BoldYeller

The call came some time in the early part of December. Lingenfelter Performance Engineering was finishing up some new projects and invited the staff from GMHTP down to its Decatur, Indiana shop for a January visit. Normally, one would jump at the chance to check out the latest toys from one of the country's foremost speed shops. However, it was the dead of winter and Indiana isn't exactly a balmy destination in mid-January. Like any other horsepower junkies looking for a mid-winter fix, cold weather certainly wasn't an issue that was going to deter us from spending a little quality time surrounded by thousands of cubic inches worth of GM muscle. We jumped at the chance and clearly were not alone in this mindset. When we put the call out for some local assistance on our photo shoot, several members of the Central Indiana Camaro Club and Midwest F-Body Association also thought hanging out with hot cars in semi-arctic conditions was a great way to spend a mid-winter weekend. As would be expected, John Lingenfelter and the crew at LPE made sure our trip was well worth the time we spent freezing our extremities in rural Indiana.

When we arrived in Decatur, Ben Liechty of the LPE staff quickly escorted us through the office and into the shop. We passed a wall of drag racing trophies, dozens of ASA motors, one of Lingenfelter's Pro Stock trucks and several other extreme toys as we made our way to the very back. Tucked at the far end of the building was a supercharged Millennium Yellow 2000 Corvette, shimmering in the glow of the overhead shop lights. We knew the basics of the car coming in, but seeing it in person certainly made an impression on us. Unlike many of the Vettes that make their way through LPE's shop, this car was not going to sneak up on anyone. It may not be equipped with an oversized spoiler or loaded down with decals all over the body panels, but there are distinct changes that set this vehicle apart from the crowd.

The most noticeable of these modifications is the custom fabricated fiberglass hood. Although LPE was able to finesse two turbos into the cramped quarters of the Corvette engine bay, there just wasn't enough room for a supercharger without making modifications to the hood. As a result, if you want this particular supercharger on your Vette, you'll need a custom hood and the aesthetics of this design are tough to beat. LPE also added new Michelin Pilot rolling stock on all four corners, mounted on stunning 18-inch Fikse FM/10s. The tips of the B&B Tri-Flow Performance exhaust system were the most subtle of the appearance modifications, but that all changed with the turn of a key.

While we were busy mentally making room in our own garages for a supercharged Corvette, Graham Behan whipped around the corner, hopped in the car and fired it up, shocking us out of our daydream. The B&B exhaust settled into an aggressive rumble, while the whirring of the supercharger up front seemed to tug at our consciousness, begging us to make it scream into the upper rpms. People may wish they had Jon Moss' job, but guys like Graham, who shakes down the cars at LPE, is the one really having all the fun. Dialing in some of the world's fastest street machines has not gotten to be old hat for Graham, as he was just as anxious as we were to see how quickly the car would reach triple digit speeds. As would be expected, the Vette easily hit 100 mph in less than ten seconds and is capable of running mid-11s in the quarter mile with trap speeds edging near the 130 mph mark.

The folks at LPE are accustomed to pumping out high horsepower Corvettes, but the road this particular car took to see nearly 500 horsepower is a bit of a departure for them. LPE has made quite a name for itself by creating blindingly fast, naturally aspirated motors for fans of the General. As LPE pushed the small-block to its absolute limit, it turned to turbocharging as a means of going way beyond what most reasonably sane people would look for in the way of transportation. Amazingly fast under hard acceleration, but surprisingly civil and quiet in daily commuting, the turbo packages are enormously popular with Corvette owners. While this car shares the brutal acceleration characteristics of its twin turbo-powered counterparts, engine noise at idle (and all the way through the power band) is noticeably louder. Fortunately, most people concerned about a little engine noise typically spend their time listening to Perry Como records rather than tearing up the roads in Corvettes.

The Magna Charger supercharger found under the hood of this car represents Lingenfelter's first foray into supercharger packages for Corvette owners. "We've been working with these superchargers on our trucks for a while now and they've been very reliable," says John Lingenfelter. Lingenfelter has not been the only person working with Magna Charger products either. In fact, Magna Charger's parent company, Magnuson Products lays claim to being the biggest aftermarket supercharger supplier in the world. Magnuson also handles service and the aftermarket for the world's largest automotive supercharger manufacturer, Eaton. Some of Eaton's OE applications can be found on the Pontiac GTP and Ford Lightning.

Two of the big advantages of this package are the ease of installation and price when compared to a stroker motor or twin turbos. "The twin turbo installation is very labor intensive and we wanted to give our customers a more affordable option. We were a little concerned that the superchargers might take some sales away from the turbo packages and that may be true for the 550 BHP Stage I turbo package, but I don't think it will have much effect on our Stage II package," says Lingenfelter. In addition, Lingenfelter says the supercharger package can be installed in as little as one week's time, depending on the workload at its shop.

The entire supercharger package, including installation, dyno testing, tuning and the painted custom fiberglass hood lists for $8,399. Other options, such as a high-flow air intake, B&B Tri-Flow exhaust, wheels, tires and the custom LPE boost gauge are optional, but recommended. Those more inclined to do the work themselves can take the Magna Charger unit home for $4,950. The result of 490 horsepower and 480 lb.-ft. of torque falls short of LPE's 550hp/550 lb.-ft. Stage 1 turbo package, but the price is only marginally more expensive than LPE's heads and cam package. Dollar for dollar, the supercharger package clearly gives Corvette owners the biggest bang for their performance buck.

Some of the biggest knocks against supercharger units in the past have been efficiency, maintenance and durability. While no forced induction system is perfect, the latest generation of Magna Charger superchargers has come a long way in solving many of its predecessors' downfalls. One big advantage in this hybrid roots-style blower has come from the integration of a bypass valve system. Operated by an externally mounted vacuum actuator control unit, this system vastly improves economy while minimizing parasitic power loss. "The biggest benefit of the bypass valve system is that it keeps the air from heating up when you're at cruising speed," says Lingenfelter. By equalizing the vacuum pressure throughout the system, normal parasitic power loss is reduced to less than 1/3 of one horsepower at approximately 60 mph. A stomp on the throttle instantly closes the bypass valve and cylinder pressure is increased.

The bypass valve combined with a modest 5 lbs. of boost results in a system that promises substantial power increases along with the long-term durability found in factory-installed systems. The entire unit is also self-lubricating and requires no special maintenance. To further add peace of mind, LPE offers its own warranty on this package. The warranty is available on both new and used vehicles and is good for up to three years or 36,000 miles.

An intercooler is available but due to size restrictions, it is only an option on certain vehicles, specifically trucks. Development is also underway on other LS1-based applications, including F-bodies. In spite of Lingenfelter's history of combining stroker motors with power adders, we don't expect to see this supercharger combined with any of Lingenfelter's other packages any time soon. "They're really intended for stock applications. We've been fooling around with them a little bit, but the superchargers weren't designed for those applications, plus there's the issue of noise," chuckled Lingenfelter. We certainly have no problem with the thunder of a V8 or the whine of forced induction. We can only assume the "noise" John is referring to would be the complaining coming from the Ford camp, as Lingenfelter continues to create new ways to humiliate it.