Published: 2/3/2023
The Best of Both Worlds
Author: DAN HODGDON
Photos: COURTESY of BARRETT-JACKSON and MICHELS AUTO DESIGN
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Josh Michels' goal is to become a household name among specialty automotive builders. The Wisconsin native took a major step toward that end when he won the prestigious Battle of the Builders Young Guns category during last fall's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Josh Michels' goal is to become a household name among specialty automotive builders. The Wisconsin native took a major step toward that end when he won the prestigious Battle of the Builders Young Guns category during last fall's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Josh Michels won the Young Guns portion of Battle of the Builders during the 2022 SEMA Show with a 1966 Corvette.
"Everyone loves the drivability, performance and reliability of new cars, but the body style and styling of old cars."
That honor takes a special build, and Michels has one in his LT5 crate engine*-powered 1966 Corvette Sting Ray.
The car's next highlight will be rolling across the stage at the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, during "Super Saturday."
The blue C2 Corvette retains its original style, but the powertrain and much of what's underneath are similar to the setup used in the 2019 Corvette ZR1. The idea was to transform a classic into a modern supercar.
"Everyone loves the drivability, performance and reliability of new cars, but everybody loves the body styles and the styling of old cars," the 22-year-old Michels says. "So, I'm like, ‘Why not just make the best of both worlds?' That's what the whole inspiration behind the build was."
The 1966 Sting Ray had sat idle for decades when Michels found it.
"I had to dig it out from the mud with a shovel."
The Corvette started far from its current state; it was rescued when Michels and his family helped clear the homestead of a recently widowed friend of a friend in Wisconsin. Thirty cars were scattered throughout the yard, with many sitting in the mud. Michels and his dad, Mike, made a deal that they each would pick out a car to take home and would sell the rest while cleaning up scrap metal and parts.
Josh chose the 1966 Corvette, but just getting it out of the yard was a challenge.
"I had to dig it out from the mud with a shovel," he says. "It was sunk into the rocker panels."
The car was on jack stands, leading Michels to believe something was in need of repair. As a result, it sat for close to 30 years.
"I've always been a fan of Corvettes," Michels says. "I really wanted that because I think the C2s are the best year[s] and it was the perfect opportunity to pick one up. I was just finishing up a different project and this was about the perfect time to start."
The Corvette is powered by a Chevrolet Performance LT5 crate engine.*
Mike Michels is a longtime automotive enthusiast who is trained as an engineer and went on to lead a variety of companies. His son inherited his passion for cars and soaked up all he could as a youngster. In 2018, the duo opened Michels Auto Design in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. With the support of his parents, Josh set out to build the Corvette into a show-quality build to gain exposure in the industry.
Josh Michels wanted the build to feature the most powerful Chevrolet Performance crate engine* available at the time, leading him to choose the supercharged 755-horsepower LT5.†He backed the 6.2L power plant with a SuperMatic 8L90 eight-speed automatic transmission featuring a 715 lb.-ft. torque limit.
"I ordered the Connect & Cruise package from GM with the 8L90 and the LT5 and then just got to fabricating from there," Michels says.
The car features a variety of modern components found in a 2019 Corvette ZR1.
" I wanted to keep the C2 look as much as I could … but I wanted to make it drive and perform like a 2019 ZR1."
The car utilizes a Roadster Shop SPEC 7 chassis, and Michels found he needed to modify the motor mounts to lower the engine. The LT5 features a significantly taller supercharger than its LT4* counterpart – which is a more common swap in 1966 Corvettes. In addition, Michels added a 1967 Stinger hood and raised the scoop about half an inch to accommodate the LT5.
He spent hours upon hours on fabrication work throughout the car to update sections and add custom touches, and even more time on fit and finish to make sure all the body gaps were right.
"I really wanted to keep the C2 look as much as I could," Michels says. "I actually modified the exterior a lot because the car had big flares that were popular in the '90s and the six-taillight mod.
"I put it all back to original, but I wanted to make it drive and perform like a 2019 ZR1, which is why I put the same motor from the ZR1 in there, the same brakes, and there are also some similar suspension pieces that the C7 and my Corvette share."
Among the modern components in Michels' build are C7 ZR1 spindles and control arms, C7 ZR1 15-inch carbon-ceramic brakes with yellow ZR1 Brembo electric-powered calipers, power rack-and-pinion steering, and a 2015 Camaro independent rear suspension with 3.73 gears.
Many of the modern parts were purchased directly from General Motors or one of its dealers, while the suspension pieces were part of the Roadster Shop chassis.
The paint and interior are by StreetWorks Exotics.
The Corvette sits on custom Forgeline wheels measuring 19 x 10 in front and 19 x 12 in the rear, with Continental 275 tires up front and 335s out back. A quad exhaust setup also provides the rear of the car with an aggressive look.
However, perhaps the most striking aspect of the exterior is the 2017 Corvette PPG Laguna Blue paint, which Michels cleverly used to name the build "Blu My Mind."
Michels worked with nearby StreetWorks Exotics for the paint and custom interior, which includes Lamborghini Italian leather, Dakota Digital VHX gauges and Vintage Air air conditioning. A custom dash, door panels, center console and seats all were part of Michels' vision.
"I don't know how to paint or stitch interior yet, so they did all the paint work for me and then I designed an interior with them and they basically used the design that I wanted," Michels says.
The Corvette is set to be featured as part of "Super Saturday" during the 2023 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.
When Michels obtained the car, neither the SEMA Show nor Barrett-Jackson were on his radar. Rather, he hoped to build a car to take on the show circuit and slowly build up a following.
But after a conversation at a show with another SEMA Young Gun, he learned of SEMA's "Golden Ticket" program in which Young Gun participants (ages 29 and younger) can compete for the right to win a booth spot at the SEMA Show along with transportation and accommodations for the Las Vegas event. Michels won the ticket, allowing him to participate in Battle of the Builders.
"That was a big thing, because getting a booth spot at SEMA is really, really difficult from what I found out," Michels says. "You've got to let someone know really far in advance and build a really great car. So I applied for the Golden Ticket and ended up winning it, which is pretty much the only reason that my car ever showed up at the show."
Josh Michels of Michels Auto Design poses with his Battle of the Builders Young Guns winner's trophy during the 2022 SEMA Show.
Michels won the Young Guns category at SEMA, meaning his car finished top four overall in the Battle of the Builders program and put him in the running for overall champion.
Now that he's won the Young Guns portion of the program he's graduated from that competition and has his sights set on the grand prize – which would make him the youngest Battle of the Builders winner in history.
"I'll be competing against all of the really big names in the industry so that'll be a fun challenge for me," he says.
If his LT5-powered Corvette is any indication, Josh Michels will be a player in the industry for decades to come.
Be sure to keep watching The BLOCK for more from the Scottsdale edition of the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction. You can see Josh Michels' 1966 Corvette on Saturday, January 28, in Lot #1374.
*Because of their effect on a vehicle's emissions performance, these engines are intended exclusively for use in competition vehicles. These engines are designed and intended for use in vehicles operated exclusively for competition: in racing or organized competition on courses separate from public streets or highways. Installation or use of these engines on a vehicle operated on public streets or highways is likely to violate U.S., Canadian, state and provincial laws and regulations related to motor vehicle emissions.
†Discontinued product. Check with your dealer for availability.
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