hp at the rear wheels.  Dave is sure of that figure because he had it checked on a dyno.  The exhaust dumps just in front of the rear wheels, giving a more-than-healthy roar to the car.  With an overdrive five-speed manual transmission, Brutus has some very long legs.  Dave rebuilt the steering and brakes, but kept the original non-power steering and drum brakes.  That makes Brutus a challenge when it comes to driving down the road, requiring Dave to go to the gym just to keep his beast under control.  But that’s just the way Dave wants Brutus to be.  A brute.

Story & photos by Ron C. @2007